[Feature Request]: bulk import text URLs

[exekutive]

Guidelines

• [x] I have searched the issue tracker for open and closed issues that are similar to the feature request I want to file, without success.
• [x] I have searched the documentation for information that matches the description of the feature request I want to file, without success.
• [x] This issue contains only one feature request.

Problem Description

Unable to import generic lists of youtube video URLs

Proposed Solution

implement the importing of lists of youtube URLs in plain text (either as a text file with one URL per line, or paste from the clipboard), and create a playlist with those videos.

Alternatives Considered

as a bonus, Firefox bookmark export HTML files too.

Issue Labels

new feature

Additional Information

No response

[NoSpiner]

I had this same need a while back. I actually wrote a python script for this exact purpose.

https://github.com/NoSpiner/Freetube-import

[efb4f5ff-1298-471a-8973-3d47447115dc]

This has the same problems as the YouTube playlist import but worse. Closing as this has been identified as a feature that wont be possible to implement due to technical limitations

[exekutive]

This has the same problems as the YouTube playlist import but worse. Closing as this has been identified as a feature that wont be possible to implement due to technical limitations

Could you please explain what that limitation is and how it relates, or provide a link if it's already discussed somewhere?

[ozrendev]

What information does Freetube use to generate a playlist? I was thinking of implementing this by simply having a regex match all video IDs from a list of URLs and using those IDs to create a playlist.

[exekutive]

@ozrendev Freetube has a playlist import/export function. If you export playlists, you get a db file with what looks like JSON content.

You have a playlist wrapper with some basic metadata and inside a list of videos.

A single video line item looks like this:

{"videoId":"<youtube 11-char video ID>","title":"<the video title>","author":"<the youtube channel name>","authorId":"<youtube 24-char channel ID>","lengthSeconds":<length in seconds>,"published":<publish date>,"timeAdded":<added date>,"playlistItemId":"<36-char ID. probably generated by freetube>","type":"video"}

Really, the only thing freetube should need to play a video is the video ID, so I don't understand what the problem is, but I'm digging through the issue history. It's useful to fetch the video title as well, so you would need an API for that , which could slow down the process, but I don't care about anything else. For all I care, it could show a black rectangle for the thumbnail, and we already know Freetube can list videos without the duration.

[exekutive]

Related issues:

• [Feature Request]: import non FT playlist(s) https://github.com/PikachuEXE/FreeTube/issues/50
• [Feature Request]: Import Playlists from YouTube https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/5057
• API calls https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/pull/5498#issuecomment-2301192369
• [Feature Request]: Importing/Exporting only 1 playlist. https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/5366
• [Bug]: Import Playlists does not work (closed for unknown reason) https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/4143
• Description of FT nedb export format https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/4567#issuecomment-1896341546
• Description of FT JSON fields https://github.com/FreeTubeApp/FreeTube/issues/4567#issuecomment-1902582700