Visual Web Ripper eases the user task of creating extraction projects. A visual windows-based editor window can help even the non-scripting user create a project that extracts all data from a web site. The time invested in project creation can vary according to the type of site from which data is being scraped. However, even the most difficult and hard-to-navigate sites can be scraped using Visual Web Ripper.

Once the project is created and named, it should be saved to the hard drive. How a web extraction project is run is up to the user. Some projects may be very time consuming and processor intensive, so it may be desirable to save the project and schedule it to run after office hours. On the other hand, you should verify that a project is running correctly before setting it to go on its own. The Run Project and Run Agent options are designed for this purpose.

The Run Project selection can be accessed right from the Visual Web Ripper interface. The project will begin using the parameters set and saving it in the set format. That works for most projects, although it can be processor intensive and time consuming. You may view the browser and the debug screen while the project is running from the editor.

If you are ready to work on creating another template while the project runs then selecting Run Agent is probably a better alternative. The Run Agent opens up a new application. It can also be shut down afterwards to avoid problems caused by memory leaks.

As with almost any other aspect of Visual Web Ripper, there are numerous options that can be set to run a project. The data collection agent is one that should be set for each project. A web crawler might be used for projects where there is neither AJAX nor JavaScript. Web browser is the most frequent agent and it uses a built in web browser that can handle most websites. Internet Explorer options can be set so that a separate instance of IE is opened. This option is particularly useful if extracting data from a site using flash objects where the objects do not completely load and the visual web editor becomes unstable. Visual Web Ripper is highly configurable and options for almost any contingency can be set so the project proceeds smoothly.