How to download a text file or some objects from webpage using Python?

Question

I am writing a function that downloads and stores the today\'s list of pre-release domains .txt file from http://www.namejet.com/pages/downloads.aspx. I am trying to achieve it

Answer 1

I see a few problems with your approach:

1. The page doesn't return any json; so even if you were to access the page successfully, r.json will be empty:

   >>> import requests
   >>> r = requests.get('http://www.namejet.com/pages/downloads.aspx')
   >>> r.json
   

2. The file that you are after, is hidden behind a postback link; which you cannot "execute" using requests as it will not understand javascript.

In light of the above, the better approach is to use mechanize or alternatives to emulate a browser. You could also ask the company to provide you with a direct link.