ygalvao/py-easy-scrape

Useful wrappings to Selenium-based web scrapers.

Py-Easy-Scrape

Description

A useful package for web scraping with Selenium.

This package provides useful wrapping of some of the more cumbersome aspects of using Selenium directly, such as initializing the WebDriver, scrolling, and handling elements.

Also, it simplifies some common tasks in web scraper bots, such as asking the user to manually input some data when necessary and checking if some file exists in the user's computer.

Moreover, it kind of does the same with Logging: Py Easy Scrape comes with built-in logging, which can be a significant advantage for quickly deploying, debugging, and monitoring your web scraping project!

Installation

pip install py-easy-scrape

Requirements

• Python 3.7 or higher
• Selenium, along with GeckoDriver (Firefox)

Usage

Py-Easy-Scrape has a built-in logging system that, so far, needs a directory for all the logs that are going to be generated. Hence, in your project directory, create a new directory called 'logs':

mkdir logs

Then, import the package:

import pyeasyscrape as pes

Get WebDriver

driver = pes.get_webdriver(headless=True)

This will return a headless instance of webdriver.Firefox (GeckoDriver).

Get Element

element = pes.get_element(driver, value="element_xpath")

This will return the web element found using the specified driver and value. By default, this function uses 'XPATH' as the method of searching. However, you can change this by providing 'ID' or 'LINK_TEXT' as the 'by' argument.

Please be aware that the method of searching ('XPATH', 'ID', or 'LINK_TEXT') highly depends on the webpage structure. Therefore, it is essential to inspect the webpage beforehand.

Also, please remember to replace "element_xpath" with the actual Xpath, ID, or link text of the element you want to find.

Scroll to Element

pes.scroll_to(driver, element)

This will use JavaScript to scroll the view of the given webdriver to the specified web element.

Ask for Data

required_data = ("username", "password")
file_name_no_extension = "user_credentials"
pes.ask_for_data(required_data, file_name_no_extension)

This will return a dictionary containing the collected data and will create a JSON configuration (.conf) file.

Check File

pes.check_file("path_to_file")

This will return either True or False based on file existence

Please note that the above code snippets are basic examples of how to use those functions. Depending on the exact specifications of your use case, additional setup may be necessary (e.g. logging into a website before trying to scroll to an element).

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

License

MIT