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Download Transcript

Downloads and saves the transcript (captions) of a YouTube video in various formats.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.
info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

Inputs​

  • Video URL or ID - The URL of the YouTube video or just the video ID.
  • Language Code - The language code for the transcript (e.g., "en" for English, "de" for German).
  • Path to Save - The file path where the transcript will be saved.

Options​

  • Format - The format for saving the transcript. Options include:
    • JSON
    • Text
    • Web VTT
    • SRT
    • Default is JSON.
  • If Not Exists Translate - If enabled, translates the transcript to the specified language if it doesn't exist in that language.

Output​

No direct output. The transcript is saved to the specified file path.

How It Works​

The Download Transcript node retrieves the captions/transcript of a YouTube video and saves them to a file in the specified format. When executed, the node:

  1. Validates the required inputs (URL/ID, language code, and save path)
  2. Extracts the video ID from the URL if a full URL is provided
  3. Retrieves the list of available transcripts for the video
  4. Either gets the transcript in the specified language or translates it if the "If Not Exists Translate" option is enabled
  5. Formats the transcript according to the selected format
  6. Saves the formatted transcript to the specified file path

Requirements​

  • A YouTube video URL or ID
  • Valid language code
  • Access to the file system for saving the transcript
  • Internet connection to access YouTube

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • Empty Video URL or ID
  • Empty Language Code
  • Empty Path to Save
  • Invalid YouTube URL or video ID
  • Video not found
  • Language code not available for the video (when translation is not enabled)
  • Invalid file path
  • File write permissions issues
  • Network connectivity issues

Usage Notes​

  • The Video URL can be a full YouTube URL (e.g., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID) or just the video ID
  • The Language Code should be a valid ISO 639-1 language code (e.g., "en" for English, "es" for Spanish)
  • If the "If Not Exists Translate" option is enabled, the node will translate the transcript to the specified language if it's not available in that language
  • The Format option determines how the transcript is saved:
    • JSON: Structured format with timing information
    • Text: Plain text format
    • Web VTT: Web Video Text Tracks format
    • SRT: SubRip Subtitle format
  • The saved file will be created or overwritten at the specified path
  • This node is useful for creating searchable transcripts, generating subtitles, or analyzing video content