DownLater User Manual

"Why download those big files now when you can download them all later, with DownLater?"

Author: Phil Burk

The Main Window
    Dragging Links Into DownLater
    Changing the Local File Name
    Downloading Files
    Deleting Links
File Menu
Option Menu
    Cookies Dialog...
   Download Options...
    Schedule DownLoads...
Register Menu
    Register...
    Paste License...

Further information, recent releases and tech support can be found on the DownLater web site.

What Does DownLater Do For You?

Have you ever been surfing the web and found several large files, like MP3 songs or software archives, that you want to download? But as soon as you start downloading one, it ties up your modem and slows down your browser. Wouldn't it be nice to just pick a bunch of files now, but download them later? You can do that using DownLater. Just drag the links from your browser into the DownLater window. When you're done surfing, hit a button and DownLater will download the files one after the other. Or you can schedule them to be downloaded while you sleep.

The Main Window

Dragging Links Into DownLater

Start the DownLater program by double clicking on its icon.
Start your favorite web browser.
Find a file that you want to download using your web browser. It will typically be a .ZIP file, or an .MP3 file, or another binary file but not an .HTML file.
Click down on the link with the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the DownLater window. You should see the cursor turn into an arrow.
Drop the link in the DownLater window. You should see a box with the URL appear in the DownLater window.
It will take a few seconds for the link to be validated. If an error occurs the box will turn orange.
DownLater will select a default local file name to save the file as. If this conflicts with an existing file, you will be asked to pick a new name.

Changing the Local File Name

If you wish to change the name for the file to be saved with, double click on the files box. You will see a standard SaveAs dialog that will let you change the name.

Downloading Files

When you have selected the files you want, you can download them now by hitting the [Download Now] button. As each file is downloaded, it is removed from the list of files.

If you wish to download the files later, then check the box that says "Download at hh:mm". When the time comes, your files will be downloaded. If you are using a modem, then your computer will dial in to your Internet service provider automatically. Note that you must leave DownLater running for it to download the files as scheduled. But you can minimize the window so that is is out of the way.

You can change the scheduled time for downloading using the "Schedule Downloads..." menu item in the "Option" menu.

Deleting Links

If you wish to remove a file from the list before it is downloaded, click on it once to select it. Then hit the <Delete> key, or select "Delete" from the [Edit] menu. You can choose "Undo" from the "Edit" menu to get the last URL back.

File Menu

Select "Exit" to leave DownLater. [Warning: you should leave DownLater running if you want to download later.]

Option Menu

Cookies Dialog

Some web sites use cookies to keep track of information about who is visiting their site. This information might include a user ID, or a password, or an e-mail address. These cookies are collected by your browser as you surf the web. In order for DownLater to download files from those web sites, DownLater send those cookies back to the web site. You can tell DownLater to use cookies from Netscape Communicator, or Microsoft's Internet Explorer, or not to use any cookies. If you select Netscape, you will also be asked to select which user's cookie's to use. You can also select a cookie file directly but that should only be done if selecting by user does not work.

Download Options Dialog

This dialog has three checkboxes.
[ ] Ask for saved file every time. If you check this then DownLater will open a dialog window and ask you for a file name every time you drop in a new link.
[ ] Place in directories based on extension. If you check this then DownLater will try to save the file in a directory with the same name as the file extension. So".mp3" files will go into a directory called "whatever\mp3\". And ".zip" fiels will go into a different directory call "whatever\zip\".
[ ] Allow HTML files to be downloaded. A common mistake is to drag a link to an HTML file onto DownLater. You should typically click on the HTML link to get the page that then lets you download the files you want. But if you really want to download an HTML file, then check this box.

Schedule DownLoads Dialog

You can use the "Schedule Downloads" dialog to tell DownLater when to start downloading files. You can specify a range of time by setting the "start time" and "end time". DownLater will pick a random time in that range. It uses a random time so that everybody's copy of DownLater doesn't start at the same time and swamp the Internet. You can tell DownLater to download at the scheduled time by checking the "Download at hh:mm" check box in the Toolbar on the main window.

Register Menu

Register...

This item will launch your browser and direct you to the DownLater web site. At the web site, you can download new versions of DownLater, get more information, and most importantly, register your copy of DownLater for a modest fee.

Paste License...

After you register, you will receive a license by e-mail. Select the license text in your e-mail and copy it to the paste buffer by hitting Control+C. Then select the "Paste License..." item and paste the license into the text area of the dialog box. Clink in the text box and by hit Control+V.

Further information, recent releases and tech support can be found on the DownLater web site.