[Tool Request] Cengage E-Reader Ripper (toast.ooo)

submitted 3 weeks ago by grillgamesh@toast.ooo to c/piracy@lemmy.dbzer0.com

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I've got legal, authorized access to cengage's ebook platform. HOWEVER: their built-in ereader is absolute CRUD. Does anyone have a tool that can create an epub or pdf from a given cengage book?

I've already checked libgen, anna, ebsco, and the online databases. the book isnt already on there, so once I rip it, it'll get uploaded by me.

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[-] bl_r@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 3 weeks ago

I haven’t used that e reader in 3-4 years, but I remember using ublock to kill some of the scripts they had to allow me to copy/paste into my notesheet and stuff like that. It also made it slightly less shit to read

I’m not really able to help out right now beyond what I said, but fuck cengage, their books were such a pain to read. Fuck paying 120$ to rent that sack of shit for 90 days.

Good luck with this.

[-] grillgamesh@toast.ooo 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I've actually started writing a script... but it's currently erroring out when trying to save the content, because selenium is stupid.

if you want to help out, here's the git: https://github.com/grillgamesh/CENGAGE_RIPPER/tree/main

[-] grillgamesh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 3 weeks ago

I CANT FUCKING GET THIS FILE STUFF TO WORK

IT FINDS THE ELEMENTS JUST FINE

BUT CANT FUCKING SAVE IT

(also hi from migrated account, i'm on dbzer0 now \o/)

[-] grillgamesh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

https://library.bz/main/uploads/272C3A69705B306903AB3371B67E38DA

i did it by hand. god i fucking hate cengage. I'm washing my hands of this bullshit. if someone else wants to take over the github project, feel free. I'm fucking done. I'm off to get drunk and sleep.

[-] grillgamesh@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 weeks ago

A story of commits.

good fucking riddance. I'm done.

[-] borari@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

I don’t have a cengage account, so I can’t actually do do anything with the Python and test it, and I’m obviously unaware of the http responses you get from the site or how any of it works.

Two things jumped out at me while glancing through the script though. First, you close the login tab, then when you try to parse the html content from the ebook tab you reference tab [1]. I usually use the requests library bc I’m posting payloads and stuff so I rarely use selenium, and I’ve never fucked with tabs, but with the first tab closed won’t the ebook tab be first in the index, so [0]? Second, look up how to set a proxy for selenium, download the community edition of burp suite, then proxy all your traffic in the script through burp. You’ll then be able to see all your http requests and all the http responses from the server, which will probably help you debug much more effectively.

Edit - if you even care anymore haha.