v70 released! (Patreon)

As promised, here we are with the release of the new version of Manga Downloader! Given the substantial changes in the program, I decided to make a larger version jump, directly to v70.

Let's see what's changed in this new version:

Finally, a totally new download manager!

Completely rewritten from scratch! One of the most requested features in recent years is finally here. With the new chapter download system, you can now add chapters without immediately starting the download, managing them as you wish. With this, you will be able to:

Manually move chapters within the download queue based on the priority you desire (note that an ongoing download cannot precede a completed/interrupted download in the queue for obvious reasons).

Pause individual downloads and resume them later (note that in many cases, the links to the individual pages of the chapters expire, so if you keep them paused for too long and then try to resume the download, you might encounter errors of nonexistent pages or expired tokens). Also, note that a paused download will still occupy a position within the maximum concurrent download count you have set in the program settings.

Stop downloads individually with the possibility of deleting any already downloaded files, thus avoiding incomplete downloads or corruptions within your content libraries.

Restart the download of an already downloaded (or interrupted) chapter directly from the download queue with a simple reset, with the possibility of deleting previously downloaded files if you wish.

Select chapters in the download queue in groups to quickly apply the same command to multiple chapters simultaneously.

Keep the entire download queue between different program sessions/restarts (exclusive feature for active supporters on Patreon).

Ability to download more intelligently, giving priority to different sources to avoid simultaneous downloads from the same source and thus avoiding potential IP bans (exclusive feature for active supporters on Patreon).

Additionally, the main download procedure is now completely separated from individual downloads, so you will have 3 buttons on the toolbar with which you can start it, and also completely stop it in two different ways: waiting for the ongoing downloads to complete or immediately killing them.

Obviously, a complete rewrite of the download manager comes with several new bugs that I may have missed during my tests or that will only present themselves in more intensive use by users. So, please be patient if you find any and report them, and I will try to fix them as soon as possible.

Other updates in this version

Added support for using external scripts for manga downloads: You can now select the "External Scripts" option from the menu, allowing you to analyze chapters and then the pages of a manga from any website you want using external scripts programmed and managed by you.

Added a new feature in the Edit menu allowing you to set the domains and corresponding external scripts you want the program to use for your desired sites.

Added a detailed explanation of how this new feature works, which you can find in the aforementioned new menu.

The button to view the log now loads and displays the JVM's technical log directly (which you will still find saved in the jvm_log.txt file), making it easier to inspect and analyze potential problems in the future.

Moved the initialization of the file/folder selection window from the program's startup to the moment it is actually needed (when the specific button is clicked). This means that it will take more time each time the button is clicked (it will no longer open instantly as before since it requires re-initialization every time), but at least it should avoid the "Could not get shell folder ID list" error that occurs under certain circumstances with "lite" or modified versions of Windows.

Improved the Batoto v3x framework, now chapter titles (in addition to numbering) should be correctly acquired by the program.

Added support for many new Batoto mirrors: fto.to, jto.to, batocomic.com, batocomic.net, batocomic.org, comiko.org, dto.to, wto.to.

Added support for zinmanga.net.

Added support for Powermangaforum.

Improved the Webtoons framework, which should resolve the issue of the manga name not being correctly acquired in certain situations.

Fixed the Coreview generic framework, which should also resolve the issues of all websites based on that framework, including the reported Shonenjumpplus.

Added an option in the Extra menu for all Coreview-based frameworks to show all chapters and not just the free ones.

Fixed a couple of bugs reported for the Lezhin framework.

Fixed a bug where if the manga name was too long and thus truncated by the user-set maximum length settings, it could end in a period in certain cases (which is not accepted by Windows for folder names).

Fixed a bug with the EPUB format setting that caused the program to revert that setting on each startup in a loop.

Fixed and improved support for onepiecepower.com.

Fixed and improved support for asuracomic.net.

Fixed a bug with the new preferences system that failed to remove keys from the preferences

Fixed and improved the function to change icons for dark mode

A gift for You and some final comments

Of course I haven't forgotten about the promised gift for you loyal supporters, but since I didn't know how to conduct a random draw that could be witnessed, I decided to make it much simpler and quicker: the first one of you to comment below this post will be given a free one-month extension of your current level.

I believe this is the safest method to avoid any suspicion of cheating and such, since the comments are open only to paying subscribers, there won't be a risk of the prize going to someone who is not currently subscribed.

Unfortunately I've discovered through the Patreon FAQs that it is currently not possible to simply extend the subscription of an active supporter for free:

Therefore, to claim the free month, whoever wins it will need to cancel the automatic renewal of their subscription and wait for it to expire naturally. To address this issue, the gift link I will create will have a 1-month expiration, so it can still be redeemed next month if their subscription has already renewed. If the winner has an annual subscription, I will create a link with a 1-year expiration, so it can be redeemed next year. Just remember that you can not share the link I will create for you, as it can be redeemed by anyone and is not tied to a specific account (this feature is not yet supported by Patreon). So, keep it safe 😅

Obviously, don't despair if you arrive late; now that Patreon has introduced the possibility to gift subscription months, I will surely offer it again in the future. After all, it seems fair to reward those who actively support the program 🧡 For example, February will mark the anniversary of the first release of Manga Downloader, what better occasion to give away some more free months to loyal supporters? 😏

Alright, that's really all for now. It has been a very long post, and I apologize to those who had to read it all, but I hope it was worth it. In the coming days, as always after a public release, I will dedicate myself exclusively to fixing any bugs that may appear and releasing quick bug fixes. Once the situation has stabilized a bit, I will start working on the next major version. I already have plans to implement a frequently requested feature: the ability to use external tools like ImageMagick to convert downloaded images between multiple formats, since JAVA's support for image conversion is quite buggy and not very advanced, especially for manipulating the WEBP format, which is now increasingly widespread online.

Stay tuned, and thank you, as always, for your support!