Instaloader library throws 'date_utc' error when given a link to download a post

Question

Here is my code:

import instaloader

def download_instagram_post(post_url):
    # Create an instance of Instaloader
    loader = instaloader.Instaloader()

    # Download the post
    try:
        loader.download_post(post_url, target='#posts')
        print("Post downloaded successfully!")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {str(e)}")

post_url = input("URL: ")
download_instagram_post(post_url)

When I give it a link to download it returns Error: 'date_utc'. why is this problem caused and how can I fix it and download the post from the given link?

Answer 1

You just need to add this line in your code and everything will work correctly: post = instaloader.Post.from_shortcode(loader.context, url.split("/")[-2])

import instaloader

def download_instagram_post(url):
    try:
        loader = instaloader.Instaloader()

        # Load the post from the URL
        post = instaloader.Post.from_shortcode(loader.context, url.split("/")[-2])

        # Download the post to the current directory
        loader.download_post(post, target='#downloads')

        print("Post downloaded successfully!")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error while downloading post: {str(e)}")

post_url = input('URL: ')
download_instagram_post(post_url)

Let's break down the line post = instaloader.Post.from_shortcode(loader.context, url.split("/")[-2]) and explain its purpose:

1. instaloader.Post.from_shortcode(): It is used to create an instance of the instaloader.Post class by providing the context and the shortcode of the Instagram post. The from_shortcode() method retrieves the post details using the shortcode.

2. loader.context: loader Is responsible for handling the Instagram session and loading the post. loader.context refers to the context of the loader instance, which contains the necessary information and settings for the Instagram session.

3. url.split("/")[-2]: This part of the code splits the given URL using the forward slash (/) as the delimiter and selects the second-to-last element from the resulting list. In the case of an Instagram URL like "https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctt5XupruCM/", the shortcode is present as the second-to-last element after splitting the URL.

So, by combining these elements, instaloader.Post.from_shortcode(loader.context, url.split("/")[-2]) creates a Post instance for the specified Instagram post by extracting the shortcode from the given URL and utilizing the loader's context to retrieve the post details.

I hope this clarifies the purpose of that line in the code. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!