Python Selenium - Getting Instagram 'href'?!?!?!?!!??!?!?!?!?!??!

CoderFromHell

Power Member

Mar 19, 2019

727

341

• Jan 31, 2021

• #1

Using selenium Im trying to pull a href link from my Instagram timeline. Can't seem to get the code right.

Python:

PostLinkExtraction = driver.find_element_by_xpath("//article[1]/div[3]/div[2][*[local-name()='a']]")
    print (PostLinkExtraction)

The href should be pulled from the <time> tag on Instagram:

 

Blank_Hossain

Junior Member

Aug 22, 2020

161

144

• Jan 31, 2021

• #2

:/ Maybe element not loaded yet, did you try using wait function ?

 

DunderMannen

Elite Member

Sep 11, 2019

2,135

1,986

• Jan 31, 2021

• #3

Perhaps try the following approach;

Python:

driver.find_elements_by_xpath("//*[contains(text(), 'hours ago')]")

 

Blank_Hossain

Junior Member

Aug 22, 2020

161

144

• Jan 31, 2021

• #4

This this

Code said:

//*[@id="react-root"]/section/main/section/div/div[2]/div/article[1]/div[3]/div[2]/a/time

Click to expand...

Or this

Code said:

/html/body/div[1]/section/main/section/div/div[2]/div/article[1]/div[3]/div[2]/a/time

Click to expand...

 

CoderFromHell

Power Member

Mar 19, 2019

727

341

• Feb 1, 2021
• Thread Starter Thread Starter

• #5

To add a bit more context, when I do get_attribute[‘href’] it also returns none. But appreciate the replies, soon as I get home I’ll be trying some of these responses.

 

Jammy0308

Supreme Member

Apr 18, 2018

1,262

1,380

• Feb 1, 2021

• #6

I often print the entire page's source from selenium and do a quick search for the content I'm looking for. Often it can be quite different to what you see in a browser due to multiple reasons.