How to Extract Values from Dynamic HTML Content Using Python\'s Selenium and BeautifulSoup?

How to Retrieve Values of Dynamic HTML Content Using Python

In this discussion, we explore a common issue encountered when scraping dynamic HTML content with Python: encountering template placeholders instead of actual values. Specifically, we aim to retrieve the "median" value from a web page that uses handlebars templates.

Initially, using the requests library alone will not yield the desired results as it cannot handle the JavaScript-based rendering of the page. To overcome this, we explore three main solutions:

• Parsing Ajax JSON Directly: This involves intercepting and parsing the JSON response that the page sends to the browser.
• Using an Offline JavaScript Interpreter: Utilize tools like SpiderMonkey or crowbar to process the request and generate the fully rendered HTML.
• Using a Browser Automation Tool: Leverage tools such as Selenium or Watir to automate the browser, allowing it to process JavaScript and render the page.

In our case, we recommend Selenium in conjunction with BeautifulSoup. By using Selenium to get the rendered HTML and BeautifulSoup to parse it, we can access the dynamic HTML content effectively. Below is an example code snippet:

<code class="python">from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
from selenium import webdriver

# Get rendered HTML using Selenium
driver = webdriver.Firefox()
driver.get('http://eve-central.com/home/quicklook.html?typeid=34')
html = driver.page_source

# Parse HTML using BeautifulSoup
soup = BeautifulSoup(html)

# Search for specific tags, e.g., those with a "formatPrice median" class
for tag in soup.find_all('formatPrice median'):
    median_value = tag.text</code>

This approach enables us to navigate and interact with the web page as a real browser would, allowing us to obtain the necessary data, even if it is dynamically loaded.

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