FlickrSyncr

A Python library and command-line applications for syncing photos between a local directory and a Flickr album.

Photos are matched by local filename and Flickr photo title with the option of also comparing the local and Flickr photo checksums. Mismatching content is synced in the direction the user specifies.

• https://github.com/B-Con/flickrsyncr
• https://bradconte.com/flickrsyncr
• https://pypi.python.org/pypi/flickrsyncr

Setup

1. Obtain a Flickr API KEY. Starting point: https://www.flickr.com/services/apps/create/apply.

2. Save the API key and secret in a config file (unless you will provide it on the cmd-line or in the Config object).

   *     The config file at `~/.config/flickrsyncr/config.conf` will used by default unless an alternative path is specified via `--config_dir`. Sample config file content (there is also one in `tests/config/config.conf`):
   
             [DEFAULT]
             api_key = 0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
             api_secret = 0123456789abcdef
   
   * Multiple API key/secret pairs can be stored under different profile names. The `DEFAULT` profile will be used by default unless an alternative profile name is specified via `--config_profile`.
   

3. On the first run, human involvement is necessary to authorize the app for Flickr OAuth access to the Flickr account. The app will provide a URL to visit in a web browser. Login to the Flickr account you want to associate the app with and then visit the displayed URL to grant the app permission.

   delete permissions are necessary for syncing and removing content.

   OAuth permissions are still checked and obtained in dryrun mode.

Usage

Command-line application

Basics:

• Only the local --path and Flickr --album are required.
• One of --push or --pull is required.
• Use --help to list all options.

Examples:

• Force the Flickr album contents to exactly match local dir based only on file name:

    $ flickrsyncr --album=albumname --path=/my/dir --push --sync
  

• Force the Flickr album contents to exactly match local dir based on file name and checksum::

    $ flickrsyncr --album=albumname --path=/my/dir --push --sync --checksum
  

• Add local files into a Flickr album::

    $ flickrsyncr --album=albumname --path=/my/dir --push
  

• Add local files into a Flickr album and tag them all::

    $ flickrsyncr --album=albumname --path=/my/dir --push --tag=mycustomtag
  

• See what would change if a Flickr album were added to a local directory::

    $ flickrsyncr --album=albumname --path=/my/dir --pull --dryrun
  

Docker

I provide a docker image image: https://cloud.docker.com/repository/docker/primederivation/flickrsyncr.

The ENTRYPOINT is the cmd-line flickrsyncr, so pass the normal cmd-line flags to docker run to use the container.

Library

Names of interest:

• flickrsyncr.Config - A class for all config settings.
• flickrsyncr.sync - Main execution. Takes a flickrsyncr.Config as the only argument.
• flickrsyncr.SyncError - Fatal error thrown by the library.

Create a Config with the required settings in the constructor and pass it to sync().

The cmd-line tool is basically just a wrapper to convert cmd-line arguments into a Config and then calls sync.

See the cmd-line section for examples, the cmd-line arguments and Config arguments share the same names (except for the -- hyphen prefix).

Requirements

Python Packages

• Python3
• Pip
• FlickrAPI
• ConfigParser
• SetupTools
• Magic

Flickr Access

• Flickr account
• Flickr API key/secret pair

Install

Standard installation:

$ pip install flickrsyncr

This installs both the library and the cmd-line script.

Pipx allows easily executing the entry point:

$ pip install pipx --user
$ pipx install flickrsyncr
$ pipx run flickrsyncr #...

References

• https://stuvel.eu/flickrapi
• https://www.flickr.com/services/api/

Inner Workings

See the cmd-line prompt --help for the most detail on the settings/arguments.

Local state

• ~/.config/flickrsyncr/, containing a user-created config.conf (if applicable) and oauth-tokens.sqlite (managed by the flickrapi library).

Syncing

• It builds a list of Flickr photos, filtered by the value of tag if it's specified.

• It builds a list of local files.

• Flickr photos and local files are matched by compare the local filename and the Flickr photo title.

• A list of unique photos is made for local and for Flickr.

• If checksum is specified, a list of photos with mismatched checksums is compiled. Flickr photos without checksums will always mismatch.

• For push:

  • unique local photos are uploaded.
  • if checksum is specified, mismatched photos are deleted from Flickr and then uploaded.
  • if sync is specified, all unique Flickr photos are deleted.

• For pull:

  • unique remote photos are downloaded.
  • if checksum is specified, mismatched photos are deleted from local path and then downloaded.
  • if sync is specified, all unique local photos are deleted.

Uploads

• If tag is specified, uploaded photos have the tag value added.
• If checksum is specified, the file's checksum is stored on Flickr as a tag.
• The photo's local file name is used as the Flickr photo title.
• The album is created if it doesn't exist, with the banner of the first uploaded picture.

Downloads

• If tag is specified, the app won't notice any Flickr photos without the tag value.
• The Flickr photo title is used as the local file name.

Edge-Cases & Gotchas

• Flickr's API calls an "album" a "photoset". They're the same thing.
• Flickr automatically deletes an album when it has no pictures. During a sync, if all the photos are deleted before more are uploaded then the album will be deleted by Flickr and re-created by this script. You will lose your album metadata tweaks, sorry.
• To delete a Flickr album and it's contents, --push and empty directory with the album name.
• Tag values are not added retroactively (and cannot be by the app). ex: --push followed by --push --tag=mytag will cause the entire album to be re-uploaded because the initial photos are invisible when --tag=mytag was specified.
• Checksums are not added retroactively (and cannot be by the app). ex: --push followed by --push --checksum will cause the entire album to be deleted and re-uploaded because the initial push had no checksum and no checksum mismatches with the real checksum in the second step.