HTML Code - Line Number

[Prasad, Ramit]

> Hello,
> 
> For scrapping purposes, I am having a bit of trouble writing a block
> of code to define, and find, the relative position (line number) of a
> string of HTML code. I can pull out one string that I want, and then
> there is always a line of code, directly beneath the one I can pull
> out, that begins with the following:
> <td align="left" valign="top" class="body_cols_middle">
> 
> However, because this string of HTML code above is not unique to just
> the information I need (which I cannot currently pull out), I was
> hoping there is a way to effectively say "if you find the html string
> _____ in the line of HTML code above, and the string <td align="left"
> valign="top" class="body_cols_middle"> in the line immediately
> following, then pull everything that follows this second string.
> 
> Any thoughts as to how to define a function to do this, or do this
> some other way? All insight is much appreciated! Thanks.

You may have more long-term success in scraping by using an HTML parser like Beautiful Soup. 

Alternately, store the line and the previous line while looping and do 
something like the following.

if found:
    results.append( line )
    continue
criteria1 = '<td align="left" > valign="top" class="body_cols_middle">' in line
criteria2 = '<td align="left" valign="top" class="body_cols_middle">' in previous_line
if criteria1 and criteria2 : 
    found = True
    < maybe add rest of line to results >

Ramit


Ramit Prasad | JPMorgan Chase Investment Bank | Currencies Technology
712 Main Street | Houston, TX 77002
work phone: 713 - 216 - 5423

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