WebScraper
What is it?
The WebScraper tool arguments an agent, allowing that agent to extract and process information from websites.
When would I use it?
Use this node when you want to:
- Enable your agents to access and extract information from web pages
- Gather data from online sources for analysis
- Incorporate web content into your AI workflows
- Research information available on public websites
- Monitor web content for specific information
How to use it
Basic Setup
- Add the WebScraper tool to your worksflow
- Connect the "tool" output to an agent or other node that can utilize tools
Parameters
- off_prompt: Whether to run web scraping operations outside the main prompt (default is False)
Outputs
- tool: The configured web scraper tool that can be used by other nodes
Example
Imagine you want to create an agent that can research information from websites:
- Add a WebScraper to your workflow
- Set the "name" parameter to "WebResearcher"
- Set "off_prompt" to True for more efficient processing
- Connect the "tool" output to an Agent's "tools" input
- Now your agent can scrape and analyze web content when prompted
Important Notes
- The tool respects website terms of service and robots.txt files
- Performance may vary depending on the structure and complexity of websites
- Some websites may block automated scraping attempts
- The tool works best with text-based content rather than dynamic JavaScript-heavy sites
- Consider rate limiting and ethical use to avoid overloading websites
Common Issues
- Access Denied: Some websites actively block web scrapers
- Content Not Found: Dynamic content loaded via JavaScript might not be accessible
- Rate Limiting: Excessive requests may trigger rate limiting from websites
- Changing Layouts: Website structure changes can affect scraping reliability
- Processing Large Pages: Very large web pages may take longer to process or exceed token limits