[GUI Plugin] FanFicFare - Page 753

JimmXinu · 09-23-2025, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wildfire070

Should I change it to this instead?

Code:

<body class="fff_chapter">
 <h3 class="fff_chapter_title">${origchapter}</h3>
 <br class="skip_on_ffdl_update"></br>

Also, any recommendations on how to add a line break between Author Notes at the beginning of chapters and the story/body text?

I would expect that to work, yes.

I'd use custom CSS for spacing around author notes. Actually, I'd use that instead of the <br>, too. Add a margin-bottom on .fff_chapter_title.

SilentShadow123 · 09-24-2025, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

I have answered variations of these questions so many times I honestly just don't have the energy every time they come up again. Sometimes other users will chime it, but I guess they're tired, too.

But since you insist:

I offered that as a possible solution, yes.

Sadly, there isn't a perfect turn-key solution for FFF to download from AO3 anymore. Some options work for some users but not others. I blame AI companies mass harvesting the entire web that forces sites to defend themselves from automated access--which is what FFF is.

Even if you can't get FFF to download AO3 at all, there's still AO3's own Download > EPUB feature.

Then you don't need to comment them out.

Editing personal.ini sometimes requires adding sections. To quote from an earlier post:

Mostly, yes. But it's easier to use open_pages_in_browser:true instead of manually clicking through chapters because FFF's AO3 code adds a parameter when is_adult:true.

Ah, I see. I grew a little too dependent on asking for answers here from time to time. Moving forward, I'll do my best to search the thread for answers on my own. I'm not so great with tech and code like this, but I really appreciate FFF and all the help you've given me. I won't take it for granted. Thank you!

steltek · 09-24-2025, 03:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentShadow123

Ah, I see. I grew a little too dependent on asking for answers here from time to time. Moving forward, I'll do my best to search the thread for answers on my own. I'm not so great with tech and code like this, but I really appreciate FFF and all the help you've given me. I won't take it for granted. Thank you!

As an example for you, here is the setup of my personal.ini section for A03:

[www.archiveofourown.org]

Code:

 ##Anti-AI CSS setting follows:
use_workskin:true
 #slow_down_sleep_time:2
 #always_login:true
 #username:XXXXXX
 #password:XXXXXX
 #is_adult:true
use_browser_cache:true
 #browser_cache_age_limit:128.0
use_browser_cache_only:true
open_pages_in_browser:true

Any lines preceded by a # are remarked out and not used, but can be easily enabled if needed by editing the section to remove the # and saving the edited personal.ini . I've found I very rarely need the remarked options.

As I have it currently set up, FFF will only use the browser cache on the system default browser, and will open the pages in the system default web browser as needed. I do it this way as I've found this to be the most consistently stable way to do it over time.

You don't have to use the login/password options to log in to A03 for most downloads, but for problematic ones (i.e. padlocked stories) simply staying logged into your A03 account in a tab in your system default browser will almost always take care of any issues without having to mess with the login/password options.

In general, I recommend clearing the browser cache in your system default browser periodically (or when you experience problems). Further, if you do clear the cache, make sure to load a webpage in the default browser after clearing the cache (any random page will do) before attempting to use FFF. FFF will sometimes throw browser cache errors and not work when the browser cache is totally empty, and loading a page into the cache prevents this from happening.

The only other thing you need to do is make sure you have the correct browser cache path set. Windows and Mac tend to be fairly straightforward to locate based upon the FFF Wiki. Linux can be less so depending upon whether you are running your default browser from a browser actually installed directly in your Linux distro versus a browser running from a flatpack (i.e. the browser cache for flatpacked browsers is usually in a completely different location path than it is for installed browsers).

El_Pirato · 09-24-2025, 06:15 AM

Has anyone found a way to bypass FanFiction.net's Cloudflare security?

ownedbycats · 09-24-2025, 06:16 AM

Using browser cache only method that works for me.

El_Pirato · 09-24-2025, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Using browser cache only method that works for me.

It works for one-shots, not LARGE multi-chapter stories

ownedbycats · 09-24-2025, 09:49 AM

open_page_in_browser helps. Go grab a drink once you're sure you're past the captchas.

Tharos · 09-24-2025, 12:52 PM

Use WebToEpub for new stories with more chapters. The chapters are stored in the cache and can be accessed by FFF. After that, there will only be a few chapters left for a later update.

If the story is already complete, you can use FicHub. Then use FFF to query the metadata.

steltek · 09-24-2025, 02:03 PM

The FicLab browser extension is also very good for both completed stories and for getting ongoing stories into Calibre so that FFF can be used to update them.

Like the WebToEpub method, the information it downloads is available to FFF in the default browser web cache. Further, both WebToEpub and FicLab handle FFN rate limiting to avoid triggering Cloudflare. One advantage it has over WebToEpub is that it adds a blue download button for any and all fic links as they appear on any served FFN web pages as well as on the fic page itself.

