But this approach seems too brittle for my needs. The target content I want to extract looks like this:
remote access code: 67890
Location: Business Name, CA
Login: admin
Key: secret123
I’m pretty new to XPath so I might be missing something obvious. Has anyone dealt with similar ImportXML parsing issues? What’s the best way to troubleshoot XPath expressions for Google Sheets?
first, check if your crm loads that content statically. most systems use ajax to render stuff after the page loads, so importxml only sees empty divs. view the page source directly - if your target text isn’t there, xpath won’t work at all.
ImportXML is a nightmare with dynamic content or messy page structures. I’ve been there too many times trying to scrape data from different systems.
Your XPath issues stem from Google Sheets’ weak parsing compared to real scraping tools. Most modern CRMs load content with JavaScript anyway, which ImportXML can’t touch.
Skip the headache and build a proper scraper instead. It’ll handle JavaScript, authentication, and format everything perfectly before hitting your Google Sheet.
I’ve built this exact setup for multiple CRM systems. The scraper logs in, grabs all the remote access codes and location data, then dumps clean results straight into specific cells.
Best part? Schedule it to run automatically so your data stays current without lifting a finger. Way better than XPath expressions that break every website update.
Try Latenode for this - handles scraping, processing, and Sheets integration in one workflow: https://latenode.com
The text() function at the end of your XPath is breaking things. Google Sheets ImportXML hates text() nodes, so drop that part and just use //div[@class=“mainSection”]//td[@class=“dataCell”][3]. Make sure you’re wrapping your XPath in quotes properly too. For pulling those key-value pairs, you’ll probably need separate XPath expressions for each piece instead of trying to grab everything at once. Each line looks like it’s in different elements, so target the parent container first, then use individual expressions like //div[contains(text(), ‘remote access code:’)]/following-sibling::text(). Here’s a debugging trick that’ll save you time: test your XPath in the browser console first with $x(‘your-xpath-here’) before throwing it into ImportXML. Way better than constantly tweaking stuff in the spreadsheet.
ImportXML has strict limits that cause those parsing errors. It’s not your XPath - it’s how ImportXML handles your CRM’s response. I’ve hit this exact issue pulling data from internal dashboards. Your CRM probably returns content that ImportXML can’t parse properly - encoding problems or messy HTML. Even when XPath works in browser tools, Google’s servers process requests differently than your logged-in browser session. Try using ancestor:: or parent:: selectors to grab broader context, then filter in nearby cells. For key-value pairs, use REGEX functions on the ImportXML result instead of complex XPath. This combo approach beats trying to perfect one XPath query that Sheets can’t handle.
ImportXML trips up tons of people with its weird limitations. Those parsing errors happen because Google Sheets butchers XPath expressions and can’t handle certain selections properly. Don’t fight with complex expressions - break your extraction into smaller, simpler queries instead. For structured data, use contains() functions to target specific text patterns rather than class names or IDs that might change. Something like //text()[contains(., ‘remote access code:’)] works way better than complex nested stuff. Just heads up though - many CRM systems block automated requests entirely, so even if you fix the XPath, you might still hit authentication walls or rate limits that kill everything.
XPath debugging in Google Sheets sucks because ImportXML can barely handle basic stuff.
You’re trying to extract complex data with a simple spreadsheet function. Your CRM has security, sessions, and dynamic content that ImportXML can’t touch.
I hit this same wall pulling client data from CRM dashboards. Wasted weeks on XPath expressions that’d work one day, break the next.
What fixed it? I built an automated workflow that actually logs into the CRM, grabs all the structured data (remote codes, locations, login details), and dumps clean results straight into Sheets.
No XPath nightmares. No broken formulas when the CRM updates. Just solid data extraction that runs automatically.
The workflow handles login, processes multiple pages, and formats everything perfectly. Way better than fighting ImportXML on complex web apps.
Latenode makes this setup easy with CRM connectors and Sheets integration: https://latenode.com