Python script to parse HTML content within Zapier automation

Other Questions Zapier
1

I need help with opening and reading HTML files using Python code inside a Zapier workflow. I’ve been struggling with this for a while now and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.

Here’s what I’m currently trying:

with open('document') as file_handle:
    html_content = file_handle.read()
    print(html_content)

I’ve looked at several guides online and tried copying their examples, but nothing seems to work in the Zapier environment. The file reading part isn’t working as expected. Has anyone successfully processed HTML files in Zapier using Python? What am I missing here? Any suggestions would be really helpful.

2

This happens because Zapier doesn’t use traditional file paths like regular Python scripts. You can’t access files the normal way - everything goes through their input data structure instead. Your HTML content gets passed as a variable or URL, not a local file path. Try grabbing the HTML directly from the input_data dictionary: html_content = input_data['html_field'] (replace ‘html_field’ with whatever your previous step called it). If you’re pulling from a URL, use the requests library to fetch it first. Your file system approach works fine in normal Python, but Zapier’s serverless environment needs a different data handling method.

3

totally agree with this. also don’t forget that all data in zapier is usually sent to you as json, so make sure you access it like that. if it’s not working, maybe add some console logs to see what’s being passed around. good luck!

4

Your issue is with how Zapier passes data between steps. Code by Zapier doesn’t access files like regular Python scripts - it gets HTML through input variables instead. I’ve dealt with this before. Try accessing the HTML with input_data.get('html_content') or whatever key your previous step used. If the HTML comes from a webhook or form, print the entire input_data dictionary first to see what keys are available. Sometimes the HTML is just a URL, so you’ll need to fetch it with requests.get() before parsing. Bottom line: Zapier passes data as JSON objects between steps, not file handles.