Скачать или смотреть How to Convert a Website to PDF Using Cheerio and FS

Learn how to use node.js libraries Cheerio and FS to convert a website into a PDF document, addressing common issues and providing solutions.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/65813725/ asked by the user 'berry_malicious' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/15046197/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/65957373/ provided by the user 'jfriend00' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/816620/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: How to convert a website to pdf with cheerio and fs

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
How to Convert a Website to PDF Using Cheerio and FS

Converting a website into a PDF can seem like a straightforward task, but it can become complex if you're not equipped with the right tools. If you’re using Cheerio and FS and find that you're only getting the code instead of the actual content from the website, you’re not alone. Many developers attempt this process only to encounter the challenge of capturing images and other visual elements properly. In this guide, we will explore the issues surrounding this and provide a helpful guide to achieve your goal.

Understanding the Problem

You may have tried to use the following function to convert a webpage into PDF:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Although the code attempts to request the HTML and convert it into a PDF, Cheerio alone cannot render the visual content naturally found on web pages, like images or styles. Instead, it simply parses the HTML. As a result, when you generate the PDF, you receive the HTML code rather than the rendered visuals you might expect.

The Limitation of Cheerio

What Cheerio Can Do

Parse HTML: Cheerio can manipulate and traverse the HTML document with a jQuery-like syntax.

Interact with the Document Object Model (DOM): It can select and modify elements, but it does not render or display them.

What Cheerio Cannot Do

Take Screenshots: Cheerio does not have the capability to visually render web pages or take screenshots of them.

A Better Alternative: Using Puppeteer

To overcome the limitations of Cheerio, consider using Puppeteer. Puppeteer is a powerful Node.js library that provides a high-level API over the Chrome DevTools Protocol, allowing you to control headless Chrome for tasks such as:

Taking Screenshots: Capture the visual representation of web pages.

Generating PDFs: Convert entire rendered pages into PDF format with actual styling and images.

Sample Code Using Puppeteer

If you're willing to switch to Puppeteer, here's how you can do it:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Explanation of the Code

Launching the Browser: This code starts a headless version of Chrome.

Navigating to the Page: The goto function loads the specified webpage.

Creating the PDF: Finally, the pdf function generates a PDF from the rendered version of the page.

Conclusion

While Cheerio is a fantastic tool for parsing and manipulating HTML, it does not suffice when you need to generate PDFs that fully represent a webpage. Puppeteer fills this gap by allowing you to capture fully rendered content, including images, styles, and layouts. So, if you find yourself wanting to create a PDF from a webpage, consider using Puppeteer instead of relying solely on Cheerio and FS.

With the right tools and understanding of their capabilities, converting a website into a PDF can become a straightforward task. Don’t hesitate to experiment and choose the one that works best for your needs!