"ERROR: Cannot write video description file" tartube breaks when downloading a facebook reel

[nomino3390]

This is after updating yt-dlp.

And the file system options are set as strict as needed: https://files.catbox.moe/xq8m1l.PNG

The reel: https://www.facebook.com/reel/933197276287037

Screenshot: https://files.catbox.moe/6zxim4.PNG

Output:

python3 -X utf8 ......\mingw64\bin\yt-dlp.exe --newline -i --hls-prefer-native --restrict-filenames --write-description --write-info-json --cookies C:/Users/username/AppData/Local/Tartube/msys64/home/user/tartube/database/cookies.txt --write-thumbnail --windows-filenames --trim-filenames 250 --output C:/Users/username/Videos/%(title)s.%(ext)s https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BJnGkVNbC/
[generic] 1BJnGkVNbC: Downloading webpage
[generic] Extracting URL: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BJnGkVNbC/
[redirect] Following redirect to https://www.facebook.com/reel/933197276287037?rdid=IUTpvQu1t2yRecy4&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fr%2F1BJnGkVNbC%2F
[facebook:reel] Extracting URL: https://www.facebook.com/reel/933197276287037?rdid=IUTpvQu1t2yRecy4&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.f...%2Fr%2F1BJnGkVNbC%2F
[facebook] Extracting URL: https://m.facebook.com/watch/?v=933197276287037&_rdr
[facebook] 933197276287037: Downloading webpage
[info] 933197276287037: Downloading 1 format(s): 1305521458107140v+951861820932796a
[info] Writing video description to: C:\Users\username\Videos\72K_views_127K_reactions_POV_-_your_90s_childhood._Lunch_wasn_t_just_lunch..._it_was_currency._Walking_into_the_cafeteria_holding_a_Pizza_Lunchable_like_you_just_won_something.Trading_snacks_talking_loud_at_the_table_trying_to.1990s_90skids_nostalgia_90sbaby_90saesthetic_Maximal_Nostalgia.description
ERROR: Cannot write video description file C:\Users\username\Videos\72K_views_127K_reactions_POV-_your_90s_childhood._Lunch_wasn_t_just_lunch..._it_was_currency._Walking_into_the_cafeteria_holding_a_Pizza_Lunchable_like_you_just_won_something.Trading_snacks_talking_loud_at_the_table_trying_to._1990s_90skids_nostalgia_90sbaby_90saesthetic_Maximal_Nostalgia.description

[axcore]

Tartube can't write the video description because the file name is about a billion characters long.

Click Edit > General download options... > Files > Filesystem, and enable Force filenames to be MS Windows compatible, if it's not already enabled.

Try setting the value of Limit filename length, 260 would be a good intial value.

An alternative would be to use the Files > File names tab to change the name of the downloaded file, so that it doesn't include the long video title.

[nomino3390]

Tartube can't write the video description because the file name is about a billion characters long.

Click Edit > General download options... > Files > Filesystem, and enable Force filenames to be MS Windows compatible, if it's not already enabled.

Try setting the value of Limit filename length, 260 would be a good intial value.

An alternative would be to use the Files > File names tab to change the name of the downloaded file, so that it doesn't include the long video title.

This isn't closed, the bug still remains. Like I said, the file system options are already set as strict as needed. I posted a screenshot of that too. I already set those options you mentioned. I even set the limit to 250 instead of 260.

If the file name is too long to download, Tartube should by default cut it short, because the entire purpose of Tartube is to download videos. That's like a CPU manufacturer making a model of CPU that doesn't fit in the socket, and they tell people that they need to bend a pin to make that model work, and it still doesn't work when bent.

[axcore]

Tartube does not know, in advance, which files yt-dlp is going to download. I can't think of a way to resolve your problem without using the existing methods: --windows-filenames and --trim-filenames, or file output templates. (Can you think of a way to resolve the problem?)

[axcore]

If --trim-filenames 250 isn't doing the job, try smaller values, like 200.

As I remember, the length includes the whole file path (so C:\Users\username\Videos\ counts as the first 25 characters, even before the video file itself).

[nomino3390]

Tartube is apparently capable of limiting filename length, so it should limit to lengths that actually work for your operating system by default because its entire purpose is to download files. Since the length includes the whole file path and tartube knows that file path, it should do this simple math by default if needed.

[axcore]

Since the length includes the whole file path and tartube knows that file path, it should do this simple math by default if needed.

Unfortunately it's not that simple. --trim-filenames has a lot of problems:

• --trim-filenames ignores file extensions (which Tartube doesn't know before the download starts)
• The maximum file length for the operating system is often expressed in bytes, not characters ( --trim-filenames trims characters, not bytes)
• trim-filenames should trim based on bytes, not characters to avoid “File name too long” errors. yt-dlp/yt-dlp#12386 (comment) reports that Facebook filenames are not actually trimmed at all

I have re-opened the issue, though, so we can add new features to Tartube, when the yt-dlp devs resolve their --trim-filenames problems.