Hey everyone, I am building an inventory for a customer. They want accurate pricing added to a database. Is it possible to use httpClient() to scrape a price from a website?
This is an example.
I want to use this website to get the price of the fuse.
Can someone give an example of how this could be accomplished? What response method do I need to use in order to accomplish this?
Maybe, but not likely. Most major vendor websites are javascript-driven dynamic sites, or have lots of dynamic substitutions within the pages that carry the information of interest. Very difficult to scrape such sites. (Aside from the actual parsing tasks--non-trivial.)
So would it be best to just have a link on screen for them to follow in order to update the price manually?
You should contact Automation Direct to ask if they have a price-lookup web API.
FWIW, the way that particular website is developed they naturally have a REST API backing things:
E.G. a GET request to https://www.automationdirect.com/rest/gridCompare/solr/JDL12 returns this JSON:
{
"response":
{
"docs":
[
{
"Agency_Approvals_ms":
[
"UL Listed",
"CE",
"CSA"
],
"Amperage_Rating_mf":
[
12.0
],
"Amperage_Rating_ms":
[
"12A"
],
"Application_ta":
[
"Feeder/branch protection applications"
],
"Body_Type_ms":
[
"Ferrule"
],
"Brand_Name_ms":
[
"Edison"
],
"Current_M_Limiting_ms":
[
"Yes"
],
"Curve_Characteristics_ms":
[
"Time-delay"
],
"Fuse_Class_ms":
[
"Class J"
],
"Interrupting_Rating_mf":
[
200.0
],
"Interrupting_Rating_ms":
[
"200kA @ 600VAC"
],
"Item_Type_ms":
[
"Fuse"
],
"Made_in_China_s": "No",
"Made_in_USA_s": "No",
"Quantity_per_Pack_ta":
[
"10"
],
"Series_ms":
[
"JDL"
],
"Size_mf":
[
13.0
],
"Size_ms":
[
"13/16x2-1/4in"
],
"Voltage_Rating_mf":
[
600.0
],
"Voltage_Rating_ms":
[
"600 VAC"
],
"_version_": 1777683988331102209,
"alt_keywords": "",
"download_flg": 0,
"downloadurl": "",
"facet_list":
[
"Item_Type_ms:10",
"Brand_Name_ms:11",
"Amperage_Rating_ms:110",
"Voltage_Rating_ms:120",
"Series_ms:12",
"Size_ms:400",
"Fuse_Class_ms:30",
"Curve_Characteristics_ms:190",
"Body_Type_ms:390",
"Current_M_Limiting_ms:140",
"Interrupting_Rating_ms:125"
],
"image_file_name": "jdl12.jpg",
"item_attribute": "Fuse",
"item_code": "JDL12",
"item_filter": "Fuse",
"item_type": "Fuse: 10/pk, Class J, 12A (PN# JDL12)",
"leadtime_cd": 0,
"license_type": 0,
"ltl_flg": 0,
"made_in_country": "MEXICO",
"main_category_id": "1972172",
"on_sale_flg": 0,
"orderable_flg": 1,
"p1_category": "circuit protection / fuses / disconnects",
"p1_node_id": 548783,
"parent_nodeid":
[
1972172,
548783,
1972170
],
"price": 248.0,
"primary_desc": "Edison fuse, JDL series, Class J, current-limiting, time-delay, 12A, 600 VAC, ferrule. Package of 10. Feeder/branch protection applications.",
"prod_status": 0,
"prod_type": 1,
"production_time": -1,
"rating_enabled": 1,
"seq_1972170_s": "000006/000027",
"seq_1972172_s": "000027",
"seq_548783_s": "000006/000006/000027",
"shipping_weight": 0.98,
"spec_url": "/static/specs/efusejdl.pdf",
"stock_loc_zip": "30040",
"tech_attributes":
[
"Brand: Edison",
"Item: Fuse",
"Series: JDL",
"Fuse Class: Class J",
"Current-Limiting: Yes",
"Curve Characteristics: Time-delay",
"Amperage Rating: 12A",
"Voltage Rating: 600 VAC",
"Body Type: Ferrule",
"Size: 13/16x2-1/4in or 20.6x57.2mm",
"Quantity per Pack: 10",
"Application: Feeder/branch protection applications"
],
"timestamp": 1695331158926,
"treepath":
[
"/catalog/circuit_protection_-z-_fuses_-z-_disconnects/fuses/current_limiting_class_j_fuses/jdl12"
],
"unit_of_measure": "EA",
"url_fullpath": "/catalog/circuit_protection_-z-_fuses_-z-_disconnects/fuses/current_limiting_class_j_fuses/jdl12",
"url_fullpath_index": "circuit protection / fuses / disconnects > fuses > current limiting class j fuses > jdl12",
"viewable_flg": 1,
"warranty": "12 months",
"warranty_cd": 0
}
],
"numFound": 1,
"numFoundExact": true,
"start": 0
},
"responseHeader":
{
"QTime": 0,
"params":
{
"q": "item_code:JDL12",
"wt": "json"
},
"status": 0
}
}
However, blindly machine scraping a publicly accessible API is a good way to get yourself blacklisted by any network operator who's paying attention, so the much better thing to do from a corporate and personal liability standpoint is to work with the vendor to use an API officially. Web scraping is officially legal (in the US, as of this writing, I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice) but can still be, in short, considered a "dick move"; thus should not be undertaken lightly and can quickly balloon in complexity.