HTML Parsing
HTML parsing is the process of analyzing and interpreting HTML (HyperText Markup Language) code to extract structured data, such as text, links, images, or other elements, from web pages. It involves using parsers to break down HTML documents into a tree-like structure, often a Document Object Model (DOM), which can be programmatically navigated and manipulated. This is essential for web scraping, data extraction, and automated interaction with web content.
Developers should learn HTML parsing when building web scrapers, data mining tools, or automation scripts that need to extract information from websites, such as for price comparison, news aggregation, or research. It is also crucial for testing web applications, as parsing allows for automated checks of HTML structure and content. In web development, understanding parsing helps debug rendering issues and optimize page performance by analyzing how browsers interpret HTML.