How do I access 'Beautiful Soup' on python 2.7 or 3.4 , console oridle versions.

[Simon Evans]

I am new to Python, but my main interest is to use it to Webscrape. I have downloaded Beautiful Soup, and have followed the instruction in the 'Getting Started with Beautiful Soup' book, but my Python installations keep returning errors, so I can't get started. I have unzipped Beautiful Soup to a folder of the same name on my C drive, in accordance with the first two stepsof page 12 of the aforementioned publication, but proceeding to navigate to the program as in step three, re: "Open up the command line prompt and navigate to the folder where you have unzipped the folder as follows:
cd Beautiful Soup
python setup python install "

This returns on my Python 27 :File "<stdin>",line 1
cd Beautiful Soup
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax
also I get:
to my IDLE Python 2.7 version, same goes for the Python 3.4 installations.
Hope someone can help.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Chris Angelico]

"Open up the command line prompt and navigate to the folder where you have unzipped the folder as follows:
cd Beautiful Soup
python setup python install "

This would be the operating system command line, not Python's
interactive mode. Since you refer to a C drive, I'm going to assume
Windows; you'll want to open up "Command Prompt", or cmd.exe, or
whatever name your version of Windows buries it under. (Microsoft does
not make it particularly easy on you.) Since you have a space in the
name, you'll need quotes:

cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

Then proceed as per the instructions.

ChrisA

 

[Terry Reedy]

This would be the operating system command line, not Python's
interactive mode. Since you refer to a C drive, I'm going to assume
Windows; you'll want to open up "Command Prompt", or cmd.exe, or
whatever name your version of Windows buries it under. (Microsoft does
not make it particularly easy on you.)

On the All Programs / Start menu, look under Accessories. I have it
pinned to my Win 7 task bar.

Since you have a space in the name, you'll need quotes:

cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

Not for Win 7, at least

C:\Users\Terry>cd \program files

C:\Program Files>

 

[Chris Angelico]

Not for Win 7, at least

C:\Users\Terry>cd \program files

C:\Program Files>

Huh, good to know.

Unfortunately, Windows leaves command-line parsing completely up to
the individual command/application, so some will need quotes, some
won't, and some will actually do very different things if you put an
argument in quotes (look at START and FIND). There is a broad
convention that spaces in file names get protected with quotes, though
(for instance, tab completion will put quotes around them), so it's
not complete chaos.

ChrisA

 

[Dave Angel]

There is a broad
convention that spaces in file names get protected with quotes, though
(for instance, tab completion will put quotes around them), so it's
not complete chaos.

"Complete chaos" is a pretty good description, especially since MS
decided to make the default directory paths for many things have
embedded spaces in them. And to change the rules from version to
version of the OS. And it's not just the cmd line that's inconsistent;
some exec function variants liberally parse unquoted names looking for
some file that happens to match the first few 'words" of the string.

I once debugged a customer problem (without actually seeing the
machine), and told tech support to ask him if he had a file in the root
directory called "program.exe." I turned out to be right, and the
customer was sure I must have hacked into his machine.

There was a bug in our code (missing quotes), masked by the liberality
of the function I mentioned, that wasn't visible till such a file existed.

The customer symptom? Our code complained that the linker couldn't be
found.

 

[Simon Evans]

Thank you everyone who replied, for your help. Using the command prompt console, it accepts the first line of code, but doesn't seem to accept the second line. I have altered it a little, but it is not having any of it, I quote my console input and output here, as it can probably explain things better than I :-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd"c:\Beautiful Soup"
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

c:\Beautiful Soup>python setup.py install.
File "setup.py", line 22
print "Unit tests have failed!"
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

c:\Beautiful Soup>python setup.py install"
File "setup.py", line 22
print "Unit tests have failed!"
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

c:\Beautiful Soup>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have tried writing "python setup.py install"
ie putting the statement in inverted commas, but the console still seems toreject it re:-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
c:\Beautiful Soup>"python setup. py install"
'"python setup. py install"' is not recognized as an internal or external comman
d,
operable program or batch file.

c:\Beautiful Soup>

 

[Chris Angelico]

Thank you everyone who replied, for your help. Using the command prompt console, it accepts the first line of code, but doesn't seem to accept the second line. I have altered it a little, but it is not having any of it, I quote my console input and output here, as it can probably explain things better than I :-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you. This sort of transcript does make it very easy to see
what's going on!

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd"c:\Beautiful Soup"
The filename, directory name, or volume label syntax is incorrect.

Command line syntax is always to put a command first (one word), and
then its arguments (zero, one, or more words). You put quotes around a
logical word when it has spaces in it. So, for instance, "foo bar" is
one logical word. In this case, you omitted the space between the
command and its argument, so Windows couldn't handle it. [1]

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

And this is correct; you put quotes around the argument, and execute
the "cd" command with an argument of "c:\Beautiful Soup". It then
works, as is shown by the change of prompt in your subsequent lines.

c:\Beautiful Soup>python setup.py install.
File "setup.py", line 22
print "Unit tests have failed!"
^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

This indicates that you've installed a 3.x version of Python as the
default, and setup.py is expecting a 2.x Python. Do you have multiple
Pythons installed? Try typing this:

c:\Python27\python setup.py install

(That will work only if you have Python 2.7 installed into the default
location.)

