Handling Dynamic Content in Screenshots

Modern websites are increasingly dynamic, with content that loads asynchronously, relies on JavaScript, or appears based on user interactions. Capturing accurate screenshots of such content presents unique challenges that our Screenshot API is designed to solve.

The Challenge of Dynamic Content

When capturing screenshots of dynamic websites, several issues can arise:

Content may load after the initial page render
Elements might appear only after JavaScript execution
Animations might be in progress during capture
User interactions may be required to reveal content

Waiting for Content to Load

Our API provides several mechanisms to ensure content is fully loaded before capturing:

javascript

01// Wait for network activity to complete
02const response = await fetch('https://api.screenshotapi.com/capture', {
03  method: 'POST',
04  headers: {
05    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
06    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
07  },
08  body: JSON.stringify({
09    url: 'https://dynamic-site.com',
10    waitForEvent: 'networkidle0',
11    timeout: 30000 // 30 seconds
12  })
13});

Waiting for Specific Elements

For content that appears after certain conditions are met:

javascript

01// Wait for a specific element to appear in the DOM
02const response = await fetch('https://api.screenshotapi.com/capture', {
03  method: 'POST',
04  headers: {
05    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
06    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
07  },
08  body: JSON.stringify({
09    url: 'https://dynamic-site.com',
10    waitForSelector: '#content-loaded',
11    selectorTimeout: 10000 // 10 seconds
12  })
13});

Executing Custom JavaScript

For the most complex scenarios, you can execute custom JavaScript before capturing:

javascript

01const response = await fetch('https://api.screenshotapi.com/capture', {
02  method: 'POST',
03  headers: {
04    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
05    'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
06  },
07  body: JSON.stringify({
08    url: 'https://dynamic-site.com',
09    executeBeforeScreenshot: `
10      // Click a button to reveal content
11      document.querySelector('#show-more-button').click();
12      
13      // Wait for animation to complete
14      await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 1000));
15      
16      // Scroll to ensure all content is in view
17      window.scrollTo(0, 500);
18    `
19  })
20});

By leveraging these techniques, you can ensure your screenshots accurately represent even the most dynamic web content, providing your users with the most valuable and accurate visual information.

Handling Dynamic Content in Screenshots

The Challenge of Dynamic Content

Waiting for Content to Load

Waiting for Specific Elements

Executing Custom JavaScript

Ready to Get Started?

Related Posts

Advanced CSS Selectors for Targeted Screenshots