Using the download utility

==========================

The ``zc.buildout.download`` module provides a download utility that handles

the details of downloading files needed for a buildout run from the internet.

It downloads files to the local file system, using the download cache if

desired and optionally checking the downloaded files' MD5 checksum.

We setup an HTTP server that provides a file we want to download:

>>> server_data = tmpdir('sample_files')

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'This is a foo text.')

>>> server_url = start_server(server_data)

We also use a fresh directory for temporary files in order to make sure that

all temporary files have been cleaned up in the end:

>>> import tempfile

>>> old_tempdir = tempfile.tempdir

>>> tempfile.tempdir = tmpdir('tmp')

Downloading without using the cache

-----------------------------------

If no download cache should be used, the download utility is instantiated

without any arguments:

>>> from zc.buildout.download import Download

>>> download = Download()

>>> print download.cache_dir

None

Downloading a file is achieved by calling the utility with the URL as an

argument. A tuple is returned that consists of the path to the downloaded copy

of the file and a boolean value indicating whether this is a temporary file

meant to be cleaned up during the same buildout run:

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/.../buildout-...

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

As we aren't using the download cache and haven't specified a target path

either, the download has ended up in a temporary file:

>>> is_temp

True

>>> import tempfile

>>> path.startswith(tempfile.gettempdir())

True

We are responsible for cleaning up temporary files behind us:

>>> remove(path)

When trying to access a file that doesn't exist, we'll get an exception:

>>> try: download(server_url+'not-there') # doctest: +ELLIPSIS

... except: print 'download error'

... else: print 'woops'

download error

Downloading a local file doesn't produce a temporary file but simply returns

the local file itself:

>>> download(join(server_data, 'foo.txt'))

('/sample_files/foo.txt', False)

We can also have the downloaded file's MD5 sum checked:

>>> try: from hashlib import md5

... except ImportError: from md5 import new as md5

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt',

...                          md5('This is a foo text.').hexdigest())

>>> is_temp

True

>>> remove(path)

>>> download(server_url+'foo.txt',

...          md5('The wrong text.').hexdigest())

Traceback (most recent call last):

ChecksumError: MD5 checksum mismatch downloading 'http://localhost/foo.txt'

The error message in the event of an MD5 checksum mismatch for a local file

reads somewhat differently:

>>> download(join(server_data, 'foo.txt'),

...               md5('This is a foo text.').hexdigest())

('/sample_files/foo.txt', False)

>>> download(join(server_data, 'foo.txt'),

...          md5('The wrong text.').hexdigest())

Traceback (most recent call last):

ChecksumError: MD5 checksum mismatch for local resource at '/sample_files/foo.txt'.

Finally, we can download the file to a specified place in the file system:

>>> target_dir = tmpdir('download-target')

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt',

...                          path=join(target_dir, 'downloaded.txt'))

>>> print path

/download-target/downloaded.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

Trying to download a file in offline mode will result in an error:

>>> download = Download(cache=None, offline=True)

>>> download(server_url+'foo.txt')

Traceback (most recent call last):

UserError: Couldn't download 'http://localhost/foo.txt' in offline mode.

As an exception to this rule, file system paths and URLs in the ``file``

scheme will still work:

>>> cat(download(join(server_data, 'foo.txt'))[0])

This is a foo text.

>>> cat(download('file:' + join(server_data, 'foo.txt'))[0])

This is a foo text.

>>> remove(path)

Downloading using the download cache

------------------------------------

In order to make use of the download cache, we need to configure the download

utility differently. To do this, we pass a directory path as the ``cache``

attribute upon instantiation:

>>> cache = tmpdir('download-cache')

>>> download = Download(cache=cache)

>>> print download.cache_dir

/download-cache/

Simple usage

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When using the cache, a file will be stored in the cache directory when it is

first downloaded. The file system path returned by the download utility points

to the cached copy:

>>> ls(cache)

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/foo.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

Whenever the file is downloaded again, the cached copy is used. Let's change

the file on the server to see this:

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/foo.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

If we specify an MD5 checksum for a file that is already in the cache, the

cached copy's checksum will be verified:

>>> download(server_url+'foo.txt', md5('The wrong text.').hexdigest())

Traceback (most recent call last):

ChecksumError: MD5 checksum mismatch for cached download

               from 'http://localhost/foo.txt' at '/download-cache/foo.txt'

Trying to access another file at a different URL which has the same base name

will result in the cached copy being used:

>>> mkdir(server_data, 'other')

>>> write(server_data, 'other', 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'other/foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/foo.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

Given a target path for the download, the utility will provide a copy of the

file at that location both when first downloading the file and when using a

cached copy:

>>> remove(cache, 'foo.txt')

>>> ls(cache)

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'This is a foo text.')

