Comments scraping + Substack-styled rendering + macOS driver fixes + README doc updates#46
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sanket-k wants to merge 4 commits into
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Comments scraping + Substack-styled rendering + macOS driver fixes + README doc updates#46sanket-k wants to merge 4 commits into
sanket-k wants to merge 4 commits into
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- Add --comments flag to fetch and cache each post's comment thread (public threads free; paid-only threads via --premium). Renders threads into the per-post HTML page and exposes comment_count to the index. - Add --comments-sort (best | most_recent_first). - Fix macOS driver detection: locate Chrome/Edge under /Applications and resolve correct driver platform (mac-arm64 vs mac-x64, mac64_m1). - Add driver recovery: recreate crashed sessions and periodic restarts to shed leaked state; suppress noise via quiet flag. - Add Sort by Comments to the index UI + comment section CSS. - Add backfill_comment_counts.py to repair older data files. - Expand the test suite to cover comment helpers and HTML rendering.
- Document --comments / --comments-sort and the caching/rendering model. - Add full CLI reference table covering all flags. - Correct the browser requirement (Chrome default + macOS/Apple Silicon detection) instead of the stale "Microsoft Edge" note. - Document backfill_comment_counts.py and the output directory layout. - Add mermaid diagrams: system architecture, scrape workflow sequence, driver fallback, and on-disk outputs.
Rewrite per-post HTML to the classic default Substack look: Spectral serif body (19px/1.6), orange (#ff6719) links, left-aligned text, white background, 728px column, and a centered cover/title/subtitle/byline header built from structured metadata instead of inlined markdown. - Rewrite assets/css/essay-styles.css with :root theme tokens and header rules - Align author index (assets/css/style.css, author_template.html) to palette - Add build_post_header, split_metadata_and_body, build_post_document, and render_post_to_html_file helpers in substack_scraper.py - Route scrape_posts through the structured render path; keep flat (meta=None) path intact for legacy compatibility - Add render_posts.py standalone regenerate script (no network) plus --render-only/--render-all CLI flags - Add 13 tests covering header rendering, metadata splitting, structured rendering, and end-to-end regenerate - Document rendering and new flags in README
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Summary
This PR adds three related improvements to the scraper:
1. Comment scraping (
--comments)--commentsflag fetches and caches each post's comment thread.Public threads are free; paid-only threads require
--premium.--comments-sortflag (best|most_recent_first).comment_countisexposed to the index UI (with a new "Sort by Comments" option).
backfill_comment_counts.pyto repair older data files.2. macOS driver support & reliability
/Applicationsand resolves theright driver platform (
mac-arm64vsmac-x64,mac64_m1).to shed leaked state; suppresses noise via the quiet flag.
3. Substack-styled HTML rendering
body (19px/1.6), orange (#ff6719) links, left-aligned text, 728px column,
and a centered cover/title/subtitle/byline header built from structured
metadata rather than inlined markdown.
render_posts.pystandalone regenerate script (no network required).--render-only/--render-allCLI flags.4.
README.md— major overhaul :Usage examples for comments & sorting,
Browser & Driver Support, Backfilling Comment Counts,
Files in Browser.
Changes
substack_scraper.py— comment helpers, structured render path, driver fixesrender_posts.py— new network-free regenerate scriptbackfill_comment_counts.py— new data repair utilityassets/css/essay-styles.css,assets/css/style.css,author_template.html— restyledassets/js/populate-essays.js— "Sort by Comments" + comment_count handlingtests/test_substack_scraper.py— 13+ new tests (comments, rendering, regenerate)README.md— CLI reference table, architecture/workflow mermaid diagramsTesting
pytest tests/Backward compatibility
The structured render path falls back to the flat (
meta=None) path for legacycompatibility, so existing data files keep working.