Enhance Famly-fetch: Installation, Security, And Features

Hey everyone,

I'm thrilled to share some ideas for improving the fantastic famly-fetch tool created by @jacobbunk! First off, a huge thank you to Jacob for developing this useful utility. After using it and diving into the code, I've identified several areas where we can enhance its functionality and user experience. I wanted to open this discussion before submitting any pull requests to gather feedback and ensure we're aligned on the best approach.

1. Streamlining Installation with pyproject.toml and PyPI Package

First, let's talk about streamlining the installation process for famly-fetch. Currently, setting up the tool might involve a few manual steps. My proposal is to introduce a pyproject.toml file and package famly-fetch as a proper PyPI package. This would allow users to install it effortlessly using pip with a simple command like pip install famly-fetch. This enhancement significantly improves the initial user experience and makes it more accessible to a broader audience.

The key benefit here is the ease of installation. Instead of navigating through manual setup steps, users can immediately get started with famly-fetch after running the pip command. We'll need to ensure the package delivers an executable famly-fetch command directly, allowing users to run it from their terminal without additional configuration. Imagine how much simpler it becomes for new users! Furthermore, a well-structured PyPI package makes the project more discoverable and encourages contributions from the community. This aligns with the best practices for Python project distribution and sets a solid foundation for future growth.

By adopting pyproject.toml, we also modernize the project's build system, making it easier to manage dependencies and build processes. This leads to a more maintainable and scalable project in the long run. The initial setup involves creating the pyproject.toml file, defining the project metadata, dependencies, and entry points. We would then need to build and publish the package to PyPI, ensuring @jacobbunk retains ownership of the package for security and maintenance reasons. This is a crucial step in making famly-fetch a widely used and trusted tool for fetching data from Famly.

2. Enhancing Security and Flexibility with Environment Variables

Next up, let's address security and flexibility. Currently, users might need to hardcode their usernames and passwords directly in their scripts or configuration files. This isn't ideal from a security perspective. My suggestion is to implement support for retrieving usernames and passwords from environment variables or files. This approach significantly enhances security by preventing sensitive information from being exposed in code.

By allowing users to specify credentials via environment variables, we make it much easier to integrate famly-fetch into automated workflows and CI/CD pipelines. Imagine the peace of mind knowing your credentials aren't stored directly in your code repository! We could also support reading credentials from a secure file, offering another layer of protection. This involves modifying the command-line argument parsing to check for environment variables or a specified credentials file before prompting the user for input. We should also provide clear documentation on how to set up these environment variables or create a secure credentials file.

This feature directly addresses a crucial aspect of application security – credential management. It aligns with industry best practices for handling sensitive information and makes famly-fetch a more robust and trustworthy tool. Moreover, it increases the flexibility of the application, allowing users to configure their credentials in a way that best suits their workflow and security needs. This enhancement is a vital step in making famly-fetch a secure and user-friendly tool for everyone.

3. Handling Different File Types Intelligently

Now, let's talk about handling different file types intelligently. As I discovered, not all downloaded files support EXIF data. I encountered a PNG picture from the nursery that didn't, which caused an issue. My proposal is to ensure that EXIF information is only manipulated if the downloaded file actually supports it. This prevents errors and ensures the tool works seamlessly with various file types.

This enhancement requires us to inspect the file type before attempting to modify EXIF data. We can use libraries like PIL (Pillow) to determine the file format and its capabilities. If the file is a JPEG or TIFF, we can proceed with EXIF manipulation as usual. However, if it's a PNG or another format that doesn't support EXIF, we should skip that step gracefully. This ensures that famly-fetch can handle a wide variety of media files without encountering errors. Think of it as making the tool more adaptable and resilient!

By implementing this check, we not only prevent errors but also improve the overall robustness of the tool. It demonstrates attention to detail and a commitment to providing a polished user experience. This feature is particularly important for users who might be downloading various types of media from Famly, ensuring they can use famly-fetch without worrying about compatibility issues. This improvement makes famly-fetch more reliable and user-friendly, boosting its appeal to a broader audience.

4. Optimizing Downloads for Efficiency

Let's discuss optimizing downloads for efficiency. Currently, famly-fetch might re-download pictures it has already downloaded. My suggestion is to avoid re-downloading files by implementing a mechanism to track downloaded images. This can be achieved by reversing the order of the images list and stopping the process once a previously downloaded file is encountered. This feature is incredibly useful for running famly-fetch on a schedule to monitor and download new files only.

This optimization can significantly reduce bandwidth usage and processing time, especially for users who run famly-fetch regularly. By reversing the order of the images list, we start processing from the most recent images, increasing the likelihood of encountering previously downloaded files early on. Once we hit a file that already exists, we can safely assume that all subsequent files have also been downloaded. This allows us to stop the process and avoid unnecessary downloads. It's like having a smart download system!

This feature is particularly beneficial for users who want to automate the process of downloading new files from Famly. They can set up a scheduled task to run famly-fetch periodically, knowing that it will only download new content and not waste bandwidth on existing files. This makes famly-fetch a more efficient and practical tool for long-term use. This enhancement is crucial for making famly-fetch a truly automated solution for keeping up with Famly content.

5. Expanding User Options for Customization

Finally, let's explore expanding user options for customization. To make famly-fetch even more versatile, I propose adding more options for users, such as specifying the download location and defining a filename pattern. This allows users to tailor the tool to their specific needs and preferences.

Allowing users to specify the download location gives them control over where their files are stored. This is particularly useful for organizing files and integrating them into existing workflows. Similarly, defining a filename pattern allows users to customize how downloaded files are named, making it easier to identify and manage them. We could support placeholders for various metadata, such as date, time, and original filename. Think of the possibilities for organizing your files!

These additional options significantly enhance the user experience by providing more flexibility and control. Users can adapt famly-fetch to their specific workflows and preferences, making it a more powerful and personalized tool. This level of customization demonstrates a commitment to user satisfaction and makes famly-fetch a more attractive option for a wider range of users. This improvement is key to making famly-fetch a highly customizable and user-friendly tool.

I'm eager to hear your thoughts on these proposals, @jacobbunk, and anyone else interested in contributing. I'm happy to discuss these ideas further and start working on pull requests to implement them. Let's collaborate to make famly-fetch even better!

Thanks again for your amazing work, Jacob!