YouTube Wrapper Script (ytr_wrapper.rb)

A simple Ruby wrapper for yt-dlp that provides an easy-to-use interface for downloading YouTube videos and extracting video information.

Prerequisites

Before using this script, you need to have the following installed on your system:

1. Python 3

• Windows: Download from python.org
• macOS: brew install python3 or download from python.org
• Linux: sudo apt install python3 (Ubuntu/Debian) or sudo yum install python3 (CentOS/RHEL)

2. yt-dlp

Install yt-dlp using pip:

pip3 install yt-dlp

3. Ruby

• Windows: Download from rubyinstaller.org
• macOS: brew install ruby or use the built-in Ruby
• Linux: sudo apt install ruby (Ubuntu/Debian) or sudo yum install ruby (CentOS/RHEL)

Installation

1. Clone or download the script to your desired directory
2. Ensure the script has executable permissions (Linux/macOS):

   chmod +x ytr_wrapper.rb

Usage

Basic Usage

require_relative 'ytr_wrapper'

# Simple download (best quality)
YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID")

# Download to specific path
YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", "/path/to/output/video.%(ext)s")

# Download audio only (MP3)
YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", audio_only: true)

# Download with specific format
YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", format: "720p")

Advanced Usage with Options Hash

# Using options hash (recommended for complex configurations)
options = {
  output: "/downloads/my_video.%(ext)s",
  format: "best[height<=1080]",
  audio_only: false
}

YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", options)

# Audio-only download with custom path
audio_options = {
  output: "/music/song.%(ext)s",
  audio_only: true
}

YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", audio_options)

Getting Video Information

# Get detailed information about a video
info = YtRWrapper.get_info("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID")

puts info["title"]          # Video title
puts info["duration"]       # Duration in seconds
puts info["view_count"]     # Number of views
puts info["uploader"]       # Channel name
puts info["description"]    # Video description

Method Reference

YtRWrapper.download(url, options_or_path = {}, format: "best", audio_only: false)

Downloads a video from the provided URL.

Parameters:

• url (String): The YouTube video URL
• options_or_path (Hash or String): Either an options hash or output path string
• format (String): Video format/quality (default: "best")
• audio_only (Boolean): Whether to download audio only (default: false)

Options Hash Keys:

• :output (String): Output file path template
• :format (String): Video format/quality
• :audio_only (Boolean): Download audio only

Returns: String - Path to the downloaded file

Example:

# Method 1: Using separate parameters
file_path = YtRWrapper.download(
  "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID",
  "/downloads/video.%(ext)s",
  format: "720p",
  audio_only: false
)

# Method 2: Using options hash
file_path = YtRWrapper.download(
  "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID",
  {
    output: "/downloads/video.%(ext)s",
    format: "720p",
    audio_only: false
  }
)

YtRWrapper.get_info(url)

Retrieves detailed information about a video without downloading it.

Parameters:

• url (String): The YouTube video URL

Returns: Hash - JSON object containing video metadata

Example:

info = YtRWrapper.get_info("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID")
puts "Title: #{info['title']}"
puts "Duration: #{info['duration']} seconds"
puts "Views: #{info['view_count']}"

Output Path Templates

The wrapper supports yt-dlp's output templates:

• %(title)s - Video title
• %(id)s - Video ID
• %(ext)s - File extension
• %(uploader)s - Channel name
• %(upload_date)s - Upload date

Example:

template = "/downloads/%(uploader)s/%(title)s.%(ext)s"
YtRWrapper.download("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID", template)

Format Selection

Common format options:

• "best" - Best available quality (default)
• "worst" - Worst available quality
• "720p" - 720p quality
• "1080p" - 1080p quality
• "best[height<=720]" - Best quality up to 720p
• "best[ext=mp4]" - Best MP4 format

Error Handling

The wrapper raises StandardError exceptions when yt-dlp fails:

begin
  YtRWrapper.download("https://invalid-url.com")
rescue StandardError => e
  puts "Download failed: #{e.message}"
end

Example Script

#!/usr/bin/env ruby

require_relative 'ytr_wrapper'

# Download a video in best quality
puts "Downloading video..."
video_path = YtRWrapper.download(
  "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "/tmp/downloaded_video.%(ext)s"
)
puts "Video downloaded to: #{video_path}"

# Get video information
puts "Getting video info..."
info = YtRWrapper.get_info("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ")
puts "Title: #{info['title']}"
puts "Duration: #{info['duration']} seconds"
puts "Channel: #{info['uploader']}"

# Download audio only
puts "Downloading audio..."
audio_path = YtRWrapper.download(
  "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ",
  "/tmp/audio.%(ext)s",
  audio_only: true
)
puts "Audio downloaded to: #{audio_path}"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "yt-dlp command not found"

   • Ensure yt-dlp is installed: pip3 install yt-dlp
   • Check if Python 3 is in your PATH

2. Permission errors

   • Ensure the output directory is writable
   • On Linux/macOS, you might need to use sudo for system directories

3. Network errors

   • Check your internet connection
   • Some videos might be region-blocked or private

4. Format not available

   • Use YtRWrapper.get_info(url) to see available formats
   • Try using "best" format instead of specific resolution

Getting Help

For more information about yt-dlp options and formats, visit:

• yt-dlp GitHub Repository
• yt-dlp Documentation

License

This wrapper script is provided as-is. Please respect YouTube's Terms of Service and applicable copyright laws when downloading content.