GitHub Release Asset Downloader

This project provides a Python script, gh-release-downloader.py, for automating the download of release assets from a GitHub repository. It supports unzipping .zip files, saves a record of the last downloaded release to avoid redundant downloads, and can send notifications to Slack.

Features

• Downloads assets from GitHub releases.
• Option to include only pre-releases or filter by a specific version prefix.
• Option to include pre-releases types (eg. alpha, beta, rc, etc.)
• Automatically unzips .zip files.
• Saves a record of the last downloaded release.
• Sends notifications to Slack upon successful download.
• Auto-update functionality to keep gh-release-downloader up to date.

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• Python libraries: requests, click, json, zipfile
• A personal GitHub access token with appropriate permissions.
• (Optional) A Slack webhook for sending notifications.

Installation

1. Clone this repository or download the files directly.
2. Install the required dependencies:

   pip install requests click

3. Set up the required environment variables:
   • GITHUB_TOKEN: Your GitHub personal access token.

Usage

Run the script with Python from the command line. Here is an example of how to use it:

python gh-release-downloader.py <owner/repo> --pre-release --version-prefix "v1" --webhook-url "YOUR_SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL" --url-client "YOUR_CLIENT_URL" --output-dir "download_directory"

Replace <owner/repo> with the owner and the name of the GitHub repository from which you want to download assets.

Auto-Update

Auto-update is enabled by default. The tool will automatically check for and install updates before running.

To disable automatic updates, use the --no-auto-update flag:

gh-release-downloader <owner/repo> --no-auto-update

When auto-update is enabled, the tool will:

1. Check if a newer version is available
2. Download and install the updated binary (only for PyInstaller binary installations)
3. Re-execute with the same arguments

Note: Auto-update only works with binary installations created via PyInstaller. For Python script installations, update manually with:

pip install --upgrade gh-release-downloader

Slack Configuration

To receive notifications on Slack, you will need to set up a webhook in Slack and pass it as the --webhook-url parameter. Notifications will include details of the downloaded release and the link provided in --url-client.

Including Release Body in Slack Notifications

By default, Slack notifications only include the release tag and deployment URL. To also include the release body/notes in the notification, use the --include-release-body flag:

gh-release-downloader <owner/repo> --webhook-url "YOUR_SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL" --url-client "YOUR_CLIENT_URL" --include-release-body

When enabled, the release notes will be automatically converted from GitHub markdown format to Slack-compatible format.

Markdown to Slack Format Transformer

The project includes a markdown_to_slack_format() function that automatically converts GitHub markdown to Slack-compatible format. This function is used internally for Slack notifications but can also be imported and used in other scripts or bots.

Features:

• Converts headers (# -> uppercase/formatted text)
• Converts links [text](url) -> <url|text>
• Converts bold **text** -> *text* (Slack format)
• Converts italic *text* or _text_ -> _text_ (Slack format)
• Converts list markers (-, *, +) -> bullet points (•)
• Preserves code blocks and quotes
• Handles nested formatting correctly

Usage Example:

from gh_release_downloader import markdown_to_slack_format

# GitHub markdown
markdown_text = """## Release v1.0.0

- Added **new feature** with [documentation](https://example.com)
- Fixed _critical bug_

```bash
pip install package

"""

Convert to Slack format

slack_text = markdown_to_slack_format(markdown_text)

Result:

Release v1.0.0

• Added new feature with https://example.com|documentation

• Fixed critical bug

```bash

pip install package

```

See `example_usage.py` for more examples of using this function in your own scripts or bots.

## Contributions

Contributions to this project are welcome. Please open an issue or submit a Pull Request with your suggestions and improvements.

## License

[MIT](LICENSE)