Is it possible to scrape websites with Goutte on a scheduled basis?

Yes, it's possible to scrape websites with Goutte on a scheduled basis. Goutte is a PHP library that provides a simple API to crawl and scrape data from websites. To perform scheduled scraping tasks, you can integrate Goutte with a task scheduling system.

Here's how you can set it up:

Using Goutte for Web Scraping

First, make sure you have Goutte installed. If not, you can install it via Composer:

composer require fabpot/goutte

Next, you can write a PHP script that uses Goutte to scrape a website:

// scrape.php
require 'vendor/autoload.php';

use Goutte\Client;

$client = new Client();
$crawler = $client->request('GET', 'https://example.com');

$crawler->filter('.some-css-selector')->each(function ($node) {
    // Process the content
    echo $node->text()."\n";
});

Scheduling with Cron (Linux/macOS)

On a Linux or macOS system, you can use cron to schedule your scraping task. Edit the crontab file:

crontab -e

Add a new line to schedule your PHP script to run at your desired interval:

# Run the web scraping script every day at 3 am
0 3 * * * /usr/bin/php /path/to/your/scrape.php

Save and exit the editor, and cron will automatically pick up the new job.

Scheduling with Task Scheduler (Windows)

On Windows, you can use the Task Scheduler to run the script at a scheduled time:

1. Open Task Scheduler and create a new task.
2. Set the trigger to the time you want the task to start.
3. For the action, choose "Start a program" and point it to your PHP executable, with your script as an argument:
   • Program/script: C:\path\to\php.exe
   • Add arguments: C:\path\to\your\scrape.php
4. Finish setting up your task and save it.

Scheduling with Laravel (PHP Framework)

If you're using the Laravel PHP framework, it has a built-in task scheduler that you can leverage to run Goutte on a schedule:

1. Write a command to encapsulate your scraping logic:

// app/Console/Commands/ScrapeWebsite.php

namespace App\Console\Commands;

use Illuminate\Console\Command;
use Goutte\Client;

class ScrapeWebsite extends Command
{
    protected $signature = 'scrape:website';
    protected $description = 'Scrape a website';

    public function handle()
    {
        $client = new Client();
        $crawler = $client->request('GET', 'https://example.com');

        $crawler->filter('.some-css-selector')->each(function ($node) {
            // Process the content
            $this->info($node->text());
        });
    }
}

1. Register your command in app/Console/Kernel.php:

protected $commands = [
    Commands\ScrapeWebsite::class,
];

1. Schedule your command in the schedule function within the same file:

protected function schedule(Schedule $schedule)
{
     $schedule->command('scrape:website')->dailyAt('03:00');
}

1. Make sure you have a cron entry calling the Laravel scheduler every minute:

* * * * * cd /path-to-your-project && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

This setup will allow your Goutte-based scraping script to run on a scheduled basis without any manual intervention, assuming the system is running and the scheduler is properly configured. Remember to follow the website's robots.txt file and terms of service to ensure that you're allowed to scrape it, and always try to minimize the load on the website's server by scheduling your jobs responsibly.