Auction Viewer and Scraper

A Python-based tool for scraping auction data from bidfta.com and a web-based viewer for easy deal searching.

Features

• Scrapes auction data based on location, condition, and keywords
• Web-based interface for viewing and searching auction deals
• Customizable search parameters

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• Windows (for batch script execution)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/jnjustice/bidfta-auction-scraper.git
   cd bidfta-auction-scraper
   

2. Install required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

Usage

Scraping Data

1. Run the scraper:

   python backend/auction_scraper.py
   

2. Follow the prompts to enter search criteria
3. The script will save the data to data/auction_data.csv

Viewing Data

1. Launch the viewer:

   scripts/launch_auction_viewer.bat
   

2. Your default browser will open to the auction viewer
3. Use the search bar and filters to explore the data

Project Structure

• frontend/: HTML and CSS for the auction viewer
• backend/: Python scraper script
• scripts/: Utility scripts
• data/: Scraped auction data (CSV)

Issues

We use GitHub issues to track bugs, feature requests, and questions. Before creating a new issue, please check if a similar one already exists.

Open an Issue When:

• You've found a bug in the existing code
• You have a feature request or idea for improvement
• You're experiencing unexpected behavior
• You have questions about how to use the project

To open an issue:

1. Go to the Issues tab in this repository
2. Click on "New Issue"
3. Choose the appropriate issue template if available, or start with a blank issue
4. Provide as much detail as possible, including steps to reproduce for bugs

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a new branch: git checkout -b feature-branch-name
3. Make your changes and commit them: git commit -m 'Add some feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature-branch-name
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.