Buzz
Mastering website coding using HTML and CSS is a lengthy and arduous journey, particularly if you're starting from scratch as a self-learner. While purchasing books to complement your HTML programming can be beneficial, certain concepts require practical application to fully grasp. By learning how to duplicate a website, you can dissect the programming process and gain a precise understanding of how HTML code functions.
Steps
Windows
Download and install HTTrack. If you aim to copy an entire website or a large number of web pages from a single location at once, you'll need the assistance of an automated web page downloader. These tools streamline the entire process, eliminating the need for manually saving each page, which can be incredibly time-consuming.
- One of the most popular and powerful website copying programs is HTTrack, an open-source software available for Windows and Linux. This program can replicate entire websites, and with the right configuration, even vast portions of the internet! You can download HTTrack for free at www.httrack.com.
Set up the destination folder for the copied files. After opening HTTrack, you need to specify the destination folder for the website copy; otherwise, locating the files later will be challenging.
- Name the project to help you identify its location. HTTrack will create a folder with the project name in the destination directory.
Select 'Download web site(s)' from the dropdown menu. This ensures HTTrack will download the entire content of the website, including images and all other files.
Enter the address you want to copy. You can input multiple websites if you wish to copy several pages into the project folder. By default, HTTrack will capture all possible links on the same web server from the specified site.
- If the website you're copying requires login credentials, click the 'Add URL' button to input the website address, username, and password.
Start copying the website. After entering one or more URLs, you can begin the copying process. Depending on the website's size, this process may take a significant amount of time and bandwidth to complete. HTTrack will display the progress of all files being copied to your computer.
Review the copied website. Once the download is complete, you can open and browse the copied website directly on your computer. If you're online, open any HTM or HTML file with a web browser to view the page. You can also open these files with a web editor to examine all the code that makes the website function. The files are positioned by default so that links navigate to the downloaded files instead of the live website, allowing you to view them offline.
Mac
Download SiteSucker from the Mac App Store. This is a free application that enables you to download a complete copy of a website. You can get SiteSucker from the official homepage at ricks-apps.com/osx/sitesucker/index.html.
- After downloading the app from the website, double-click the DMG file. Drag the SiteSucker application icon into the Applications folder to install it.
Enter the URL of the website you want to copy. With SiteSucker's default settings, every page on the website will be copied and downloaded to your computer. SiteSucker will follow all links it finds but will only download files from the same web server.
- Experienced users can adjust SiteSucker's settings, but if you simply want to download a website, there's no need to worry. By default, SiteSucker will copy the entire website.
- One setting you might want to change is the location where the copied website is stored on your computer. Click the gear icon to open the Settings menu. Under the 'General' tab, click the 'Destination' dropdown to specify where the files should be saved.
Click the 'Download' button to start saving the website. SiteSucker will download all content from the website whose URL you entered. The process may take some time, and you can monitor the progress at the bottom of the SiteSucker window.
Enter your username and password if prompted. If downloading content from a password-protected page, the program will ask for login credentials. By default, SiteSucker checks your Keychain first to see if the credentials are already stored. If not, you'll need to enter them manually.
Review the copied website after completion. Once the download is finished, you can view the website offline just as you would online. SiteSucker positions the website files so they point to the downloaded files instead of the original online addresses. This allows you to browse the entire website without an internet connection.
Warnings
- Many website administrators use automated tools to get notified if their content appears on other sites. Do not assume that accessible content is free to use. Always contact the administrator or website owner before using any material for your own work.
- ing a website and presenting it as your own is considered intellectual theft and a violation of intellectual property rights. Never use copied content from another website as if it were your own. If you use any part of someone else's content, always provide proper attribution.
