BeautifulSoup / Python - convert HTML table to CSV and get href for one column

Question

I grab the HTML table with this code:

import csv
import urllib2
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

with open('listing.csv', 'wb') as f:
    writer = csv.writer(f)
    for i in range(39):
        url = "file:///C:/projects/HTML/Export.htm".format(i)
        u = urllib2.urlopen(url)
        try:
            html = u.read()
        finally:
            u.close()
        soup=BeautifulSoup(html)
        for tr in soup.find_all('tr')[2:]:
            tds = tr.find_all('td')
            row = [elem.text.encode('utf-8') for elem in tds]
            writer.writerow(row)

Everything works fine, but I'm trying to grab the url of column 9 HREF. It currently gives me a txt value, but not a URL.

Also, do I have two tables in my HTML, anyway, to skip the first table and just create the csv file using the second table?

Any help is greatly appreciated as I am new to Python and need this for a project. I automate the daily conversion.

Many thanks!

Answer 1

href a 8th td:

import csv
import urllib2
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

records = []
for index in range(39):
    url = get_url(index)  # where is the formatting in your example happening?
    response = urllib2.urlopen(url)
    try:
        html = response.read()
    except Exception:
        raise
    else:
        my_parse(html)
    finally:
        try:
            response.close()
        except (UnboundLocalError, NameError):
            raise UnboundLocalError

def my_parse(html):
    soup = BeautifulSoup(html)
    table2 = soup.find_all('table')[1]
    for tr in table2.find_all('tr')[2:]:
        tds = tr.find_all('td')
        url = tds[8].a.get('href')
        records.append([elem.text.encode('utf-8') for elem in tds])
        # perhaps you want to update one of the elements of this last
        # record with the found url now?

# It more efficient to write only once
with open('listing.csv', 'wb') as f:
    writer = csv.writer(f)
    writer.writerows(records)

get_url , , , , . . , .

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Answer 2

:

import csv
import urllib2
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

#Grab second table from HTML
def my_parse(html):
    soup = BeautifulSoup(html)
    table2 = soup.find_all('table')[1]
    for tr in table2.find_all('tr')[2:]:
        tds = tr.find_all('td')
        url = tds[8].a.get('href')
    tds[8].a.replaceWith(url)
        records.append([elem.text.encode('utf-8') for elem in tds])

records = []
#Read HTML file into memory
for index in range(39):
    url = "file:///C:/projects/HTML/Export.htm".format(index)
    response = urllib2.urlopen(url)
    try:
        html = response.read()
    except Exception:
        raise
    else:
        my_parse(html)
    finally:
        try:
            response.close()
        except (UnboundLocalError, NameError):
            raise UnboundLocalError

#Writing CSV file
with open('listing.csv', 'wb') as f:
    writer = csv.writer(f)
    writer.writerows(records)

!!!!!