A simple Python script for the AUR. Uses the AUR API.

pyarchaur.py

#!/usr/bin/python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
#
# pyarchaur.py

import requests
import time
import datetime
import argparse

class APIClient:
    def __init__(self):
        ''' Defines the AUR and the AUR API URLs. '''
        self.aur_url = "https://aur.archlinux.org"
        self.aur_api_url = "{}/rpc.php".format(self.aur_url)

    def api_request(self, rqtype, pkgname):
        '''
        Sends a request to the AUR API.
        Returns response as JSON.
        '''
        parameters = {'type': rqtype, 'arg': pkgname}
        try:
            api_response = requests.get(self.aur_api_url, params=parameters,
                                        headers={"Accept": "application/json"})
            return api_response.json()
        except Exception as err:
            print("Failed to look up the requested package on the AUR.")
            raise SystemExit(err)

    def convert_date(self, date):
        '''
        Converts the date returned by the AUR API.
        Returns a date string formatted according to the locale's representation.
        '''
        try:
            return datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(int(date)).strftime('%a %d %b %Y, %H:%M:%S')
        except ValueError:
            print("Could not convert the date from the AUR API response.")

    def convert_category(self, id):
        '''
        Converts the category ID returned by the AUR API.
        Returns the category name.
        '''
        category_dict = {1: 'None', 2: 'daemons', 3: 'devel', 4: 'editors', 5: 'emulators',
                         6: 'games', 7: 'gnome', 8: 'i18n', 9: 'kde', 10: 'lib',
                         11: 'modules', 12: 'multimedia', 13: 'networking', 14: 'office',
                         15: 'science', 16: 'system', 17: 'x11', 18: 'xfce', 19: 'kernels',
                         20: 'fonts'}
        try:
            return category_dict[id]
        except:
            print("Category ID cannot be converted.")

    def local_timezone(self):
        ''' Returns the name of the local timezone. '''
        if time.localtime().tm_isdst == 0: # DST not in effect
            return time.tzname[0]
        else:
            return time.tzname[1]

    def pkg_info(self, rqtype, pkgname):
        ''' Prints information for the search. '''
        # Retrieve API data for the package
        api_response = self.api_request(rqtype, pkgname)
        api_resultcount = api_response['resultcount'] # either 0 or >= 1
        if not api_resultcount:
            print("No package matching this name was found on the AUR.")
            return 1
        api_results = api_response['results']
        if not isinstance(api_results, list):
            api_results = [api_results,]
        # Get local timezone
        local_tz = self.local_timezone()
        # Print info for results
        for api_result in api_results:
            # Format dates
            if api_result['OutOfDate'] != 0:
                ood_date = self.convert_date(api_result['OutOfDate'])
                status = "Out of Date (flagged on {} {})".format(ood_date, local_tz)
            else:
                status = "Up-to-date"
            lastmodified = "{} {}".format(self.convert_date(api_result['LastModified']), local_tz)
            submitted = "{} {}".format(self.convert_date(api_result['FirstSubmitted']), local_tz)
            # Format category
            category = self.convert_category(int(api_result['CategoryID']))
            # Format URLs
            pkg_project_url = api_result['URL'].replace('\\', '')
            pkg_aur_url = "{}/packages/{}/".format(self.aur_url, api_result['Name'])
            pkg_dl_url = "{}{}".format(self.aur_url, api_result['URLPath'].replace("\\", ""))
            # Print info
            print("Name          : {0}\n" \
                  "Version       : {1}\n" \
                  "Status        : {2}\n" \
                  "Project Page  : {3}\n" \
                  "Description   : {4}\n" \
                  "Category      : {5}\n" \
                  "License       : {6}\n" \
                  "Votes         : {7}\n" \
                  "Maintainer    : {8}\n" \
                  "Submitted     : {9}\n" \
                  "Last Modified : {10}\n" \
                  "AUR Page      : {11}\n" \
                  "DL URL        : {12}\n".format(api_result['Name'], api_result['Version'],
                                          status, api_result['URL'],
                                          api_result['Description'], category,
                                          api_result['License'], api_result['NumVotes'],
                                          api_result['Maintainer'], submitted,
                                          lastmodified, pkg_aur_url, pkg_dl_url))
        if rqtype == 'search':
            print("Search Result : {} package(s)".format(api_resultcount))

if __name__ == "__main__":
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(prog="pyarchaur.py")
    parser.add_argument("request", nargs=1, choices=("search", "info"), default="info",
                        help="Request type (search, info) for the given package name.")
    parser.add_argument("package", help="Name of the package to look for on the AUR.")
    args = parser.parse_args()
    pkgname = args.package
    api_query = APIClient()
    if args.request == ['search']:
        api_query.pkg_info('search', pkgname)
    else:
        api_query.pkg_info('info', pkgname)