Hugging Face Hub Downloader (GUI)

A simple graphical desktop application written in Python With AI, Namely Gemini and a Touch of Claude this uses Tkinter to download single files or entire model repositories from the Hugging Face Hub. (Most this was wrtten with AI as-well)

Features

• Graphical User Interface: Easy-to-use interface built with Tkinter/ttk.
• Single File Download: Download specific files (e.g., config.json).
• Entire Model Download: Download complete model snapshots.
• Directory Selection: Browse for and select the base save directory.
• Open Directory: Button to quickly open the selected save directory in your system's file explorer.
• Worker Selection: Choose download concurrency (1, 3, or 6 workers) for entire model downloads via a dropdown menu.
• Model ID Sync: Automatically copies the Model ID from the single file section to the entire model section as you type.
• Status Log: Displays detailed status messages, errors, and success confirmations.
• Clear Log: Button to clear the log area.
• Save Log: Button to save the log content to a text file.
• Copy: Right-click context menu to copy log content.
• Status Bar: Shows current activity status and an indeterminate progress bar during downloads.
• Cancel Download: Button to request cancellation of an ongoing download (best-effort, stops the app from processing results).
• Theming: Attempts a dark theme inspired by Hugging Face (appearance may vary by OS).
• Caching: Leverages the huggingface_hub library's caching mechanism to avoid re-downloading existing valid files.

Requirements

• Python 3.x (Tkinter is usually included with standard Python installations on Windows and macOS; may need separate installation on some Linux distros, e.g., sudo apt-get install python3-tk).
• Required library: huggingface_hub

Installation

1. Clone this repository or download the Python script (e.g., hf_gui_downloader.py).

2. Navigate to the script's directory in your terminal or command prompt.

3. (Highly Recommended) Create and activate a Python virtual environment:

   # Create the environment (e.g., named .venv)
   python -m venv .venv
   
   # Activate it:
   # Windows (Command Prompt/PowerShell)
   .\.venv\Scripts\activate
   # macOS/Linux (bash/zsh)
   source .venv/bin/activate

4. Install the required library:

   pip install huggingface_hub

Usage

1. Make sure your virtual environment (if created) is activated.

2. Run the script from your terminal:

   python hf_gui_downloader.py

   (Replace hf_gui_downloader.py with the actual filename if you renamed it). Alternatively, on some systems, you might be able to run it by double-clicking the .py file if your Python installation is configured correctly.

3. The application window will appear.

4. Save Location: Use the "Browse..." button to select the main folder where models/files will be saved (defaults to hf_models in your home directory). Use the "Open..." button to view the selected folder in your file explorer.

5. Download Single File: Enter the Model ID and Filename, then click the "Download File" button.

6. Model Download Speed: Select the desired number of workers from the dropdown menu. This setting only affects the "Download Entire Model" action.

7. Download Entire Model: Enter the Model ID (note: it might be auto-filled as you type in the single file section). Click the "Download Model" button. A sub-folder named after the Model ID will be created in your selected save location containing the model files.

8. Status Log: Monitor detailed progress messages and results in the main text area. Use the "Clear Log" or "Save Log..." buttons below it, or right-click within the log area to copy text.

9. Status Bar: Observe the current activity message at the bottom-left and the moving progress bar during downloads. Use the "Cancel" button at the bottom-right to stop the application from waiting for the current download.

10. Close the window when finished.

Limitations

• Progress Bar: The progress bar is indeterminate (shows activity but not %) because the underlying library functions do not provide the real-time byte-level progress data required for accurate percentage display within the GUI.
• Cancellation: The "Cancel" button requests cancellation. It stops the application from processing the download's final result but may not immediately halt the background network activity managed by the library. Downloaded files are not deleted upon cancellation.
• Styling: The dark theme appearance might vary across different operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) and desktop environments due to differences in how Tkinter/ttk interacts with native themes.

License

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2025 swizzcheeze

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.