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Download Files with Gaffa, No Matter How They're Served

This folder contains Python scripts that demonstrate how to use Gaffa's download_file action to download files through the Browser Requests API — whether they download straight to disk, render inline in the browser, or only appear after filling out and submitting a form. For more information, read the accompanying blog post.

What It Does

  • gaffa_download_both_scenarios.py: Downloads a file that saves directly to disk and a file that renders inline in the browser, using the exact same download_file action for both — no extra configuration needed to tell them apart.
  • gaffa-form-file-pdf-download.py: Fills out and submits a web form (typing fields, clicking submit, waiting for the page to update), then downloads the resulting generated PDF.

In both cases, Gaffa returns the downloaded file as a hosted URL, which the script fetches and saves locally.

How to Run

First, make sure you have the required libraries installed and your GAFFA_API_KEY environment variable set.

Required libraries:

pip install requests
export GAFFA_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"

Then, run either script:

python gaffa_download_both_scenarios.py
python gaffa-form-file-pdf-download.py

Why Use Gaffa for This?

  • One Action, Any Delivery Method: download_file handles direct downloads and browser-rendered files identically — no need to detect which pattern a site uses
  • Handles JavaScript: Forms, modals, and dynamically-loaded content are rendered before the download is triggered
  • Automatic Format Detection: Correct file extension provided in the download URL — no content-type parsing needed
  • Configurable Timeout: Increase the timeout on download_file for larger files that take longer to generate or download

For more information, see the Gaffa documentation.