Get Source Code of Webpage

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About Get Source Code of Webpage

What is Webpage Source Code?

A webpage’s source code consists of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code that the browser interprets to display the page visually. Viewing the source code can help in understanding the structure, identifying elements, and debugging issues.

1. Viewing Source Code Using a Web Browser (Manual Methods)

Most modern web browsers provide built-in tools to view and analyze the source code of a webpage. Here's how you can do it:

A. View Page Source (Static HTML)

• Steps:
  1. Open the webpage you want to analyze in a web browser.
  2. Right-click anywhere on the page (except images) and select "View Page Source" (or similar options like "Show Source" in some browsers).
  3. A new tab will open, displaying the raw HTML source code.
  4. You can also use the shortcut:
     • Ctrl + U (Windows/Linux)
     • Cmd + Option + U (Mac)

B. Inspect Element (Live View and Debugging)

• Steps:
  1. Right-click on an element you want to inspect and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element".
  2. The browser's Developer Tools will open, showing the DOM structure, CSS styles, and JavaScript events.
  3. Navigate through the "Elements" tab to view and even modify elements temporarily.

Supported Browsers and Tools:

• Google Chrome: Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I to open DevTools.
• Mozilla Firefox: Press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I to open Developer Tools.
• Microsoft Edge: Use F12 for DevTools.
• Safari (Mac): Enable developer mode from settings and use Cmd + Option + I.

2. Using Python to Get Source Code (Automated Methods)

For programmers or automation needs, Python provides powerful libraries to fetch and analyze webpage source code.

A. Using requests Library

You can use the requests module to retrieve the source code:

python

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import requests

 

# URL of the target webpage

url = "https://example.com"

 

# Send GET request

response = requests.get(url)

 

# Print the HTML source

print(response.text)

B. Using BeautifulSoup for Parsing HTML

If you want to parse the HTML to extract specific elements, use BeautifulSoup:

python

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from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

 

# Fetch webpage

html = response.text

 

# Parse HTML content

soup = BeautifulSoup(html, "html.parser")

 

# Print formatted HTML

print(soup.prettify())

 

# Find all links

for link in soup.find_all("a"):

    print(link.get("href"))

C. Using selenium for JavaScript-heavy Sites

For websites that load content dynamically via JavaScript, you need selenium to render the page:

python

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from selenium import webdriver

 

# Set up WebDriver (Chrome)

driver = webdriver.Chrome()

 

# Load the webpage

driver.get("https://example.com")

 

# Get the page source

html_source = driver.page_source

print(html_source)

 

# Close browser

driver.quit()

3. Using Command-Line Tools to Fetch Source Code

You can also retrieve a webpage's source code using command-line tools such as curl or wget.

A. Using cURL

Fetch and save the HTML content using:

sh

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curl -o webpage.html https://example.com

To display it in the terminal:

sh

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curl https://example.com

B. Using Wget

Download the entire webpage source:

sh

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wget -O saved_page.html https://example.com

4. Viewing Source Code Using Browser Console (JavaScript Methods)

If you want to get the page source directly from the browser console, use the following commands:

A. Get Entire HTML Source:

javascript

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console.log(document.documentElement.outerHTML);

B. Extract Specific Elements:

To get specific elements like headings or links, use:

javascript

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console.log(document.querySelectorAll('a'));

C. Save Page Source to Clipboard:

javascript

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copy(document.documentElement.outerHTML);

5. Online Tools to View Webpage Source Code

There are several online services that allow you to fetch and analyze the source code of a website without needing any software installation. Some popular options include:

• View Page Source – Input the URL and get formatted HTML.
• Web Sniffer – Inspect HTTP headers and response bodies.
• Code Beautify – Beautify and format HTML code.

6. Saving Webpage Source Code Locally

If you want to download a copy of a webpage's source code for offline viewing:

A. Save from Browser:

1. Open the webpage.
2. Right-click > Select "Save As".
3. Choose "Webpage, Complete" to download all assets (images, CSS, etc.).

B. Using wget for Full Page Download:

sh

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wget --mirror --convert-links --adjust-extension --page-requisites --no-parent https://example.com

7. Extracting CSS and JavaScript Files

To view CSS or JavaScript files used by a webpage:

1. Open the browser DevTools (F12).
2. Go to the "Network" tab and reload the page.
3. Look for .css and .js files in the list and click to open.

Alternatively, manually locate them within the HTML <link> and <script> tags.

8. Ethical Considerations

When retrieving webpage source code, ensure you comply with the website’s terms of service and respect privacy guidelines. Some sites have protections like:

• Robots.txt restrictions
• Anti-scraping policies
• CAPTCHA challenges

Conclusion

There are multiple ways to view and analyze the source code of a webpage, whether manually using a browser or programmatically with tools like Python or cURL. The method you choose depends on your goals, whether it's simple inspection, data extraction, or automation.

Would you like a specific guide on any of these methods?