Learn Python by example, write a script for the Youtube video download

We're about to uncover the steps to create a Python script that downloads YouTube videos. The script will read txt file to get a list of Youtube videos to download. Download videos from the list in the highest resolution. Print what videos were downloaded. Print when errors occur.

Check more variants of ready Python scripts for Youtube video download, like downloading videos as mp3. Here is a tutorial to learn Python to download your videos.

We'll be using a helpful library called pytube. First, you must install pytube if you haven't already done so. Here's the command you'll use:

pip install pytube

We're going to tackle this task in manageable chunks, and I'll be here to guide you through each of them.

Learning to Read Files in Python #

Our first lesson is all about files. You'll learn what a file is and how Python interacts with these files. We'll also learn about the different modes for opening a file, such as 'read mode' (r), 'write mode' (w), 'append mode' (a), and so on.

Then, I'll introduce you to the concept of a context manager in Python, using the with statement, and why it's beneficial to use this. Together, we'll write a simple script that reads a file line by line. Here's a glimpse:

with open('url_list.txt', 'r') as file:
    for line in file:
        print(line.strip())

This script will simply open our file, read each line, and print it on your console.

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the pytube Library #

Now that we know how to read files, we will take a step further and use a Python library to download YouTube videos. You'll learn what a library is and how to use them in Python. Specifically, we'll focus on pytube and its functionalities.

Let's have a look at how to download a YouTube video using pytube:

from pytube import YouTube

youtube_video_url = 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=your-video-id'
youtube = YouTube(youtube_video_url)
video = youtube.streams.get_highest_resolution()
video.download()

This script will download the YouTube video in the highest available resolution. You'll get to learn how it all happens!

Chapter 3: Tackling Errors Head-On #

It's time to discuss exceptions in Python. They're helpful in many ways, especially in handling errors. We'll learn how to catch these exceptions using try and except blocks.

After understanding these concepts, we'll modify our existing download script to include error handling like this:

from pytube import YouTube

youtube_video_url = 'https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=your-video-id'

try:
    youtube = YouTube(youtube_video_url)
    video = youtube.streams.get_highest_resolution()
    video.download()
except Exception as e:
    print(f"An error occurred: {e}")

Chapter 4: Bringing It All Together #

We're ready to combine all the learned concepts into a functional script. The final script will read URLs from a text file and download each YouTube video. Here's what it will look like:

from pytube import YouTube

with open('url_list.txt', 'r') as file:
    for line in file:
        youtube_video_url = line.strip()
        try:
            youtube = YouTube(youtube_video_url)
            video = youtube.streams.get_highest_resolution()
            video.download()
            print(f"Downloaded: {youtube_video_url}")
        except Exception as e:
            print(f"An error occurred with {youtube_video_url}: {e}")

So there you have it! A step-by-step guide to building your own YouTube video downloader with Python. Remember, the magic is understanding and combining these small parts to make a more extensive, functional script.