[Web4lib] link checkers

[Robert Balliot]

I used Xenu to manage links for a large corporate catalog and found it slow,
redundant, and
a great example of getting what you pay for. :)

Although it is not primarily for checking links, the Zoom Search
Engine<http://www.wrensoft.com/zoom/>tool from Wrensoft is
most likely one  of the most valuable and versatile spiders and search
engine building
tools on  the  market.  It is used by HP, IBM and Porsche to manage their
resources.

One of the byproducts of indexing is locating all errors and broken  links
in the site.
This includes identifying images  lacking meta-descriptions. Generate the
report to
a text file and correct the errors. Very simple. Very low cost. Zoom
supports multiple
platforms and lets you create elegant, customized search pages weighting the
results with your  own algorithm.

HTH
R. Balliot
http://oceanstatelibrarian.com/contact.htm



On Tue, Aug 18, 2009 at 2:45 PM, Robin <robin at stcharleslibrary.org> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> *** (Cross-posted for maximum exposure to expertise - please forgive
> supplication) ***
>
> A few weeks ago I asked for recommendations for a link checker to replace
> the one that had become too expensive for us to use any longer. To my
> surprise all the several replies I received unanimously recommended the free
> Xenu tool - probably the first time I've never had a range of products
> recommended.
>
> I was happy about that, including the free part, until my webmaster told me
> A) she doesn't like it and B) it doesn't do things she needs. To quote from
> her email:
>
> "So far I am not very impressed by Xenu. It took 2 hours to run the link
> checker on the entire site last night but then couldn't build a report.
>
> I've broken it down and run JUST the files under tp://
> www.stcharleslibrary.org/research/ this morning so that I could get
> report. The accuracy of the report seems to be 1 in 30 or less. Because of
> this inaccuracy, I've spend 3 hours this morning just going through the
> first quarter of the report on research pages. (And none of the other
> directories.)"
>
> So, I'm now looking for further recommendations, probably for not-free
> software. Cost is still an issue - we can't afford $2K +  a year - but it
> does seem as though we'll have to pay for what we get.
>
> Any recommendations for very robust low-cost link checkers will be
> gratefully received and evaluated. TIA for any help you can offer.
>
> Robin.
>
>
>
>
> Robin Boulton
> IT Manager
> St. Charles Public Library District
> St. Charles, IL 60174
> (630) 584 0076 x 258
> Cell:(630) 918 8738
> http://www.stcharleslibrary.org/
> robin at stcharleslibrary.org
>
>
>
>
>
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