Do note that it presently doesn't work on Chrome due to Google's Manifest v3 bullcrap, but still works well on Firefox-based browsers. The author told me a couple months ago that they are slowly working to update it to Manifest v3 (which is a major undertaking for essentially a hobby project) and also that, as part of the update, they intend that it will work on the new FFN website when it is eventually released.

You use it just like you would WebToEpub. Simply copy the FFN link for the fic, then click the FicLab download button for the fic on the webpage. When FicLab pops up, use FicLab to generate the epub. When the epub save box opens up, click the cancel button. Then, enter the FFN url link into FFF for download as you normally would. FFF will pick up the pages downloaded by FicLab directly from the browser cache of the default system browser.

mijkala · 09-24-2025, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

That reminds me about something that could be helpful.

FFF actually uses different marks for successful, failed and chapter error, as well as for an updated/created anthology:

fff_success
fff_failed
fff_chapter_error
fff_anthology

Technically, each book is marked with a sequence number like, "fff_success_0001" so that order is also preserved.

If I want the action chain to run for fff_success only, where would i put that? I just created the module you did labled here!

Code:

 from calibre_plugins.action_chains.events import ChainEvent

class SearchChanged(ChainEvent):

    # replace with the name of your event
    name = 'FFF done'

    def get_event_signal(self):
        return self.gui.iactions['FanFicFare'].download_finished_signal

and then added a selection modifier for marked:fff for the "select all books in current library view" and then added some search and replace for a custom column that's basically a y/n for if I've sorted through the metadata.

Because the search and replace is more destructive, I only want it to be changed for a successful update, but not really sure how to do that. Would it be an event variable? I have that chain running under the event under "fanficfare download finished"

ownedbycats · 09-24-2025, 07:30 PM

i'd use a selection modifier on the action chain, marked:fff_success

JimmXinu · 09-24-2025, 07:46 PM

I'm going to assume ownedbycats is correct -- I don't use Action Chains myself.

SilentShadow123 · 09-24-2025, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steltek

As an example for you, here is the setup of my personal.ini section for A03:

[www.archiveofourown.org]

Code:

 ##Anti-AI CSS setting follows:
use_workskin:true
 #slow_down_sleep_time:2
 #always_login:true
 #username:XXXXXX
 #password:XXXXXX
 #is_adult:true
use_browser_cache:true
 #browser_cache_age_limit:128.0
use_browser_cache_only:true
open_pages_in_browser:true

Any lines preceded by a # are remarked out and not used, but can be easily enabled if needed by editing the section to remove the # and saving the edited personal.ini . I've found I very rarely need the remarked options.

As I have it currently set up, FFF will only use the browser cache on the system default browser, and will open the pages in the system default web browser as needed. I do it this way as I've found this to be the most consistently stable way to do it over time.

You don't have to use the login/password options to log in to A03 for most downloads, but for problematic ones (i.e. padlocked stories) simply staying logged into your A03 account in a tab in your system default browser will almost always take care of any issues without having to mess with the login/password options.

In general, I recommend clearing the browser cache in your system default browser periodically (or when you experience problems). Further, if you do clear the cache, make sure to load a webpage in the default browser after clearing the cache (any random page will do) before attempting to use FFF. FFF will sometimes throw browser cache errors and not work when the browser cache is totally empty, and loading a page into the cache prevents this from happening.

The only other thing you need to do is make sure you have the correct browser cache path set. Windows and Mac tend to be fairly straightforward to locate based upon the FFF Wiki. Linux can be less so depending upon whether you are running your default browser from a browser actually installed directly in your Linux distro versus a browser running from a flatpack (i.e. the browser cache for flatpacked browsers is usually in a completely different location path than it is for installed browsers).

Thanks, I appreciate it. I've already managed to get the Browser Cache Method working for both Fanfiction.net and AO3 where I can see it actively collect the cache and open the tabs. It's made updating fanfics so much easier.

However, for AO3, I'm noticing a certain problem with the restricted works (blue lock) that I can't seem to figure out. I searched through, and I also don't see it addressed anywhere in past forum posts. Please feel free to redirect me to the solution if there is one.

Essentially, when I first open the fanfic url using FFF, it will navigate to the chapter index, and then to the chapter(s) I want downloaded. However, then FFF says that it can't be downloaded because it was "skipped" as, for example, it "already contains 1 chapters." I've also tried this with fanfics with multiple chapters, and the same thing happens where it says "already contains x chapters" where x is the total chapters for the fanfic. This is completely false, as I've failed to find the same fanfiction in my backups and calibre library. Do you happen to know why it's falsely saying this and skipping the download? Is there a bypass for this?

Edit: Using Overwrite Always fixes the issue, but if anyone can tell me, I'm still curious to know why this is happening when fetching cache for AO3 fanfics and if there's a fix. Thanks!

steltek · 09-25-2025, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilentShadow123

Thanks, I appreciate it. I've already managed to get the Browser Cache Method working for both Fanfiction.net and AO3 where I can see it actively collect the cache and open the tabs. It's made updating fanfics so much easier.

