Archive Search Result Exporter

WHAT IT DOES

Archive Search Result Exporter is a powerful data extraction tool that scans search result pages from major archival and genealogy websites and exports the data in structured formats. It automatically extracts key information from each result—including title, date, repository, description, image reference, and URL—and displays them in a sortable preview panel. The tool supports FamilySearch, Ancestry, Newspapers.com, Archive.org, Fold3, GenealogyBank, MyHeritage, and Findmypast, with generic extraction for other archive sites. You can export the full dataset to CSV (for spreadsheets and genealogy software) or JSON (for developers and data analysis). The script includes deduplication to remove duplicate results, configurable field inclusion, and a maximum result limit to handle large searches. Whether you're building a research log, compiling evidence for a proof summary, or analyzing historical records, this tool saves hours of manual data entry.

WHERE IT RUNS

This script runs on any search result page from the supported archive platforms—or any page that contains a list of search results with links and metadata. It operates entirely within your browser tab, reading the page's DOM to locate result containers and extract data. The script cannot access other tabs, your browsing history, bookmarks, downloads, or any data outside the current page. All settings—including export format, field inclusion, deduplication, maximum results, and auto-detect preference—are stored locally using GM_setValue and never transmitted anywhere.

HOW TO USE

After installing with the BotGentz extension, the script automatically detects search results on archive pages you view. Click "Extract Results" to scan the page and populate the preview panel with title, date, repository, and platform information for each result. Review the extracted data in the preview (up to 20 results shown). Select your export format—CSV for spreadsheet import or JSON for data processing—and click "Export Results" to copy the data to your clipboard, or "Download as File" to save it directly to your computer. Toggle which fields to include in the export (URL, description) and enable deduplication to remove identical results. Adjust the maximum results limit for large search pages. The panel also includes a "Clear Results" button to reset your current dataset.

THE REAL MECHANISM

The script uses a platform-aware extraction engine that adapts to each archive site's DOM structure. It detects the platform from the URL and applies site-specific selectors for result containers, titles, dates, descriptions, and links. For FamilySearch, it queries .result-item and extracts data-testid attributes; for Ancestry, it targets .record-card and .record-title; for Newspapers.com, it uses .article and .headline; for Archive.org, it uses .item and .title. If the site isn't in the known list, the script falls back to generic extraction by scanning elements with common class names like .result, .item, and .card, or by searching for list items containing links with substantial text content. The extraction process also captures the current page URL and platform name for context. Once extracted, results are deduplicated using a Set keyed by URL or title to ensure each record appears once. The CSV exporter builds a properly escaped CSV string with quoted fields, while the JSON exporter creates a structured array of objects. All data rendering uses safe DOM manipulation with no innerHTML from untrusted content.

THE PANEL

The Result Exporter panel is a BGPanel component that you can drag anywhere on your screen by its header. It snaps to the nearest edge when released, keeping your workspace organized. The panel collapses to a small bubble showing only the emoji icon when minimised—click to expand it again. You can resize the panel horizontally to see more of the results preview. Press the Escape key to collapse the panel instantly. Your panel position and size are saved per-site.

PLEASE NOTE

This script requires the free BotGentz browser extension to function. Archive websites frequently update their page layouts, which may change class names, data-testid attributes, and DOM structure. If the script cannot find results, use the "Extract Results" button to retry extraction. The script extracts data from whatever is visible on the current page—for multi-page searches, you'll need to run extraction on each page and combine the exported data manually. The deduplication feature removes exact duplicates but may not catch near-duplicate results. The script never reads or writes password fields, hidden inputs, or file inputs. It stores only your export format, field inclusion toggles, deduplication preference, maximum results limit, and auto-detect preference locally. No search results, record data, or personal information is ever collected, transmitted, or shared.