Codeforces Problem Scraper

This document provides a detailed guide to setting up, running, and understanding the Codeforces Problem Scraper program, a Python script that uses Selenium to extract problem statements and metadata from Codeforces.

Features

• Extracts problem titles and statements from Codeforces.
• Saves problem data in a text file (problem_statement.txt).
• Stores metadata (e.g., problem title) in a JSON file (metadata.json).
• Programmed to run in Google Colab using a virtual display.

Code Walkthrough

1. Setup Virtual Display

The setup_virtual_display function uses pyvirtualdisplay to create a virtual screen for headless browsing. This is needed in Google Colab where no graphical interface is available.

2. Initialize Firefox Driver

The init_firefox_driver function sets up the Firefox web driver in headless mode (no visible browser window).

3. Scrape Problem Data

The scrape_problem function:

• Opens the Codeforces problem URL.
• Extracts the problem title and statement using Selenium.

4. Save Problem Data

Two sub-functions save the scraped data:

• store_problem_statement: Saves the problem statement in a text file.
• store_metadata: Saves the problem title in a JSON file.

5. Main Execution

The program:

1. Starts a virtual display.
2. Initializes the web driver.
3. Scrapes the problem from the provided URL.
4. Saves the scraped data.
5. Closes the driver and stops the virtual display.

Acknowledgments

This script uses:

• Selenium for web automation.
• pyvirtualdisplay and xvfb for virtual display management.
• Firefox as the browser for scraping.