Are.na Web Channel Organizer

WHAT IT DOES

This tool helps you organize and explore Are.na channels by bringing structure to the content. It scans channel pages for blocks, extracting titles, descriptions, image/video previews, source URLs, and tags. The panel displays blocks organized with tag filters—click any tag to show only blocks with that tag. A tag cloud shows the most frequently used tags with counts. You can add custom tags to any block locally, building your own organizational system on top of the channel. The summary shows total blocks, total tags, and filtered count. Export the channel data as JSON or plain text to your clipboard for personal reference or sharing.

WHERE IT RUNS

The script activates on Are.na pages (are.na), including channel pages, block listings, and collection views. It automatically detects block data using multiple extraction strategies that work across different Are.na layouts. The panel appears as a draggable overlay that stays accessible as you browse channel content.

HOW TO USE

Navigate to any Are.na channel page. The panel will appear showing all blocks in the channel. Click any tag in the tag cloud to filter blocks by that tag—the active filter is highlighted. Click "All" to clear the filter. Use the "Sort" dropdown to order blocks by position, title, or tag count. Toggle "Desc on/off" to show or hide block descriptions. Set the "Refresh (s)" input to control how often the script checks for updates (default 60 seconds). Click "+Tag" on any block to add a custom tag—enter the tag name and press Enter; custom tags appear with a blue highlight. Export the channel data as JSON or text using the export buttons. The "Scan" button manually refreshes the data.

THE TECHNICAL MECHANISM

The script employs a multi-strategy DOM extraction approach for Are.na's channel interface. It first attempts structured selectors targeting known class names like .block, .block-item, and .channel-block, then falls back to heuristic detection of block containers based on content patterns including block-related keywords. Title extraction uses dedicated title elements or parsing the first non-numeric text line. Description extraction targets description elements or paragraph content. Tag extraction identifies tags from elements with tag-related class names or from text patterns. Block IDs are extracted from data attributes or generated from titles. Custom tags are stored using GM_setValue with a per-block key, allowing users to add tags without modifying the original channel. The tag frequency calculation aggregates all tags (original and custom) across blocks. The filter system applies a client-side filter to the block list based on the selected tag. The export function formats the data as JSON or plain text using GM_setClipboard. All settings, custom tags, and filter state are persisted using GM_setValue.

THE PANEL

The panel is fully draggable by its header and remembers its position on the page across sessions. It can be collapsed to a small bubble using the minimize button, then restored by clicking the bubble. The panel resizes automatically to fit its content and can be closed with the Escape key or by clicking the close button. The panel's position and state persist globally, so it returns to the same location on subsequent visits.

PLEASE NOTE

Requires the free BotGentz extension to run. Are.na may update its site structure, which could affect the script's ability to detect block data — updates will be released as needed. All custom tags and filter state are stored locally in your browser and are never transmitted externally. The script reads data from the visible page and does not access any data beyond what is visibly presented. The script does not modify your Are.na account or channel content. Custom tags are local only and do not affect the channel's actual tags on Are.na. Export functionality copies data to your clipboard only. This tool is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with Are.na.