From: David Corbin <dcorbin@...>
Date: 2003-10-14T08:36:00+09:00
Subject: Re: XPath and HTML

On Monday 13 October 2003 07:14, Chad Fowler wrote:
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2003, David Corbin wrote:
>
> # On Sunday 12 October 2003 20:21, Chad Fowler wrote:
> # > On Mon, 13 Oct 2003, David Corbin wrote:
> # >
> # > # On Sunday 12 October 2003 17:36, Chad Fowler wrote:
> # > # > On Mon, 13 Oct 2003, David Corbin wrote:
> # > # >
> # > # > # Is there a library out there that let's me parse HTML and use
> XPath # > # > # expressions against it?  What is it?
> # > # > #
> # > # > # Thanks
> # > # > #
> # > # > #
> # > # >
> # > # > REXML (http://www.germane-software.com/software/rexml/) and
> # > # > HTML Parser2 (http://www.bike-nomad.com/ruby/)
> # > # >
> # > #
> # > # Are you saying you parse it with HTML Parser2, and then use the XPath
> # > support # out of the REXML?
> # > #
> # > Sort of.  I shouldn't have said "HTML Parser2".  The right name seems
> to # > be ruby-htmltools.  It integrates with REXML and allows you to do
> this: # >
> # > parser = HTMLTree::Parser.new(true, true)
> # > parser.feed(file.readlines.join)
> # > tree = parser.tree.html_node.as_rexml_document
> # > tree.elements.to_a('*/table').each do |element|
> # >   # do something with element
> # > end
> # >
> # > Chad
> #
> # And if you get:
> # /usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.6/rexml/child.rb:21:in `initialize': undefined
> # method `add' for #<HTMLTree::Element:0x40331a58> (NameError)
> #         from /usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.6/rexml/comment.rb:23:in
> `initialize' #         from
> /usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.6/html/xpath.rb:50:in `new' #         from
> /usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.6/html/xpath.rb:50:in
> # `as_rexml_document'
> #         from /usr/local/lib/site_ruby/1.6/html/xpath.rb:36:in
> # `as_rexml_document'
> #
> # would you attribute that to a) Bad HTML, b) library version mismatch, or
> c) # something else?
> #
>
>
> Looks like a library mismatch.  I haven't seen this and I can't reproduce
> it.  What was the HTML you were using?
>

Something I'm trying to screen-scrape from an on-line dictionary.  It's not 
really well formed.  If you like, I'll send it to you off-line.

It's hard to be sure, but it looks like Rexml is either 2.5.6 or  2.7.1 (I'm 
leaning toward the latter)  The htmltools are the latest found on the site 
you cited.

> Chad

-- 
David Corbin <dcorbin@machturtle.com>