Free Learning PacktPublishing script

packtPublishingFreeEbook.py - script that automatically grabs and download a daily free eBook from https://www.packtpub.com/packt/offers/free-learning You can use it also to download the already claimed eBooks from your account https://www.packtpub.com/account/my-ebooks

The script uses anti-captcha.com service to bypass the Recaptcha captcha to function fully automatically. Anticaptcha.com employs people to solve captcha test use whether or not the user is human. The service costs about $ 2 per thousand captcha test, allowing you to operate for a few dollars over the years.

Requirements:

• Install either Python 2.7 or 3.x

• Install pip (if you have not installed it yet). To install pip, download: https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py , then run the following command:

  python get-pip.py
  

• Optionally install virtualenv (pip install virtualenv)

• Once pip has been installed, run the following command:

  pip install -r requirements.txt
  

• change a name of configFileTemplate.cfg to configFile.cfg

• change your login credentials in configFile.cfg file

• register on anti-captcha.com, grab API key and put in configFile.cfg

Usage:

1. The script [packtPublishingFreeEbook.py] might be fired up with one of 7 arguments:

• Option -g [--grab] - claims (grabs) a daily eBook into your account

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -g

• Option -gl [--grabl] - claims (grabs) a daily eBook into your account and save book info to log file specified in config file

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -gl

• Option -gd [--grabd] - claims (grabs) a daily ebook and downloads the title afterwards to the location specified under [download_folder_path] field (configFile.cfg file)

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -gd

• Option -da [--dall] - downloads all ebooks from your account

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -da

• Option -sgd [--sgd] - claims and uploads a book to [gdFolderName] folder onto Google Drive (more about setup Google Drive api in GOOGLE_DRIVE_API Setup)

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -sgd

• Option -m [--mail] - claims and sends an email with the newest book in PDF format (and MOBI if is also downloaded; see mail options confguration under [MAIL] path in configFile.cfg)

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -m

• SubOption -sm [--status_mail] - sends fail report email whether script execution was successful

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -gd -sm

• SubOption -f [--folder] - downloads an ebook into a created folder, named as ebook's title

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -gd -f

• SubOption -c [--cfgpath] - selects folder where config file can be found (default: cwd)

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -gd -c /home/usr/

2. You can set the script to be invoked automatically:

LINUX (tested on UBUNTU 16.04):

modify access permissions of the script:

$ chmod a+x packtPublishingFreeEbook.py

cron setup (more: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CronHowto) :

$ sudo crontab -e

paste (modify all paths correctly according to your setup):

0 12 * * * cd /home/me/Desktop/PacktScripts/ && /usr/bin/python3 packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -gd > /home/me/Desktop/PacktScripts/packtPublishingFreeEbook.log 2>&1

and save the crontab file. To verify if CRON fires up the script correctly, run a command:

$ sudo grep CRON /var/log/syslog

WINDOWS (tested on win7,8,10):

schtasks.exe setup (more info: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc725744.aspx) :

To create the task that will be called at 12:00 everyday, run the following command in cmd (modify all paths according to your setup):

schtasks /create /sc DAILY /tn "grabEbookFromPacktTask" /tr "C:\Users\me\Desktop\GrabPacktFreeBook\grabEbookFromPacktTask.bat" /st 12:00

To check if the "grabEbookFromPacktTask" has been added to all scheduled tasks on your computer:

schtasks /query

To run the task manually:

schtasks /run /tn "grabEbookFromPacktTask"

To delete the task:

schtasks /delete /tn "grabEbookFromPacktTask"

If you want to log all downloads add -l switch to grabEbookFromPacktTask i.e.

schtasks /create /sc DAILY /tn "grabEbookFromPacktTask" /tr "C:\Users\me\Desktop\GrabPacktFreeBook\grabEbookFromPacktTask.bat -l" /st 12:00

If you want to additionaly make command line windows stay open after download add -p switch i.e.

schtasks /create /sc DAILY /tn "grabEbookFromPacktTask" /tr "C:\Users\me\Desktop\GrabPacktFreeBook\grabEbookFromPacktTask.bat -l -p" /st 12:00

• EXAMPLE: download all ebooks in all available formats (pdf, epub, mobi) with zipped source code file from your Packt account

  To download all ebooks in all available formats from your Packt account, you have to prepare your config file as shown below:

  configFile.cfg example:

    [LOGIN_DATA]
    email: [email protected]
    password: yourpassword    
  
    [DOWNLOAD_DATA]
    download_folder_path: C:\Users\me\Desktop\myEbooksFromPackt
    download_formats: pdf, epub, mobi, code
    ebook_extra_info_log_file_path: eBookMetadata.log
  
    [GOOGLE_DRIVE_DATA]
    gd_app_name: GoogleDriveManager
    gd_folder_name: PACKT_EBOOKS
  

  run:

    python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -da
  

GOOGLE_DRIVE_API Setup:

Full info about the Google Drive python API can be found here

1. Turn on the Drive API

• Use this wizard to create or select a project in the Google Developers Console and automatically turn on the API. Click Continue, then Go to credentials.
• On the Add credentials to your project page, click the Cancel button.
• At the top of the page, select the OAuth consent screen tab. Select an Email address, enter a Product name if not already set, and click the Save button.
• Select the Credentials tab, click the Create credentials button and select OAuth client ID.
• Select the application type Other, enter the name "GoogleDriveManager", and click the Create button.
• Click OK to dismiss the resulting dialog.
• Click the file_download (Download JSON) button to the right of the client ID.
• Move this file to your working directory and rename it "client_secret.json"

2. Install the Google Client Library

• Run the following command to install the library using pip:

pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client  or pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client-py3

3. Create credentials folder:

• Simply, just fire up the script with -sgd argument; During first launch you will see a prompt in your browser asking for permissions, click then allow

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -sgd

• Or if you're unable to launch browser locally (e.g. you're connecting through SSH without X11 forwarding) use this command once, follow instructions and give permission and later you can use normal command (without --noauth_local_webserver).

python packtPublishingFreeEbook.py -sgd --noauth_local_webserver

4. Already done!

• Run the same command as above to claim and upload the eBook to Google Drive.

In case of any questions feel free to ask, happy grabbing!