By using this script, you can efficiently verify class availability on a school's scheduling website based on a list of classes extracted from a PDF document that lists upper level course electives.
The task involves two main steps:
- Download and Parse the PDF: Extract class names from the provided PDF file. Although extracting data from a PDF isn’t scraping, it is crucial for preparing the data for the next step.
- Scrape the UGA Scheduling Website: Check if the extracted classes are listed on the UGA scheduling website. This involves sending HTTP requests to the website, parsing the HTML response, and searching for the class names.
HTTP Requests: Use the requests library to fetch the PDF file and the scheduling webpage. Text Extraction: Utilize PyPDF2 (or pdfplumber) to extract class names from the PDF. HTML Parsing: Employ BeautifulSoup to navigate and search the HTML content of the scheduling website.
requests: To handle HTTP requests and retrieve data from the web. BeautifulSoup: For parsing HTML and extracting relevant information. PyPDF2 or pdfplumber: To extract text from PDF files. Selenium (Optional): For handling complex web interactions involving JavaScript or dynamic content.
This script allows you to automate the process of checking class availability, saving you time and ensuring you have the most up-to-date information directly from the source.