However, for AO3, I'm noticing a certain problem with the restricted works (blue lock) that I can't seem to figure out. I searched through, and I also don't see it addressed anywhere in past forum posts. Please feel free to redirect me to the solution if there is one.

Essentially, when I first open the fanfic url using FFF, it will navigate to the chapter index, and then to the chapter(s) I want downloaded. However, then FFF says that it can't be downloaded because it was "skipped" as, for example, it "already contains 1 chapters." I've also tried this with fanfics with multiple chapters, and the same thing happens where it says "already contains x chapters" where x is the total chapters for the fanfic. This is completely false, as I've failed to find the same fanfiction in my backups and calibre library. Do you happen to know why it's falsely saying this and skipping the download? Is there a bypass for this?

Edit: Using Overwrite Always fixes the issue, but if anyone can tell me, I'm still curious to know why this is happening when fetching cache for AO3 fanfics and if there's a fix. Thanks!

In general, I keep FFF's output for the "Default If Story Already Exists" option set to "Update Epub Always". If I have a problem on AO3 that clearing the browser web cache and then closing/reopening the browser won't fix, I simply delete the fic and re-download it as it is usually far less effort to do so than trying to figure out what went wrong (especially when the problem that might have caused it is no longer happening on AO3).

And, as I previously stated, the simplest solution I've found for dealing with AO3's restricted stories is to ignore FFF's login options altogether and just keep a web browser tab logged into my AO3 account website at all times.

For this to work, though, you have to be logged in to your AO3 account in the default system browser being used to download into the browser cache. FFF should open what it needs for each fic separately in new tabs (worst case, generally 3 tabs at most per fic -- one for the fic navigation page, one for the first chapter of the fic, and a 3rd including the contents of the entire fic).

It is likely that missed chapters resulted from AO3 website issues -- while most of the big ones have been resolved for now, there are still random website glitches that occur - both Cloudflare related and not - all the time. FFF is usually very good about alerting you about fic downloads which have missing chapters before you update a fic.

And, finally, so far as I know FFF only updates the epub files it creates. If you have an epub in Calibre created or obtained from another source, FFF will not normally update it unless you do some sort of manual editing on it to make it compatible with FFF.

DevilsReject97 · 09-26-2025, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmXinu

Maybe I will investigate adding an intermediate setting that keeps chapters that have succeeded, but still stops on first failure.

I wanted to see if you were still thinking about this? Or even an option to check box to keep them? Can't speak for others but I think it would be a huge help.

09-24-2025, 02:03 PM	#11289
steltek Connoisseur Posts: 74 Karma: 4484 Join Date: Jan 2016 Device: none	The FicLab browser extension is also very good for both completed stories and for getting ongoing stories into Calibre so that FFF can be used to update them. Like the WebToEpub method, the information it downloads is available to FFF in the default browser web cache. Further, both WebToEpub and FicLab handle FFN rate limiting to avoid triggering Cloudflare. One advantage it has over WebToEpub is that it adds a blue download button for any and all fic links as they appear on any served FFN web pages as well as on the fic page itself. Do note that it presently doesn't work on Chrome due to Google's Manifest v3 bullcrap, but still works well on Firefox-based browsers. The author told me a couple months ago that they are slowly working to update it to Manifest v3 (which is a major undertaking for essentially a hobby project) and also that, as part of the update, they intend that it will work on the new FFN website when it is eventually released. You use it just like you would WebToEpub. Simply copy the FFN link for the fic, then click the FicLab download button for the fic on the webpage. When FicLab pops up, use FicLab to generate the epub. When the epub save box opens up, click the cancel button. Then, enter the FFN url link into FFF for download as you normally would. FFF will pick up the pages downloaded by FicLab directly from the browser cache of the default system browser. Last edited by steltek; 09-24-2025 at 02:27 PM.

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09-24-2025, 06:15 AM	#11284
El_Pirato FanFic Hunter Posts: 22 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Newport News, VA Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	Has anyone found a way to bypass FanFiction.net's Cloudflare security?

09-24-2025, 06:16 AM	#11285
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,438 Karma: 81367635 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Using browser cache only method that works for me.

09-24-2025, 09:49 AM	#11287
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,438 Karma: 81367635 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	open_page_in_browser helps. Go grab a drink once you're sure you're past the captchas.

09-24-2025, 12:52 PM	#11288
Tharos Connoisseur Posts: 80 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Pocketbook InkPad Color 3, Kindle Oasis 2, Moon+ Reader pro	Use WebToEpub for new stories with more chapters. The chapters are stored in the cache and can be accessed by FFF. After that, there will only be a few chapters left for a later update. If the story is already complete, you can use FicHub. Then use FFF to query the metadata.

09-24-2025, 07:30 PM	#11291
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,438 Karma: 81367635 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	i'd use a selection modifier on the action chain, marked:fff_success

09-24-2025, 07:46 PM	#11292
JimmXinu Plugin Developer Posts: 7,212 Karma: 5006097 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Midwest USA Device: Kobo Clara Colour running KOReader	I'm going to assume ownedbycats is correct -- I don't use Action Chains myself.

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