Question 1

How do I generate a PDF with custom headers and footers using Chrome PHP?

Accepted Answer

Use the `pdf()` method with options like `headerTemplate` and `footerTemplate`. The README provides examples with placeholders for page numbers and titles, allowing you to customize the output easily in a few lines of code.

Question 2

Chrome PHP vs Puppeteer: which is better for PHP projects?

Accepted Answer

Chrome PHP is ideal for PHP-centric teams as it integrates natively with PHP, avoiding context switching. However, Puppeteer (Node.js) has a larger ecosystem and more community support, so if you need extensive libraries or are in a Node.js environment, Puppeteer might be preferable.

Question 3

How to handle sites with heavy JavaScript when scraping with Chrome PHP?

Accepted Answer

Use the `evaluate()` method to execute JavaScript on the page and wait for events like `Page::NETWORK_IDLE` with `waitForNavigation()` to ensure all scripts are loaded before extracting data, as detailed in the navigation examples.

Question 4

Can Chrome PHP run in a Docker container?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but you need to install Chrome/Chromium in the container and use the `noSandbox` option to avoid permission issues. The README mentions this as a common configuration for containerized environments.

Question 5

How to debug issues with Chrome PHP?

Accepted Answer

Enable the `debugLogger` option to output verbose logs to stdout or a PSR-3 logger. You can also disable headless mode with `'headless' => false` to visually inspect browser actions, as shown in the debugging section.

Question 6

What's the performance impact of using Chrome PHP for screenshot generation?

Accepted Answer

Taking screenshots involves rendering the page in Chrome, which can be slow for complex pages. Optimize by using clipped screenshots or adjusting quality settings, but expect higher latency compared to lightweight scraping tools.

Chrome PHP

What is Chrome PHP?

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Pros & Cons

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Frequently Asked Questions