Program/tool to get an offline copy of a forum post

[FoxWander]

I'm looking to find a program/tool/utility that can let me download/save offline copies of forum posts.

There are many posts here I'd like to have available offline as well as several at the WOTC site I'd like to save also. I know there are options like bringing up the printable version to copy/paste into a word doc but that screws up the familiar formatting. I can also just click on File and save the page, but then I have to save each page of a multi-page thread individually, then open and close files to go from page to page. I was hoping there might be something which can make the process easier and get a more useful file out of the it- something that retains the forum formatting as well. Ideally I'd like to save an entire post (or whatever I want of it) exactly as it appears in the forum as a single file AND be able to cut out extraneous page elements (like ads and site links) just keeping the info in the post.

I realize I'm hoping for a lot- and it's probably something which doesn't exist, but perhaps there's a combination of tools or firefox add-ins that can make it work. If anyone can point to something that can do all this, or has a process to do it, I would be very thankful.


Finally, the reason I ask. Obviously there's a ton of useful info here that could be nice to have available without a web connection. But on a more lasting note, if this server were to die (or get reformatted or upgraded) a lot of good stuff could be lost forever. That almost happened here once but at WOTC, ever since the forum "upgrades," a TON of useful, informative posts are gone for good. Their character optimization forums may be a crazy land of munchkinry run amok, but the class handbooks and similar threads were full of solid, useful and mostly non-insane advice. There used to be a thread that compiled all the most useful links but now it's a wasteland of broken links cause those posts are just gone. Now that I have plenty of home-server space (with backups) I'd like to save all the stuff online that I use over and over again. And something that can save a thread in an easy to use format is the first step. Hopefully someone can point me to an easy (or at least somewhat easy) way to do that.

 

[Janx]

this may work, in IE,

Browse to the thread you want
goto File->Save As

Choose the file type "Web archive, single file"

In the past, it recursed all the sub links, effectively saving a mini-site.

Thus, since the subsequent pages are present, you get those as well.

Naturally, you're mileage will vary.

You're only other choice is to goto the database for the forum, and generate a report. Not possible as a non-admin of the forum unless the admin exposes that report. That report probably doesn't exist by default.

 

[Alan Shutko]

I do that on a Mac, using a program called DEVONthink. It allows me to save web archives, or as PDFs, and store it in a DB. It also lets me do full-text searches. Maybe MS OneNote can do something similar? I often see the two apps compared.

Other tips, applicable to a lot of situations: if you go to the printable view, you can save an HTML and it'll save most of it. You could print to a PDF (which is built-in on Mac, or download CutePDF Writer on Windows).

 

[Thanee]

Teleport Pro is a Windows program to save entire websites (or substructures thereof).

Of course, it's a wee bit more than what you are looking for.

Bye
Thanee