WebGrab+Plus Quick start guide

What is WebGrab+Plus :
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WebGrab+Plus, frequently simply referred to as WG++, is a generic webgrab tool that can grab tv listings from websites and create a xmltv file for it. This xmltv file can be fed to a PVR/EPG system to visualize the tv listing.
Because WebGrab+Plus itself is generic, it will need to know how to grab a specific website. This info is packed into SiteIni files.
For every supported tvguide-website, such a file will exist. See http://webgrabplus.com/epg-channels , the EPG channels page,  for all available SiteIni's. 
Most tvguide-website's have multiple tv channels. To know what channels are available for a specific SiteIni (website), you can look into the accompanying .channels.xml file. This file contains a list of channels that can be used. All those files can be found in the siteini.pack folder.
A list of all features can be found  at http://webgrabplus.com/features .

Installation :
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The program will run on the most platforms (windows, linux, osx, rasp pi) . To install it on any specific platform follow these installation instructions http://webgrabplus.com/documentation/installation" .
Currently WebGrab+Plus is only a command line tool. An additional GUI (Graphic User Interface), the 'ConfigMaker', is available thanks to user shax. Download it from http://webgrabplus.com/content/configmaker-tool-multiple-configurations or from https://github.com/shaxxx/EPGUtils/releases .

License :
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The program will run without a license with limited performance and only with un-encrypted siteini's. To use its full capabilities, a donator status is needed which requires a small donation of 5€ /year (2024). To get that, register on the website http://webgrabplus.com/user/register , and donate using the Donate/support us button http://webgrabplus.com/content/support-us. See also 'How can I donate to get a donator_license ?' http://webgrabplus.com/faq#faq_4766 ,  and other related FAQ's http://webgrabplus.com/faq .  
On top of the standard donator status, the capabilities can be extended with a custom license and/or custom SiteIni. See  I want more channels or more siteini's or more than 2 computers to run WG++ http://webgrabplus.com/faq#faq_4768 

How to use :
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Find the config file (WebGrab++.config.xml) and open it with a simple text editor.
If you have a donator status (see above, License), complete the <license> line with username, registered email and license password.
Locate the dummy <channel> line at the end of the file
Now look inside the siteini.pack folder and find the channels you want to grab (inside the .channels.xml files)
Replace the dummy <channel> line with the channel(s) you want to grab
Run WebGrab+Plus
You should get a xmltv file called guide.xml file with the tv listings of your channels
For more information about the configuration file, see http://webgrabplus.com/documentation/configuration/webgrabconfigxml on our website. 
To feed the generate xmltv file into you EPG/PVR system you can follow the examples on our site  http://www.webgrabplus.com/documentation/interact-your-pvr-software 

Update the SiteIni.Pack :
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To update the SiteIni.Pack folder to get the newest revisions and additions : 

-- For windows users .. run SiteIni.Pack.Update.exe, located in the WebGrab+Plus installation folder  e.g. "C:\Program Files (x86)\WebGrab+Plus\bin\SiteIni.Pack.Update.exe"
-- For Linux and OSX .. run SiteIni.Pack.Update.sh, located in the home subfolder .WG++\bin or .WG++\bin.net

Usefull links :
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Homepage http://webgrabplus.com  
Online documentation http://webgrabplus.com/documentation  
Online forum http://webgrabplus.com/forum  
Online FAQ http://webgrabplus.com/faq 