zap2xml - a free zap2it scraper

[whitebar]

If you are using the perl script version, the attached file has been updated to correct the channel number/callsign and show description problems. This was updated from the 3-11-2008 release.

[markbb1]

Please post details on how to use tv_cat to fix the zap2xml

tv_cat [--output name_of_file_to_output][name_of_first_file name_of_second_file ... name_of_nth_file]

It might have wrapped because of page width. Here is part of the channel section of data.xml that zap2xml produced last time I ran it:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE tv SYSTEM "xmltv.dtd">

<tv source-info-url="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/" source-info-name="zap2it.com" generator-info-name="zap2xml" generator-info-url="zap2xml@gmail.com">
<channel id="I45900.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>2 2</display-name>
<display-name>2</display-name>
<display-name>2</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I47134.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>3 3</display-name>
<display-name>3</display-name>
<display-name>3</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I45898.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>4 4</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
</channel>



Create a file with the display-names the way you want them to be.

Say these are my only three channels. I could create a file named channels.xml that would look like this:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE tv SYSTEM "xmltv.dtd">

<tv source-info-url="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/" source-info-name="zap2it.com" generator-info-name="zap2xml" generator-info-url="zap2xml@gmail.com">
<channel id="I45900.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>2 AFN Atlantic</display-name>
<display-name>2</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Atlantic</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I47134.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>3 AFN Spectrum</display-name>
<display-name>3</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Spectrum</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I45898.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>4 AFN Pacific</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Pacific</display-name>
</channel>
</tv>

Notice that it ends with </tv>. Make your channels.xml file the last one in the list of files in the command. The tv_cat command would look like this to produce a file called data2.xml:

tv_cat --output data2.xml data.xml channels.xml

[Deusxmachina]

<channel id="I45898.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>4 AFN Pacific</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Pacific</display-name>
</channel>

Why are there three lines of nearly the same thing? Not that it matters for me since I can't get it to work with either one or three lines. The command line output is basically a repeating

xmltv.xml: skipping bad desc
xmltv.xml: empty string for with-lang value at /perlApp/xmltv.pm line 1711

It does look like it cleans up the formatting of the final xmltv file, so maybe I have something else going on.

[Deusxmachina]

Yep, I thought my situation looked familiar. When the bad EPG from Zap2it first updated, I think it added another copy of all my channels. When I updated the new fixed EPG, I know it copied all my channels (again). I had three copies of all channels in Channel Mapper, and the wrong ones were checkmarked as active. The reformatted EPG was correct, but the channels weren't linked right anymore.

So, remapped the channels, and now the EPG is back. Still have to do clean-up duty, but it looks like it's back to normal. Thank you much.

[markbb1]

Why are there three lines of nearly the same thing? Not that it matters for me since I can't get it to work with either one or three lines. The command line output is basically a repeating

xmltv.xml: skipping bad desc
xmltv.xml: empty string for with-lang value at /perlApp/xmltv.pm line 1711

It does look like it cleans up the formatting of the final xmltv file, so maybe I have something else going on.

You only need whatever display-name(s) that GBPVR expects. If one is enough, use whatever you want it to be. If you need two or more, make them whatever you want them to be. Some xmltv viewers use only the first display name, some use only the last. I had an xmltv viewer that needed 4 display-names, and the third one had to be a number so it could use it as the rf channel number. Another viewer I used choked if the third one was a number. What I suggested is just an example.

Skipping bad description means there is something wrong with the description so it is not writing those descriptions to the finished file. In the current Zap2xml data, it might be the tabs and newlines, or there might be ampersands or other illegal characters in the description. And yes, if those bad descriptions were causing problems, eliminating them might clear up some problems. From what you describe,it sounds like tv_cat is removing all of the descriptions. That indicates it is because of the tabs and newlines, as there were multiple tabs and newlines in all of the descriptions. It wouldn't surprise me if Zap2it put those characters in the page on purpose to foul up the Zap2it scraper.

[tvshowman]

if you are lucky enough to have an older guide.xml that you used before the change you can simply copy all the channels from the good xml and replace it in the new stripped one.

Example
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE tv SYSTEM "xmltv.dtd">

<tv source-info-url="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/" source-info-name="zap2it.com" generator-info-name="zap2xml" generator-info-url="zap2xml@gmail.com">
<channel id="I45900.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>2 2</display-name>
<display-name>2</display-name>
<display-name>2</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I47134.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>3 3</display-name>
<display-name>3</display-name>
<display-name>3</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I45898.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>4 4</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
</channel>
<programme start="20080523230000 -0700" stop="20080524030000 -0700" channel="I21509.labs.zap2it.com">
<title lang="en">Broadcast News</title>
<desc lang="en">
News.
</desc>
<category lang="en">News</category>
<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00353633.0001</episode-num>
<previously-shown />
</programme>


Channel info replaceed from old XML
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?>
<!DOCTYPE tv SYSTEM "xmltv.dtd">

<tv source-info-url="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/" source-info-name="zap2it.com" generator-info-name="zap2xml" generator-info-url="zap2xml@gmail.com">
<channel id="I45900.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>2 AFN Atlantic</display-name>
<display-name>2</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Atlantic</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I47134.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>3 AFN Spectrum</display-name>
<display-name>3</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Spectrum</display-name>
</channel>
<channel id="I45898.labs.zap2it.com">
<display-name>4 AFN Pacific</display-name>
<display-name>4</display-name>
<display-name>AFN Pacific</display-name>
</channel>
<programme start="20080523230000 -0700" stop="20080524030000 -0700" channel="I21509.labs.zap2it.com">
<title lang="en">Broadcast News</title>
<desc lang="en">
News.
</desc>
<category lang="en">News</category>
<episode-num system="dd_progid">EP00353633.0001</episode-num>
<previously-shown />
</programme>

I just did and now i don't have to worry about this for 14 days... YIPEE!!

Goodluck

[ww4397]

Looks like the problem may be fixed. Here is the latest note for the Zap2xml website:

"# 2008-05-25

* Updated to handle zap2it's latest website changes"

[lucille84]

Looks like the problem may be fixed. Here is the latest note for the Zap2xml website:
"# 2008-05-25
* Updated to handle zap2it's latest website changes"

Good news, the new zap2xml version seems to be reading the data correctly, but...

Bad news, before the new zap2xml version came out - I was foolish enough to attempt using the SchedulesDirect service. Well that really clobbered the TVGuide.
Now it seems the fouled-up-ed-ness has carried over to the channel listings now that zap2xml is providing the data.

Symptoms...
(1) the order of the channels is disorganized (I can't see a pattern)

(2) the channel numbers shown on TVGuide screen do not match the channel numbers of the actual listings shown (but the channel logos are correct for the listings shown, so the correct channel number is being used to determine which logo to use)

I could not find a way to return to ground zero, killing all the old TVGyuide data that's building the new EPG - so I find myself begging for help

(A) is there still a "channel fixer" around somewhere (can no longer find it) that mihgt fix me up
(B) is there a procedure for REALLY killing all the old data and any caches so I can rebuild from scratch?

Tnaka lot for any help you can provide,
TomH for lucille84

[sub]

(B) is there a procedure for REALLY killing all the old data and any caches so I can rebuild from scratch?

If you delete the gbpvr.db3 file, then you'll be starting from a nice clean database.

[lucille84]

If you delete the gbpvr.db3 file, then you'll be starting from a nice clean database.

Thanks sub - that did it!

And... thanks for the new 1.2.13 - installed flawlessly!