wget - a great Unix tool

PROGRAM INFORMATION: wget

The wget program allows one to grab files across the internet just by providing a url. It comes from:

ftp://gnjilux.cc.fer.hr/pub/unix/util/wget/

Mirrors:

Gnu wget Gnu Source for wget
Archive:
ftp://ftp.gnu.org/pub/gnu/wget/
ftp://sunsite.auc.dk/pub/infosystems/wget/
http://sunsite.auc.dk/ftp/pub/infosystems/wget/

Mailing List

Scripts

This is very handy for getting GenBank files. A script to do this (wgetac) is provided, as is the README.
Another script uses a flag provided with wget to grab a file in another name (wgetas url as.file): wgetas

wput would be the opposite of wget. Here's what I've found on this topic:

UCLINUX: Re: [UCLINUX] wput ?
cURL - Client to fetch URLs
Downloader Comparison Table
2007 Jun 13: wput is now at Source Forge!

ftp: Our ftp archive requires the --passive-ftp flag on wget. For example,

wget ftp://ftp.ncifcrf.gov/pub/delila/ev.p

will hang, while

wget --passive-ftp ftp://ftp.ncifcrf.gov/pub/delila/ev.p

will work. To set this for all wget calls, you can put the command in several places. Here is information on this, in the form that can be used in your personal ~/.wgetrc file:


# .wgetrc control file
# 2005 Jun 15

# Google:
# wgetrc
# http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/COMP/info/wget/wget_6.html

# Google:
# passive-ftp
# gives this explanation:
# http://slacksite.com/other/ftp.html
#
# Passive ftp is required to obtain ftp from the Delila directory:
# wget --passive-ftp  ftp://ftp.ncifcrf.gov/pub/delila/ev.p
#
# example:
# http://home.leo.org/~loescher/tipsdata/wgetrc
#
# passive_ftp = on/off
#    Set passive FTP, the same as `--passive-ftp'.

passive_ftp = on

Schneider Lab
origin: 1999 Oct 8
updated: 2005 Jun 15