Introduction
In today’s digital world, web scraping is a valuable tool for data collection and analysis. SAW (Scrape Any Website) is a user-friendly Windows application designed to simplify this process. I recently conducted a bug hunt on SAW, and in this blog post, I’ll share my findings, highlighting areas for improvement to enhance its performance and usability.
Key Findings
Unresponsive Dashboard Links
One major issue is the unclickable website link on the dashboard. A clickable link is a basic yet crucial feature that enhances user navigation and experience.
Duplicate Functionality Buttons
The dashboard has duplicate buttons that perform the same function, which can be confusing for users. This redundancy needs to be addressed for a more streamlined interface.Scrape Folder Path Configuration
Users are unable to change the scrape folder path through the settings menu. This restriction limits the flexibility of managing saved data, which is critical for efficient data handling.Input Validation Issues
The input field for request time currently accepts all characters, which can lead to invalid input and potential application crashes. It’s important to implement validation to accept only numerical values.Error Handling for HTTP Responses
The application incorrectly saves both 2xx and 4xx responses as errors under urls_with_error, which can mislead users into thinking successful requests are errors.Foreground Execution of Commands
Scraping other listed URLs opens CMD and the website too quickly in the foreground, which can disrupt the user’s workflow. This process should ideally run in the background.
Suggested Improvements
Clickable Links: Ensure all links on the dashboard are clickable to enhance navigation.
Remove Redundant Buttons: Review and streamline the dashboard to eliminate any redundant buttons.
Flexible Settings: Allow users to change the scrape folder path through the settings for better data management.
Input Validation: Implement proper input validation for the request time field to accept only numerical values.
Error Handling: Update the error handling mechanism to correctly categorize HTTP responses.
Background Execution: Modify the command execution process to run in the background, reducing disruptions.
Conclusion
While SAW offers valuable functionalities for web scraping, there are several areas that require improvement to ensure a seamless user experience. Addressing these bugs and issues will make SAW more efficient and user-friendly, further enhancing its utility for data scraping tasks.
For more information and to download the application, visit Scrape Any Website from the Windows Store.
To view the detailed bug report, click here
ScrapeAnyWebsite windows download link
