Downloading Specific Files from FTP

Hi All,

I need some help to extract a specific number of files from an FTP link. The files are in wav format, and get stored on an FTP link.

All I need is to be able to download a specific number of files using the unique number in each of the files.

There are thousands of recordings that get saved on the link each day, and I need to extract only about 150-300 out of that lot.

Being a non-technical person, to date at this stage I'm downloading each of them manually that takes good 2-3 hours.

I would really appreciate, If someone could help me with a easy way, that I can include and save time.

Look forward to your expertise.

Thanks,
Jai

Try using a FTP client( ex. FileZilla), that way you can just select the ones you want to download either individually or a block of them.

Thanks for the insights.

So would It allow me to create a directory or sommmething using an xls file with all the IDs of the recordings (MP3 WAV files), and then just download them by right clicking on the directory folder etc...In otherwords is there a link that you could possibly direct mme too, which gives me a stepwise process of getting to the net result.

I'm a newbe so would need some additional help, and expertise to go about this. Appreciate you paitence and help on this one!

Thanks a ton in advance!

Thanks,
Jai

When you connect to the ftp server with the ftp client, it will list the files in the folder you choose and let you select one file, multiple files, or select a block of files and then you select download.

Hmmmm....but, my question is how do I select multiple files. There are 10000 odd files in the respective date folder, and I need only about 300 of those. The files have a unique numeric code, so that's what I think I can use.

These are all MP3 WAV audio files.

Selecting mannualy by numbers would be a cumbersome/time consuming job. I spend about 3-5-hours just selecting and downloading them one-by-one.

Please help! Sorry for coming back again, but just want to make sure I'm on the right track with understanding how it is to be done!

Respect your paitence and appreciate your help!

Thanks much!

Post some(at least 10) of what the file names look like.
The reason I ask is maybe you can use the 'mget' ftp directive using the ftp client you currently use to download all files matching a certain pattern.

What is the operating system of the client machine and server(host you are connecting to)?

Hi Sir,

Sorry for the delayed response!

Here's what the MP3 WAV format looks like:

1. 20121008-0650-36614191-in.wav
2. 20121008-0650-36614191-out.wav
3. 20121008-0844-36614525-in.wav
4. 20121008-0844-36614525-out.wav
5. 20121008-1027-36612209-in.wav
6. 20121008-1027-36612209-out.wav
7. 20121008-1056-36631178-in.wav
8. 20121008-1056-36631178-out.wav
9. 20121008-1253-36634929-out.wav
10. 20121008-1259-36646635-in.wav

The numeric 8 values starting with 3 (36646635, 36614191 etc) are the unique numbers for each of those...

I'll post the names of the Operating System of the client machine and the Server (host we are connecting to) shortly!

Thank you!

If you are running the ftp command from you command line, you should be able to get all the file(s) with the 'mget' ftp command.
So after connecting, at the ftp prompt, enter these commands:

Code:

prompt
mget 20121008-*-3*.*

The prompt command will turn off prompting(i.e. will not ask you for each file if you want to download it) and the mget command will download ALL file(s) matching the file name pattern.

Code:

20121008-0650-36614191-in.wav
20121008-0650-36614191-out.wav
20121008-0844-36614525-in.wav
20121008-0844-36614525-out.wav
20121008-1027-36612209-in.wav
20121008-1027-36612209-out.wav
20121008-1056-36631178-in.wav
20121008-1056-36631178-out.wav
20121008-1253-36634929-out.wav
20121008-1259-36646635-in.wav

Thank you Sir!

I'll try the above and come back with a "BIG THANK YOU". I'm sure your suggestion will work.

Just in case I face any challanges I'll seek more inputs from you. Hope that will be okay!

As I mentioned in my first trail, I'm not a techiqe, so might mess-up on something. I''m assuming that it will not affect the ftp, unless I delete anything or do something terribly wrong. Right? Just want to be safe than sorry later.

Really appreciate your guidance and help!

Thanks a ton!

Best regards,
Jai

One more thing Sir-

Just to calrify, I have 10000's of files with a similar name pattern. But different 8 digit unique number in a folder. This will enable me to download the ones I want to after enetring the file name pattern. In other words, if I follow the process, it will only download these 10 files out of the entire bulk and not all. Please confirm!

Thank you in advance!

Yes it will only download(i.e. get) the files that match the file name pattern you enter.
As a test, You can do it without using the 'prompt' command and it should prompt you validating you want to download the file and if it prompts you with a file name that should not be downloaded then you know you are not using the right pattern.
hth

Superduper! I'll try it today, and get back to you with the outcome. You are the best sir!

Sorry, 1 more...what commands on DOS will be required to convert the unique 8 digit IDs into such a pattern. I ask this because, I have these IDs seprately on a spreadsheet. The other way, I think of is using the concatenate funcion in excel to arrive at this name pattern.

But, I'm sure DOS can do this for me, so thought of checking!

Sorry for being a painful student

Thank you!

Dear Sir,

I thought it would be easy, but seems I'm really missing a trick or more. Though being a non techiqe this is quite understandable.

Don't know, if I'm asking too much, but since have no other option wanted to request / check if at all it would be possible for you to guide me with the procedure...

The FTP link I've starts with https://...

I can't get any further than the cmd...

Help please!

Are you using a browser(i.e. FireFox, Internet Explorer, etc.) to get to this link(https://...)?
And you then click on a file to download?

Internet Explorer, but Comand Promt is not asking me user name and password. It shows ftp> but says not connected. I have noo clue.

Can you assist me with a step by step process...

Thanks!