Semalt: How To Scrape A Web Page Using Google Chrome Extension

by Semalt Writer

A screen scraper is a script that reads sites and extracts useful information from the web.

Screen scraping is the ultimate solution to getting real data from websites and web pages to Microsoft Excel.

Google Chrome Extension Scraper is a powerful screen scraping tool that works on both Windows and Mac OS.

Why Google Chrome Extension Scraper?

Google Chrome extension scraper is a forceful screen scraping tool going for free on Chrome Web Store. This scraping tool is installed in Chrome browser as a plugin.

The plugin allows bloggers and marketers to retrieve data from web pages by right-clicking on an element. ''Scrape Similar'' should pop up on your screen if you right-click an element.

Introduction to XPaths

XPath is a programming language used to find crucial information in XML structures. The HTML file is an excellent example of an XML structure. XPath is commonly used to select targeted nodes.

In this context, XPaths will be used to determine the text to be extracted on a web page. XPaths will also help identify party names and phone numbers of the Swedish MPs.

Using Google Chrome's scraper to access address details of 349 Swedish MPs

With Chrome's Scraper, extracting information from a web page is not only simple but also fantastic. You'll enjoy the process and the technique itself.

The website lists all Swedish members and their addresses. To get started, right click on any MP and select "Scrape Similar." You should sight the following display on your screen.

Step by step guide on how to screen scrape web page

If you right-click on one MP and select "Inspect element," an alphabetical list will be created under ""grid_6 alpha omega search result container clist" class.

Two steps will be used to scrape this web page. Step one will involve selecting tags comprising of MPs data with an XPath.

Step two will involve picking specific parts of data such as party names, names, and phone number and organize the data in columns.

Step 1

Dig deeper into the HTML structure and keep the elements intact. Point the tags to identify the number of tags corresponding with elements on your structure.

Identify the last tag comprising of the targeted data. Run an XPath test on the structure by clicking "Scrape."

A list comprising of 349 rows will be displayed on your screen. 349 represent the total number of the Swedish MPs.

Step 2

Split the presented data into columns. Inspect the HTML code on the webpage you have been using. In this case, the pieces to be extracted are at this moment highlighted in yellow.

Insert the XPaths in the columns field created and click "Scrape" to run the plugin.

If you have basic knowledge of XPaths, understanding programming won't be a hectic task for you. The above-highlighted steps guide you on how to screen scrape web page.

If you are working on scraping multiple web pages, you need to have programming skills.