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URL Expander

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Abstract

Build a URL Expander application that expands shortened URLs to their original form. The app provides a GUI for entering URLs and displaying the expanded result. This project demonstrates HTTP requests, URL handling, and GUI development in Python.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.6 or above
  • Text Editor or IDE
  • Basic understanding of Python syntax
  • Familiarity with Tkinter for GUI development
  • Knowledge of HTTP requests

Getting Started

Creating a new project

  1. Create a new project folder and name it url_expanderurl_expander.
  2. Create a new file inside the folder and name it url_expander.pyurl_expander.py.
  3. Open the project folder in your favorite text editor or IDE.
  4. Copy the code below and paste it into the url_expander.pyurl_expander.py file.

Write the code

⚙️ url_expander.py
url_expander.py
"""
URL Expander
 
A Python application that expands shortened URLs to their original form.
Features include:
- Accepting a shortened URL as input.
- Displaying the expanded URL.
"""
 
import requests
from tkinter import Tk, Label, Entry, Button, messagebox
 
 
def expand_url(short_url):
    """Expand a shortened URL to its original form."""
    try:
        response = requests.head(short_url, allow_redirects=True)
        return response.url
    except requests.RequestException as e:
        return str(e)
 
 
class URLExpanderApp:
    def __init__(self, root):
        self.root = root
        self.root.title("URL Expander")
 
        Label(root, text="Enter Shortened URL:").grid(row=0, column=0, padx=10, pady=10)
        self.url_entry = Entry(root, width=50)
        self.url_entry.grid(row=0, column=1, padx=10, pady=10)
 
        Button(root, text="Expand URL", command=self.expand_url).grid(row=1, column=0, columnspan=2, pady=10)
 
    def expand_url(self):
        """Handle the button click to expand the URL."""
        short_url = self.url_entry.get()
        if not short_url:
            messagebox.showerror("Error", "Please enter a URL.")
            return
 
        expanded_url = expand_url(short_url)
        messagebox.showinfo("Expanded URL", f"Original URL: {expanded_url}")
 
 
def main():
    root = Tk()
    app = URLExpanderApp(root)
    root.mainloop()
 
 
if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()
url_expander.py
"""
URL Expander
 
A Python application that expands shortened URLs to their original form.
Features include:
- Accepting a shortened URL as input.
- Displaying the expanded URL.
"""
 
import requests
from tkinter import Tk, Label, Entry, Button, messagebox
 
 
def expand_url(short_url):
    """Expand a shortened URL to its original form."""
    try:
        response = requests.head(short_url, allow_redirects=True)
        return response.url
    except requests.RequestException as e:
        return str(e)
 
 
class URLExpanderApp:
    def __init__(self, root):
        self.root = root
        self.root.title("URL Expander")
 
        Label(root, text="Enter Shortened URL:").grid(row=0, column=0, padx=10, pady=10)
        self.url_entry = Entry(root, width=50)
        self.url_entry.grid(row=0, column=1, padx=10, pady=10)
 
        Button(root, text="Expand URL", command=self.expand_url).grid(row=1, column=0, columnspan=2, pady=10)
 
    def expand_url(self):
        """Handle the button click to expand the URL."""
        short_url = self.url_entry.get()
        if not short_url:
            messagebox.showerror("Error", "Please enter a URL.")
            return
 
        expanded_url = expand_url(short_url)
        messagebox.showinfo("Expanded URL", f"Original URL: {expanded_url}")
 
 
def main():
    root = Tk()
    app = URLExpanderApp(root)
    root.mainloop()
 
 
if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

Key Features

  • Accept shortened URLs as input
  • Display expanded URLs
  • GUI interface for user interaction

Explanation

Expanding URLs

The app uses the requestsrequests library to follow redirects and expand URLs:

url_expander.py
response = requests.head(short_url, allow_redirects=True)
return response.url
url_expander.py
response = requests.head(short_url, allow_redirects=True)
return response.url

Displaying Results

Expanded URLs are shown in a Tkinter message box:

url_expander.py
messagebox.showinfo("Expanded URL", f"Original URL: {expanded_url}")
url_expander.py
messagebox.showinfo("Expanded URL", f"Original URL: {expanded_url}")

Running the Application

  1. Save the file.
  2. Install required dependencies:
pip install requests
pip install requests
  1. Run the application:
python url_expander.py
python url_expander.py

Conclusion

This URL Expander project is a great way to learn about HTTP requests and URL handling in Python. You can extend it by adding batch expansion, URL validation, or analytics features.

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