Exploring Websites Using Javascripts or Online Forms

I am currently facing a challenge with my webcrawler application. It has been successfully crawling most common and simple sites, but I am now dealing with websites where the HTML documents are dynamically generated through forms or JavaScripts. Even though these sites do not display the actual HTML code when viewed in browsers like IE or Firefox, I believe they can still be crawled. They seem to use what is known as "Web Forms" with textboxes, checkboxes, etc., which I am not very familiar with as it relates to web development.

Has anyone else encountered this issue and successfully navigated it? Are there any recommended books or articles that specifically address crawling these more advanced types of websites?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

c#javascriptwindowswebforms

Answer №1

Here are two distinct challenges to consider.

Form Submission

In general, web crawlers do not interact with forms.

While it may be acceptable to create a script that submits predefined or somewhat random data for a specific website (especially when testing automated processes on your own site), standard crawlers should avoid meddling with forms.

If you need guidance on submitting form data, refer to the specifications provided at http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/interact/forms.html#h-17.13. You might also find a C# library that simplifies this process.

JavaScript Challenges

Navigating JavaScript can be quite complex.

There are three common methods to address this issue:

  1. Developing a crawler that mimics the JS functionality of particular websites of interest.
  2. Implementing automation using a web browser.
  3. Utilizing tools like Rhino in combination with env.js.

Answer №2

I stumbled upon an intriguing article about the deep web, and it really grabbed my attention. I believe this sheds light on the questions I had earlier.

This is truly fascinating.

Answer №3

AbotX is equipped to manage javascript by default. However, it does come at a cost.

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