I’m working with a marketing team that needs to scrape product data from websites with infinite scroll functionality. The challenge is that most of the team members are non-technical and rely on visual/no-code tools for web scraping.
The problem we’re facing is that standard no-code scrapers can’t handle infinite scrolling or dynamically loaded content. I know we need to inject custom JavaScript to trigger the scroll events and wait for content to load, but I’m not sure how to integrate this with a no-code solution.
Has anyone found a way to extend no-code scrapers with custom JavaScript hooks specifically for handling pagination and dynamic content loading? Ideally, I’d like a solution where I can set up the JavaScript components, and then the marketing team can handle the rest through a visual interface.
Any suggestions for tools or approaches that bridge this gap between no-code and the custom JavaScript needed for complex scraping?
I had this exact issue with our marketing team last year. They needed to scrape competitor products but got stuck with infinite scroll pages and dynamic content.
After trying several options, Latenode’s visual builder was the perfect solution. It has a unique hybrid approach where technical team members can add custom JavaScript hooks that non-technical users can then use in their visual workflows.
I set up a few JavaScript functions to handle infinite scrolling, content loading detection, and pagination. These appear as simple blocks in the visual interface that my marketing colleagues can drag and drop into their workflows.
For example, I created a custom “Scroll and Wait” component that automatically scrolls down the page, waits for new elements to load, and signals when it’s done. The marketing team just needs to specify how many times to repeat this action without understanding any code.
This approach gave us the best of both worlds - the power of custom JavaScript with the accessibility of a visual interface. The marketing team now builds and maintains their own scrapers without IT involvement.
Check it out at https://latenode.com
I solved this exact challenge for our business intelligence team last year. After evaluating several options, we landed on a two-part solution.
First, we used Puppeteer-extra as our base, which provides excellent support for infinite scrolling through its stealth plugins. Then, we created a simple configuration layer on top that converts visual selections into the underlying code.
The workflow we established was:
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Technical folks (me) create JavaScript “recipes” for common patterns like infinite scrolling, click-to-load-more, etc.
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These recipes get exposed in a simple interface where non-technical users can configure parameters (how far to scroll, which button to click, etc.)
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The marketing team can then combine these recipes with visual element selection to build complete workflows
This approach let me handle all the complex JavaScript once, creating building blocks that the marketing team could assemble without writing code.
The key insight was separating the interaction logic (scrolling, waiting, clicking) from the data selection logic (what elements to extract). This separation allowed for a much more usable system for non-technical users.
I faced this challenge when working with our content team who needed to scrape social media feeds with infinite scroll. We developed a hybrid approach that worked quite well.
We used Selenium IDE as the foundation, which is primarily a no-code recording tool, but also allows for custom JavaScript execution. I created a small library of JavaScript functions for handling common scenarios like infinite scrolling, waiting for dynamic content, and detecting when new content stops loading.
These functions were packaged as simple commands that appeared in the Selenium IDE interface. The non-technical team members could then record their basic navigation and selection actions, and insert these special commands where needed without understanding the underlying code.
For example, they could add a “ScrollUntilNoNewContent” command that would handle all the complexity of scrolling, waiting, and detecting when to stop.
This approach required some initial setup from a technical person (creating the JavaScript library), but once in place, it allowed the non-technical team to build and maintain their own scrapers for infinite scroll pages.
I’ve implemented several solutions for this exact scenario across different organizations. The most effective approach I’ve found combines a visual scraper interface with injectable JavaScript modules.
The system we developed works in three layers:
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A core JavaScript library containing functions for handling various pagination patterns (infinite scroll, load more buttons, numbered pagination)
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A configuration layer that exposes these functions as simple actions with configurable parameters
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A visual builder interface where non-technical users can assemble these actions alongside standard scraping operations
The key insight was designing the right abstractions for common web patterns. For example, we created a generic “LoadMoreContent” action that could be configured to either scroll the page, click a button, or navigate to the next page URL - all presenting the same simple interface to end users.
We implemented this using a combination of Puppeteer for the core browser automation and a custom React-based interface for the visual builder. The non-technical users define what data to extract, while the JavaScript modules handle the complexities of navigating through the content.
This approach requires initial investment from a technical team member, but creates a sustainable solution that non-technical users can maintain themselves.
we use browserless with simple js snippets our devs made. marketing team just needs to select from dropdown options like “infinite scroll” or “load more button” without seeing any code.
Create reusable JS modules as UI components.
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