Enable Percent-Encoded URLs In FreeTube

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Enable Percent-Encoded URLs in FreeTube

Hey guys! Let's talk about a cool feature that could make FreeTube even better. Right now, it has a little hiccup with percent-encoded URLs, and I think we can fix it. This enhancement will ensure FreeTube smoothly handles the links you throw at it, making your viewing experience a whole lot smoother. Let's dive in and see how we can make this happen.

The Percent-Encoded URL Problem

So, what's the deal with percent-encoded URLs, and why should we care? Well, sometimes when you copy and paste links from other places, like say, LibreWolf with timestamps, the URLs get a little makeover. Special characters, like the colon in a timestamp (e.g., :2454), get converted into a percent-encoded format (like %3A). FreeTube, as it currently stands, doesn't quite know what to do with these encoded links and throws an error saying the video isn't available. Talk about a buzzkill, right?

For example, let's say you snag a YouTube link with a timestamp. The original might look like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7q2CS8HDHU:2454. But when it's copied and encoded, it becomes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7q2CS8HDHU%3A2454. FreeTube needs to understand this difference and handle both types of URLs flawlessly. Imagine the frustration of copying a link, pasting it into FreeTube, and getting an error just because of a minor encoding issue. That's what we're aiming to solve here.

To make this super clear, here is a breakdown of why this is important:

  • Seamless Integration: Ensuring FreeTube can handle percent-encoded URLs will allow it to integrate seamlessly with other apps and browsers.
  • User Experience: No more annoying error messages! Users can simply paste links without a second thought.
  • Enhanced Compatibility: Support for encoded URLs ensures FreeTube is compatible with a wider range of sources. This will help make FreeTube more flexible and user-friendly.

The Solution: Decoding the URLs

Here’s the straightforward solution: FreeTube should be updated to recognize percent-encoded URLs and then convert them before trying to load the video. It's like teaching it a new language so it can understand all the different ways a URL might be written.

Basically, the plan is to add a step where FreeTube checks if a URL is percent-encoded. If it is, then it would pass the URL to a converter function. This function would decode the URL, making it usable by FreeTube. A simple replace function could do the trick, specifically looking for and changing %3A back to :. This will allow FreeTube to correctly interpret the timestamp information, and get you to the correct spot in the video.

Think of it this way:

  1. Detection: FreeTube checks the URL.
  2. Conversion: If it's encoded, the converter kicks in.
  3. Loading: The decoded URL is used to load the video.

Easy peasy, right?

Alternatives and Considerations

Okay, so the main concern is the colons, but are there other special characters that might be percent-encoded in YouTube URLs? It's worth considering the different special characters that could potentially pop up, so we can ensure everything is handled correctly. If there are other characters, the simple replace function might not be enough, and we might need something a bit more robust to handle all the edge cases.

Here's a list of special characters that can be percent-encoded:

  • ! → %21
  • # → %23
  • $ → %24
  • & → %26
  • ' → %27
  • ( → %28
  • ) → %29
  • * → %2A
  • + → %2B
  • , → %2C
  • / → %2F
  • : → %3A
  • ; → %3B
  • = → %3D
  • ? → %3F
  • @ → %40
  • [ → %5B
  • ] → %5D

If we want to cover all bases, we would need to think about including these in the converter function. While the colon is the primary issue with timestamps, making sure FreeTube can handle all encoded characters would future-proof it.

The Benefits of Implementation

Implementing this feature would bring some major benefits to FreeTube:

  • Improved User Experience: Eliminate those frustrating error messages and make sure FreeTube is super reliable.
  • Better Compatibility: Work smoothly with more sources and make FreeTube more versatile.
  • Enhanced Functionality: Allow for the use of timestamped links from any source.

Implementation Details

As far as implementation goes, it seems like a relatively straightforward task. A simple replace function or a slightly more complex decoding function could be integrated into the URL handling process. The main work would involve:

  • Identifying Encoded URLs: Checking whether a URL contains any percent-encoded characters.
  • Decoding: Running a decoding function to convert the encoded characters back to their original form.
  • Integration: Integrating this function into the existing process of loading videos.

This is a chance to make FreeTube even more user-friendly and make it work without a hitch! It's all about making sure that FreeTube can handle whatever you throw at it, no matter the URL.

Conclusion: Making FreeTube Even Better

So, in short, implementing support for percent-encoded URLs in FreeTube is a small change with a big payoff. It will make FreeTube more compatible, more user-friendly, and just plain better. This feature would significantly enhance the user experience by preventing annoying errors and ensuring that FreeTube seamlessly handles all kinds of YouTube links. It's a simple, effective improvement that makes a real difference. Let’s make it happen, and let's keep making FreeTube awesome together!