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt',

...                          path=join(target_dir, 'downloaded.txt'))

>>> print path

/download-target/downloaded.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

>>> ls(cache)

- foo.txt

>>> remove(path)

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt',

...                          path=join(target_dir, 'downloaded.txt'))

>>> print path

/download-target/downloaded.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

In offline mode, downloads from any URL will be successful if the file is

found in the cache:

>>> download = Download(cache=cache, offline=True)

>>> cat(download(server_url+'foo.txt')[0])

This is a foo text.

Local resources will be cached just like any others since download caches are

sometimes used to create source distributions:

>>> remove(cache, 'foo.txt')

>>> ls(cache)

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'This is a foo text.')

>>> download = Download(cache=cache)

>>> cat(download('file:' + join(server_data, 'foo.txt'), path=path)[0])

This is a foo text.

>>> ls(cache)

- foo.txt

>>> remove(cache, 'foo.txt')

>>> cat(download(join(server_data, 'foo.txt'), path=path)[0])

This is a foo text.

>>> ls(cache)

- foo.txt

>>> remove(cache, 'foo.txt')

However, resources with checksum mismatches will not be copied to the cache:

>>> download(server_url+'foo.txt', md5('The wrong text.').hexdigest())

Traceback (most recent call last):

ChecksumError: MD5 checksum mismatch downloading 'http://localhost/foo.txt'

>>> ls(cache)

>>> remove(path)

Finally, let's see what happens if the download cache to be used doesn't exist

as a directory in the file system yet:

>>> Download(cache=join(cache, 'non-existent'))(server_url+'foo.txt')

Traceback (most recent call last):

UserError: The directory:

'/download-cache/non-existent'

to be used as a download cache doesn't exist.

Using namespace sub-directories of the download cache

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is common to store cached copies of downloaded files within sub-directories

of the download cache to keep some degree of order. For example, zc.buildout

stores downloaded distributions in a sub-directory named "dist". Those

sub-directories are also known as namespaces. So far, we haven't specified any

namespaces to use, so the download utility stored files directly inside the

download cache. Let's use a namespace "test" instead:

>>> download = Download(cache=cache, namespace='test')

>>> print download.cache_dir

/download-cache/test

The namespace sub-directory hasn't been created yet:

>>> ls(cache)

Downloading a file now creates the namespace sub-directory and places a copy

of the file inside it:

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/test/foo.txt

>>> ls(cache)

d test

>>> ls(cache, 'test')

- foo.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

The next time we want to download that file, the copy from inside the cache

namespace is used. To see this clearly, we put a file with the same name but

different content both on the server and in the cache's root directory:

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> write(cache, 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/test/foo.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> rmdir(cache, 'test')

>>> remove(cache, 'foo.txt')

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'This is a foo text.')

Using a hash of the URL as the filename in the cache

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So far, the base name of the downloaded file read from the URL has been used

for the name of the cached copy of the file. This may not be desirable in some

cases, for example when downloading files from different locations that have

the same base name due to some naming convention, or if the file content

depends on URL parameters. In such cases, an MD5 hash of the complete URL may

be used as the filename in the cache:

>>> download = Download(cache=cache, hash_name=True)

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/09f5793fcdc1716727f72d49519c688d

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> ls(cache)

- 09f5793fcdc1716727f72d49519c688d

The path was printed just to illustrate matters; we cannot know the real

checksum since we don't know which port the server happens to listen at when

the test is run, so we don't actually know the full URL of the file. Let's

check that the checksum actually belongs to the particular URL used:

>>> path.lower() == join(cache, md5(server_url+'foo.txt').hexdigest()).lower()

True

The cached copy is used when downloading the file again:

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> (path, is_temp) == download(server_url+'foo.txt')

True

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> ls(cache)

- 09f5793fcdc1716727f72d49519c688d

If we change the URL, even in such a way that it keeps the base name of the

file the same, the file will be downloaded again this time and put in the

cache under a different name:

>>> path2, is_temp = download(server_url+'other/foo.txt')

>>> print path2

/download-cache/537b6d73267f8f4447586989af8c470e

>>> path == path2

False

>>> path2.lower() == join(cache, md5(server_url+'other/foo.txt').hexdigest()).lower()

True

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> cat(path2)

The wrong text.

