OpenCourseFlow: Organize and Track Your Video Courses Effortlessly

Ever found yourself overwhelmed by a folder full of video tutorials? You start watching a course, then life happens. A week later, you’re trying to remember which videos you’ve already watched, where you left off, and what was tagged as “important.”

Sound familiar? I’ve been there too. That’s exactly why I built OpenCourseFlow—a simple desktop application that helps you organize, track, and complete your video courses without the frustration.

What You’ll Learn

• How OpenCourseFlow helps manage video courses
• How to install and set it up
• How to use the tagging and filtering system
• How progress tracking works
• Tips for getting the most out of your video courses

Key Features

How It Works

OpenCourseFlow uses a clean, simple architecture:

Video Folder → Scan → Display in GUI → Track Progress → Save to JSON

The Technical Details

1. Directory Scanning: When you select a course folder, OpenCourseFlow scans for all video files
2. Metadata Extraction: Uses Mutagen to read video duration
3. Progress Loading: Reads existing progress from JSON file
4. Display: Shows videos in a clean PySide6 interface
5. Video Playback: Opens videos in your default player (or mpv on Linux/macOS)
6. Auto-Save: Progress saves automatically when you tag videos

Data Storage

Progress is saved in a simple JSON file alongside your videos:

{
  "videos": {
    "01-intro.mp4": {
      "watched": true,
      "tag": "Easy",
      "duration": 300
    },
    "02-advanced.mp4": {
      "watched": false,
      "tag": "Hard",
      "duration": 1800
    }
  }
}

Installation

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://gitlab.com/krafi/opencourseflow.git
cd opencourseflow

Step 2: Install Dependencies

pip install PySide6 mutagen

Step 3: Install Video Player (Linux/macOS)

sudo apt install mpv

sudo dnf install mpv

brew install mpv

Step 4: Run the Application

python main.py

Usage Guide

Getting Started

1. Launch OpenCourseFlow
2. Click “Select Course Directory”
3. Browse to your video course folder
4. The app scans and displays all videos

Watching Videos

1. Double-click any video to open it in your default player
2. After watching, mark it as watched
3. Assign a difficulty tag (Easy/Medium/Hard/Custom)

Filtering Videos

Use the tag filter dropdown to show:

• All videos
• Only Easy
• Only Medium
• Only Hard
• Only Custom tags
• Only unwatched

Checking Progress

Look at the status bar to see:

• Total course time
• Remaining time
• Percentage complete

Use Cases

1. Online Course Platforms

Taking courses from Udemy, Coursera, or YouTube? Download the videos and organize them in OpenCourseFlow. Track which ones you’ve finished.

2. Programming Tutorials

Organize programming video tutorials by difficulty. Start with “Easy” videos to build confidence, then tackle “Hard” content.

3. Language Learning

Create tags for different levels (A1, A2, B1, etc.) and track progress through your language course.

4. Certification Prep

Organize videos by exam topic. See exactly how much content you have left to cover before your certification exam.

5. Skill Development

Group videos by skill. Tag and filter to create a personalized learning path.

Why This Project is Useful

OpenCourseFlow solves real problems:

• No More Guessing: Always know exactly what you’ve watched
• Organized Learning: Tags and filters help you focus
• Time Awareness: See exactly how long courses take
• Progress Motivation: Watch that remaining time decrease!
• Offline-First: Works completely offline, no internet needed
• Your Data, Your Control: JSON format is portable and backup-friendly

Troubleshooting

Conclusion

OpenCourseFlow is a simple but powerful tool for anyone taking video courses. Whether you’re learning to code, studying a new language, or preparing for certifications, it helps you stay organized and track your progress.

Download your courses, fire up OpenCourseFlow, and start making real progress through your learning journey!

Source Code

View and contribute to the project: OpenCourseFlow on GitLab

Happy learning!