Shufa Character Downloader

This project helps my dad automatically download Chinese calligraphy images from shufazidian.com to assist him with his drawing.

Features

• Search for calligraphy images by author and character/phrase.
• Automatically match images with the chosen author.
• Save images to a local images/ folder.

Project images:

Shufa-Character-Downloader
├── images/                    # Downloaded calligraphy images (organized by character)
├── src/
│   ├── processHelpers/        # Helper scripts for different processing steps
│   │   ├── download.py        # Handles downloading calligraphy images
│   │   ├── filtering.py       # Handles finiding the right urls to use for each character.
│   │   ├── preprocess.py      # Load, save and prepare the settings
│   │   ├── scrape.py          # Scrapes image URLs and metadata from shufazidian.com
│   │   └── textRedirector.py  # Redirects or maps text inputs for interface
│   ├── engine.py              # Core engine that orchestrates scraping, downloading
│   ├── interface.py           # User interface logic
│   └── setting.json           # Configuration file to store user settings
├── myApp.py                   # Main entry point to launch the program
├── requirements.txt           # Python dependencies
├── README.md                  # Project documentation
├── LICENSE                    # License information
└── .gitignore                 # Git ignore file

Setup

1. Install Python (if not already installed):

• Windows: Download and install Python 3.9 or newer from python.org.
  Make sure to check "Add Python to PATH" during installation.
• Mac: Download from python.org or use Homebrew:

  brew install python

2. Create a virtual environment:

• Windows:

  python -m venv venv
  venv\Scripts\activate

• macOS and Linux:

  python3 -m venv venv
  source venv/bin/activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Run the program:

• Windows:

  • Double-click myApp.py.
  • If it opens in an editor instead of running, right-click → Open with → choose Python.

• macOS:
  Double-click myApp.py.
  If it opens in a text editor instead of running:

  • Step 1: Right-click myApp.py → Get Info.
  • Step 2: Under Open with, select Python Launcher.

• Linux:
  Make the file executable (one-time setup):

  chmod +x myApp.py
  

How to Use

1. Fill in your input:

   • Wait time: Number of seconds to wait between downloads (helps avoid being blocked and stuck on one task)
   • Process Amount: Number of character being progress at a time.
   • Download Amount: Total number of images to download per character.
   • Author: Enter the calligraphy master’s name (e.g., 苏轼).
   • Character Type: Choose calligraphy style (e.g., 行书, 草书, 楷书).
   • Chinese Text: Paste or type in Chinese characters, phrases, or full poems you want to download. !!!Only keep Chinese character

2. Start the download:

   • Click Start to begin fetching images.
   • Progress and logs will be shown in Logs tab.
   • Download images are saved into the local images/ folder, organized by character.

3. Manage images:

   • Use Delete Images to clear previously download images.
   • Use Open File to open the images/ file
   • Use Save Settings to preserve your current configuration for next time.