Hope that helps!

ChrisA
[1] Windows lets you be a bit sloppy; for instance, cd\ works without
a space between the command and the argument. (AFAIK this is true if
and only if the path name starts with a backslash.) But normally, you
separate command and argument(s) with a space.

 

[Simon Evans]

Dear Chris Angelico,
Yes, you are right, I did install Python 3.4 as well as 2.7. I have removedPython 3.4, and input the code you suggested and it looks like it has installed properly, returning the following code:-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

c:\Beautiful Soup>c:\Python27\python setup.py install
running install
running build
running build_py
creating build
creating build\lib
copying BeautifulSoup.py -> build\lib
copying BeautifulSoupTests.py -> build\lib
running install_lib
copying build\lib\BeautifulSoup.py -> c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages
copying build\lib\BeautifulSoupTests.py -> c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages
byte-compiling c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\BeautifulSoup.py to BeautifulSoup.p
yc
byte-compiling c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\BeautifulSoupTests.py to BeautifulS
oupTests.pyc
running install_egg_info
Writing c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\BeautifulSoup-3.2.1-py2.7.egg-info

c:\Beautiful Soup>

 

[MRAB]

Dear Chris Angelico,
Yes, you are right, I did install Python 3.4 as well as 2.7. I have removed Python 3.4, and input the code you suggested and it looks like it has installed properly, returning the following code:-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

c:\Beautiful Soup>c:\Python27\python setup.py install
running install
running build
running build_py
creating build
creating build\lib
copying BeautifulSoup.py -> build\lib
copying BeautifulSoupTests.py -> build\lib
running install_lib
copying build\lib\BeautifulSoup.py -> c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages
copying build\lib\BeautifulSoupTests.py -> c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages
byte-compiling c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\BeautifulSoup.py to BeautifulSoup.p
yc
byte-compiling c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\BeautifulSoupTests.py to BeautifulS
oupTests.pyc
running install_egg_info
Writing c:\Python27\Lib\site-packages\BeautifulSoup-3.2.1-py2.7.egg-info

c:\Beautiful Soup>

You didn't need to remove Python 3.4.

When you typed:

python setup.py install

it defaulted to Python 3.4, presumably because that was the last one
you installed.

You just needed to be explicit instead:

C:\Python27\python.exe setup.py install

 

[Terry Reedy]

There is no need for a standalone Beautiful Soup directory. See below.

This indicates that you've installed a 3.x version of Python as the
default, and setup.py is expecting a 2.x Python. Do you have multiple
Pythons installed? Try typing this:

c:\Python27\python setup.py install

(That will work only if you have Python 2.7 installed into the default
location.)

Please do not advise people to unnecessarily downgrade to 2.7 ;-).
Simon just needs the proper current version of BeautifulSoup.
BeautifulSoup3 does not work with 3.x.
BeautifulSoup4 works with 2.6+ and 3.x.
http://www.crummy.com/software/BeautifulSoup/
Installation (of the latest version on PyPI) is trivial with 3.4:

C:\Programs\Python34>pip install beautifulsoup4
Downloading/unpacking beautifulsoup4
Running setup.py
(path:C:\Users\Terry\AppData\Local\Temp\pip_build_Terry\beautifulsoup4\setup.py)
egg_info for package
beautifulsoup4

Installing collected packages: beautifulsoup4
Running setup.py install for beautifulsoup4
Skipping implicit fixer: buffer
Skipping implicit fixer: idioms
Skipping implicit fixer: set_literal
Skipping implicit fixer: ws_comma

Successfully installed beautifulsoup4
Cleaning up...
---

Adding the '4' is necessary as

pip install beautifulsoup tries to install beautifulsoup3 as a py3.4

package and that fails with the SyntaxError message Simon got.

With '4', there is now an entry in lib/site-packages you are ready to go.

Python 3.4.0 (v3.4.0:04f714765c13, Mar 16 2014, 19:25:23) [MSC v.1600 64
bit (AMD64)] on win32
<class 'bs4.BeautifulSoup'>

 

[Simon Evans]

I have downloaded Beautiful Soup 3, I am using Python 2.7. I understand from your message that I ought to use Python 2.6 or Python 3.4 with Beautiful Soup 4, the book I am using 'Getting Started with Beautiful Soup' is for Beautiful Soup 4. Therefore I gather I must re-download Beautiful Soup and get the 4 version, dispose of my Python 2.7 and reinstall Python 3.4. I am sure I can do this, but doesn't the above information suggest that the only Python grade left that might work with Beautiful Soup 3 would by Python 2.7 - which is the configuration I have at present, though I am not perfectly happy, as it is not taking code in the book (meant for BS4) such as the following on page 16 :

helloworld = "<p>Hello World</p>"

re:-

 

[MRAB]

I have downloaded Beautiful Soup 3, I am using Python 2.7. I understand from your message that I ought to use Python 2.6 or Python 3.4 with Beautiful Soup 4, the book I am using 'Getting Started with Beautiful Soup' is for Beautiful Soup 4. Therefore I gather I must re-download Beautiful Soup and get the 4 version, dispose of my Python 2.7 and reinstall Python 3.4. I am sure I can do this, but doesn't the above information suggest that the only Python grade left that might work with Beautiful Soup 3 would by Python 2.7 - which is the configuration I have at present, though I am not perfectly happy, as it is not taking code in the book (meant for BS4) such as the following on page 16 :

helloworld = "<p>Hello World</p>"

re:-

That's the Windows command prompt, not the Python command prompt.