>>> ls(cache)

- 09f5793fcdc1716727f72d49519c688d

- 537b6d73267f8f4447586989af8c470e

>>> remove(path)

>>> remove(path2)

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'This is a foo text.')

Using the cache purely as a fall-back

-------------------------------------

Sometimes it is desirable to try downloading a file from the net if at all

possible, and use the cache purely as a fall-back option when a server is

down or if we are in offline mode. This mode is only in effect if a download

cache is configured in the first place:

>>> download = Download(cache=cache, fallback=True)

>>> print download.cache_dir

/download-cache/

A downloaded file will be cached:

>>> ls(cache)

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> ls(cache)

- foo.txt

>>> cat(cache, 'foo.txt')

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

If the file cannot be served, the cached copy will be used:

>>> remove(server_data, 'foo.txt')

>>> try: Download()(server_url+'foo.txt') # doctest: +ELLIPSIS

... except: print 'download error'

... else: print 'woops'

download error

>>> path, is_temp = download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

Similarly, if the file is served but we're in offline mode, we'll fall back to

using the cache:

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'The wrong text.')

>>> get(server_url+'foo.txt')

'The wrong text.'

>>> offline_download = Download(cache=cache, offline=True, fallback=True)

>>> path, is_temp = offline_download(server_url+'foo.txt')

>>> print path

/download-cache/foo.txt

>>> cat(path)

This is a foo text.

>>> is_temp

False

However, when downloading the file normally with the cache being used in

fall-back mode, the file will be downloaded from the net and the cached copy

will be replaced with the new content:

>>> cat(download(server_url+'foo.txt')[0])

The wrong text.

>>> cat(cache, 'foo.txt')

The wrong text.

When trying to download a resource whose checksum does not match, the cached

copy will neither be used nor overwritten:

>>> write(server_data, 'foo.txt', 'This is a foo text.')

>>> download(server_url+'foo.txt', md5('The wrong text.').hexdigest())

Traceback (most recent call last):

ChecksumError: MD5 checksum mismatch downloading 'http://localhost/foo.txt'

>>> cat(cache, 'foo.txt')

The wrong text.

Configuring the download utility from buildout options

------------------------------------------------------

The configuration options explained so far derive from the build logic

implemented by the calling code. Other options configure the download utility

for use in a particular project or buildout run; they are read from the

``buildout`` configuration section. The latter can be passed directly as the

first argument to the download utility's constructor.

The location of the download cache is specified by the ``download-cache``

option:

>>> download = Download({'download-cache': cache}, namespace='cmmi')

>>> print download.cache_dir

/download-cache/cmmi

If the ``download-cache`` option specifies a relative path, it is understood

relative to the current working directory, or to the buildout directory if

that is given:

>>> download = Download({'download-cache': 'relative-cache'})

>>> print download.cache_dir

/sample-buildout/relative-cache/

>>> download = Download({'directory': join(sample_buildout, 'root'),

...                      'download-cache': 'relative-cache'})

>>> print download.cache_dir

/sample-buildout/root/relative-cache/

Keyword parameters take precedence over the corresponding options:

>>> download = Download({'download-cache': cache}, cache=None)

>>> print download.cache_dir

None

Whether to assume offline mode can be inferred from either the ``offline`` or

the ``install-from-cache`` option. As usual with zc.buildout, these options

must assume one of the values 'true' and 'false':

>>> download = Download({'offline': 'true'})

>>> download.offline

True

>>> download = Download({'offline': 'false'})

>>> download.offline

False

>>> download = Download({'install-from-cache': 'true'})

>>> download.offline

True

>>> download = Download({'install-from-cache': 'false'})

>>> download.offline

False

These two options are combined using logical 'or':

>>> download = Download({'offline': 'true', 'install-from-cache': 'false'})

>>> download.offline

True

>>> download = Download({'offline': 'false', 'install-from-cache': 'true'})

>>> download.offline

True

The ``offline`` keyword parameter takes precedence over both the ``offline``

and ``install-from-cache`` options:

>>> download = Download({'offline': 'true'}, offline=False)

>>> download.offline

False

>>> download = Download({'install-from-cache': 'false'}, offline=True)

>>> download.offline

True

Regressions

-----------

MD5 checksum calculation needs to be reliable on all supported systems, which