How to Use PyWebCopy: A Comprehensive Guide

Sep 10, 2021 | Programming

Welcome to the world of offline browsing with PyWebCopy, a powerful tool for copying full or partial websites directly onto your hard disk for offline viewing. Imagine having the entire content of a website, complete with all its resources, accessible at your fingertips without needing an internet connection. In this guide, we will take you through the installation, basic usages, and troubleshooting tips to ensure a smooth experience using PyWebCopy.

What is PyWebCopy?

PyWebCopy is a program designed to scan websites and download their contents locally. It intelligently remaps links to various resources, including style sheets, images, and internal pages, to ensure an immersive offline experience. Think of it as a digital librarian that meticulously shelves every piece of information from your favorite websites right into your local library.

What can PyWebCopy Do?

PyWebCopy is a versatile tool that can:

  • Examine the HTML structure of webpages.
  • Download all linked resources such as images, videos, and files.
  • Crawl entire websites to create an accurate offline replica.

What can PyWebCopy Not Do?

While PyWebCopy is powerful, it has some limitations:

  • It does not include JavaScript parsing, which may hinder downloading content from heavily scripted sites.
  • Raw source code for dynamic sites will not be downloaded, only what the server returns.

Installation

Installing PyWebCopy is a breeze. Follow these simple steps:

$ pip install pywebcopy

After installation, verify it by checking the version:

import pywebcopy
print(pywebcopy.__version__)  # Should display 7.x.x or newer

Basic Usage

Now that you have installed PyWebCopy, let’s dive into some basic usages.

Saving a Single Page

If you wish to save a single webpage, simply execute the following:

from pywebcopy import save_webpage
save_webpage(
    url='https://httpbin.org',
    project_folder='E:/savedpages',
    project_name='my_site',
    bypass_robots=True,
    debug=True,
    open_in_browser=True,
    delay=None,
    threaded=False,
)

Saving an Entire Website

To clone an entire website, use the command below but proceed with caution as it may overload the target server:

from pywebcopy import save_website
save_website(
    url='https://httpbin.org',
    project_folder='E:/savedpages',
    project_name='my_site',
    bypass_robots=True,
    debug=True,
    open_in_browser=True,
    delay=None,
    threaded=False,
)

Running Tests

To ensure everything is functioning properly, you can run tests directly from the root directory of the PyWebCopy package:

$ python -m pywebcopy --tests

Command Line Interface

PyWebCopy comes with a user-friendly command-line interface (CLI) that allows you to perform tasks quickly. Here’s a quick rundown of how to access it:

$ python -m pywebcopy --help

To execute a command, the usage is as follows:

pywebcopy --url=URL --location=LOCATION --name=NAME [other options]

Troubleshooting

If you run into any issues while using PyWebCopy, here are some troubleshooting tips:

  • Ensure that you have the latest version installed by checking pywebcopy.__version__.
  • Double-check the URL you are trying to save, ensuring that it is correct and accessible.
  • If links are not remapped correctly, verify that the site allows crawling; consider using the bypass_robots option.
  • For performance issues, consider adjusting the delay and threaded options to optimize downloading.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Conclusion

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

Now that you are armed with this knowledge, grab your digital librarian and start downloading your favorite websites to enjoy offline!

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