📅 2024-08-28 — Session: Optimized Web Scraping and Project Structuring
🕒 20:15–20:50
🏷️ Labels: Web Scraping, Directory Structure, Scrapy, Postgresql, Debugging
📂 Project: Dev
⭐ Priority: MEDIUM
Session Goal
The session aimed to optimize web scraping processes for time-series data collection and to plan and implement a structured directory for a web scraping project.
Key Activities
- Web Scraping Optimization: Discussed strategies for enhancing web scraping efficiency, focusing on time-series data from specific stores. This included filtering, storage, automation, and post-processing techniques.
- Directory Structure Planning: Proposed a directory structure for the ‘preciosclaros’ project, ensuring integration with time-series databases like TimescaleDB and InfluxDB.
- Project Structuring: Outlined a reorganized directory structure for a crawler project to improve clarity and scalability, particularly with PostgreSQL integration.
- Database Management: Developed SQL scripts for PostgreSQL database initialization, migration, and backup using cron jobs.
- Code Review and Testing: Created a checklist for reviewing crawler code compatibility with the new directory structure and tested the functionality of the Scrapy crawler.
- Troubleshooting: Addressed issues related to Scrapy project recognition and module import errors, providing solutions for configuration and environment adjustments.
- Debugging: Utilized ipdb for debugging Scrapy spiders, focusing on variable examination and execution flow.
Achievements
- Established a comprehensive directory structure and database management plan.
- Enhanced web scraping processes with optimized strategies.
- Successfully tested and debugged the Scrapy crawler.
Pending Tasks
- Finalize the file path confirmation for accurate data loading.
- Continue refining the directory structure and database integration.