reading an MP3 from a URL to a local file

[Petereyup Smith]

I am trying to copy an MP3 from my website to a local file - the following program SOMETIMES!!?? works, sometimes it get so far and then stops -it does not end just sticks at a random point,and i have to cancel the program ( I am using Netbeans), but it does work on the odd occasion?! my main aim to have this in a swing application using swingworker, and to update a status bar etc.....

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

/*
 * To change this template, choose Tools | Templates
 * and open the template in the editor.
 */
package downloadtest;

import java.io.BufferedInputStream;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.FileOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.net.URLConnection;
import java.util.logging.Level;
import java.util.logging.Logger;

/**
 *
 * @author Pete Smith
 */
public class DownloadTest {

    /**
     * @param args the command line arguments
     */
    public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
  
        URLConnection conn = null; 
    
        
    conn = new URL("url").openConnection(); // fill in the correct http address
   
    InputStream is = conn.getInputStream();

    OutputStream outstream = new FileOutputStream(new File("c:/Users/Pete Smith/test.mp3")); // fill in correct file name.
    
    byte[] buffer = new byte[4096];
    int len;
    
    
    while ((len = is.read(buffer)) > 0) {
        outstream.write(buffer, 0, len);
        System.out.println(len);
    }
    outstream.close(); // in a finally block of course
is.close();
        System.out.println("DONE!");


    }
}

[Rob Spoor]

Welcome to the Ranch!

That > 0 should be >= 0, > -1 or != -1. 0 itself is a perfectly valid return value that does not indicate the end of the stream. That's what -1 is for.

[Petereyup Smith]

I have tried !=-1 and >=0, it still sometimes works and sometimes just get stuck within the loop, but no new println's are produced - it just hangs!

Thanks for the tip though!

[Rob Spoor]

If you've modified the loop as I suggested, then I don't see anything wrong with your code. Perhaps there is a problem with the network, or with the server you're getting the MP3 file from. Can you download the file from a regular browser?

[Petereyup Smith]

I was wondering if it was the network - sometimes when I watch a streamed video through BBC's Iplayer, it stops ,then starts again with the sound out of sink with the video, and internet radio sometimes just stops!! - I will try it on a friends network.

Thanks

[Petereyup Smith]

I have done some more research : downloading small(ish) files works fine, but larger files can just freeze the program.

What I have found out, is the connection could be timing out after a certain time, I then thought could it be done using FTP - I use FileZilla and that works! - Nope does the same.

Can anyone please give any suggestions - could something to do with sockets work ( I am what you might call a beginner to java!)

Thanks

[Rob Spoor]

If FileZilla has the same problem, the problem is somewhere in the network. Since the problem is not limited to this one server, that problem can be your network card drivers, network card itself, cable, or anything beyond that. Start locally, by reinstalling / updating the network card drivers, then work your way along the line.

[Petereyup Smith]

Sorry - FileZilla DOES work - that's what's weird!