NZBGet 19.0 Adds Unpack During Download Feature

The latest version of NZBGet 19.0 was just released over the weekend. You will notice a number of new features and bug fixes. The most notable feature in NZBGet 19.0 will allow you to unpack files while still downloading. It will automatically unpack the files as soon as all the archive parts are completed. It will also let you start watching video files before the download completes. This is sure to be a popular addition for NZBGet. Grab the latest version directly from their website and let us know what you think of the new feature.

NZBGet

Here’s a look at the release notes for NZBGet 19.0:

  • unpack during downloading:
    • downloaded files can now be unpacked as soon as every archive part is downloaded;
    • new option DirectUnpack to activate direct unpacking;
    • direct unpack works even with obfuscated downloads; option DirectRename (see below) must be active for that;
    • option ReorderFiles (see below) should be also active for optimal file download order;
    • direct unpack works for rar-archives; 7-zip archives and simply splitted files are processed by default unpack module;
    • direct unpack obviously works only for healthy download; if download is damaged the direct unpack cancels and the download is unpacked during post-processing stage after files are repaired;
    • direct unpack reduces the time needed to complete download and post-processing;
    • it also allows to start watching of video files during download (requires compatible video player software);
    • see forum topic Unpack during downloading for more info;
  • renaming of obfuscated file names during downloading:
    • correct file names for obfuscated downloads are now determined during download stage (instead of post-processing stage);
    • downloaded files are saved into disk directly with correct names;
    • direct renaming uses par2-files to restore correct file names;
    • new option DirectRename to activate direct renaming;
    • new queue-event NZB_NAMED, sent after the inner files are renamed;
  • automatic reordering of files:
    • inner files within nzb reordered to ensure download of files in archive parts order;
    • the files are reordered when nzb is added to queue;
    • if direct renaming is active (option DirectRename) the files are reordered again after the correct names becomes known;
    • new option ReorderFiles;
    • new command GroupSortFiles in api-method editqueue;
    • new subcommand SF of remote command -E/–edit;
  • new option FileNaming to control how to name obfuscated files (before they get renamed by par-rename, rar-rename or direct-rename);
  • TLS certificate verification:
    • when connecting to a news server (for downloading) or a web server (for fetching of rss feeds and nzb-files) the authenticity of the server is validated using server security certificate. If the check fails that means the connection cannot be trusted and must be closed with an error message explaining the security issue;
    • new options CertCheck and CertStore;
    • official NZBGet packages come with activated certificate check;
    • when updating from an older NZBGet version the option CertCheck will be automatically activated when the settings is saved (switch to Settings page in web-interface and click Save all changed);
    • see Certificate verification for details;
  • authentication via form in web-interface as alternative to HTTP authentication:
    • that must help with password tools having issues with HTTP authentication dialog;
    • new option FormAuth;
  • drop-downs (context menus) for priority, category and status columns:
    • quicker changing of priority and category;
    • easier access to actions via drop-down (context menu) in status column;
  • extensions scripts can now be executed from settings page:
    • script authors define custom buttons;
    • when clicked the script is executed in a special mode and obtain extra parameters;
    • example script Email.py extended with button Send test e-mail;
    • for details see Extension scripts;
  • on Windows NZBGet can now associate itself with nzb-files:
    • use option in Windows installer to register NZBGet for nzb-files;
  • unrar shipped within Linux package is now compiled with fallocate option to improve compatibility with media players when watching videos during downloading and unpacking;
  • support for HTTP-header X-Forwarded-For in IP-logging;
  • improvements in RSS feed view in phone mode;
  • set name, password and dupe info when adding via URL by click on a button near URL field in web-interface;
  • backup-badge for items in history similar to downloads tab;
  • show backup icon in history in phone theme;
  • added support for ECC certificates in built-in web-server;
  • save changes before performing actions in history dialog;
  • proper exit code on client command success or failure.
  • added host name to all error messages regarding connection issues;
  • improved continuos integration with Travis CI:
    • added gcc 4.8 to test matrix;
    • installing unrar into test system to allow unit tests requiring unrar;
  • new button Volume Statistics in section News Servers of settings page; shows the same volume data as in global statistics dialog;
  • new option ServerX.Notes for user comments on news servers;
  • new parameters for api-method servervolumes as a performance optimization measure to reduce amount of transferred data;
  • new option to force connection to news servers via ipv4 or ipv6;
  • removed unnecessary requests to news servers;
  • updated unrar to v5.40;
  • clear script execution log before executing script;
  • added support for crash dumps on Windows:
    • renamed option DumpCore to CrashDump;
    • new option CrashTrace to make it possible to disable default printing of call stack in order to produce more relevant crash dumps;
  • fixed: startup scheduler tasks can be executed again;
  • fixed: fatal messages when compiling from sources.
  • fixed: per-nzb download statistics could be wrong if the program was reloaded during downloading.
  • fixed crash which may happen between post-processing steps;
  • fixed: asterix (*) was sometimes passed as parameter to extension scripts (Windows only);
  • fixed potential crash during update via web-interface.

You can read our NZBGet review to learn more about the popular open-source Usenet browser.