 

[Simon Evans]

Yeah well at no point does the book say to start inputting the code mentioned in Python command prompt rather than the Windows command prompt, but thank you for your guidance anyway.
I have downloaded the latest version of Beautiful Soup 4, but am again facing problems with the second line of code, re:-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

c:\Beautiful Soup>c:\Python27\python setup.py install
c:\Python27\python: can't open file 'setup.py': [Errno 2] No such file or direct
ory

 

[Simon Evans]

Yeah well at no point does the book say to start inputting the code mentioned in Python command prompt rather than the Windows command prompt, but thank you for your guidance anyway.

I have downloaded the latest version of Beautiful Soup 4, but am again facing problems with the second line of code, re:-

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]

Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.



C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"



c:\Beautiful Soup>c:\Python27\python setup.py install

c:\Python27\python: can't open file 'setup.py': [Errno 2] No such file or direct

ory

Oh I think I see - I should be using Python 3.4 now, with BS4 ?

 

[Simon Evans]

- but wait a moment 'BeautifulSoup4 works with 2.6+ and 3.x'(Terry Reedy) - doesn't 2.6 + = 2.7, which is what I'm using with BeautifulSoup4.

 

[Ian Kelly]

Yeah well at no point does the book say to start inputting the code mentioned in Python command prompt rather than the Windows command prompt, but thank you for your guidance anyway.
I have downloaded the latest version of Beautiful Soup 4, but am again facing problems with the second line of code, re:-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Intel Atom>cd "c:\Beautiful Soup"

c:\Beautiful Soup>c:\Python27\python setup.py install
c:\Python27\python: can't open file 'setup.py': [Errno 2] No such file or direct
ory

The error message is telling you that the file setup.py that you're
trying to run is missing. That would seem to indicate that Beautiful
Soup hasn't been downloaded or unzipped correctly. What do you have
in the Beautiful Soup directory?

Also, use Python 3.4 as Terry Reedy suggested, unless the book is
using 2.7 in which case you should probably use the same version as
the book.

 

[Terry Reedy]

I have downloaded Beautiful Soup 3, I am using Python 2.7. I
understand from your message that I ought to use Python 2.6or Python
3.4 with Beautiful Soup 4,

I wrote "BeautifulSoup4 works with 2.6+ and 3.x.".
'2.6+' means 2.6 or 2.7. '3.x' should mean 3.1 to 3.4 but the range
might start later. It does not matter because you should download and
use 3.4 unless you *really* need to use something earlier. But also note
that Windows has no problem with multiple version of python installed in
different pythonxy directories.

One of the things 3.4 does for you is make sure that pip is installed.
It is now the more or less 'official' python package installer. To
install BS4, do what the authors recommend on their web page
http://www.crummy.com/software/BeautifulSoup/
and what I did: 'pip install beautifulsoup4' in a python34 directory. It
took me less than a minute, far less that it took you to report that
doing something else did not work.

 

[Ian Kelly]

Also, use Python 3.4 as Terry Reedy suggested, unless the book is
using 2.7 in which case you should probably use the same version as
the book.

Following up on that, if this is the book you are using:
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Started-Beautiful-Soup-Vineeth/dp/1783289554

then it says to use Python 2.7.5 or greater. There is no indication
that the book is targeted at Python 3, and in fact I see at least one
line that won't work in Python 3 ("import urllib2"), so I definitely
recommend sticking with a 2.7 release.

 

[Chris Angelico]

Please do not advise people to unnecessarily downgrade to 2.7 ;-).
Simon just needs the proper current version of BeautifulSoup.
BeautifulSoup3 does not work with 3.x.
BeautifulSoup4 works with 2.6+ and 3.x.
http://www.crummy.com/software/BeautifulSoup/
Installation (of the latest version on PyPI) is trivial with 3.4:

Oh, I'm glad of that! But without digging into the details of BS, all
I could say for sure was that setup.py was expecting 2.x.

Sticking with 3.4 and upgrading to BS4 is a much better solution.

ChrisA

 

[Rustom Mody]

I am new to Python, but my main interest is to use it to Webscrape.

I guess you've moved on from this specific problem.
However here is some general advice:

To use beautiful soup you need to use python.
To use python you need to know python.
Some people spend months on that, or weeks or days.

Maybe you are clever and can reduce that to hours but not further

So start with this
https://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/
or
https://docs.python.org/3.4/tutorial/

[depending on which python you need]

It may take a bit longer; but you will suffer less.