GoComics again

[hendersj]

Probably a known issue, but it seems that again we're getting XPath errors and warnings trying to retrieve strips.

Here's part of my log showing the issue:

GoComics/AndyCapp> Retrieving 3 strips
GoComics/AndyCapp> Saved                                                        
                   '/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/comics/GoComics/AndyCapp/AndyCapp_
                   20260109.gif' (95.6 kB).                                     
GoComics/AndyCapp> Downscaled display size from (900, 251) to (800, 223)
GoComics/AndyCapp> Skipping existing file                                       
                   '/usr/local/apache2/htdocs/comics/GoComics/AndyCapp/AndyCapp_
                   20260108.gif'.                                               
GoComics/AndyCapp> ERROR: XPath                                                 
                   //section[d:class_start("ShowComicViewer_showComicViewer")]//
                   script[@type="application/ld+json"]/text() not found at URL  
                   https://www.gocomics.com/andycapp/2026/01/07.                
GoComics/ArloAndJanis> Retrieving 3 strips
GoComics/ArloAndJanis> ERROR: XPath                                             
                       //section[d:class_start("ShowComicViewer_showComicViewer"
                       )]//script[@type="application/ld+json"]/text() not found 
                       at URL https://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis.            
GoComics/ArloAndJanis> WARNING: XPath                                           
                       //a[d:class_start("ComicNavigation_controls__button_previ
                       ous__")] not found at URL                                
                       https://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis. Assuming no       
                       previous comic strips exist.                             
GoComics/BasicInstructions> Retrieving 3 strips
GoComics/BasicInstructions> ERROR: XPath                                        
                            //section[d:class_start("ShowComicViewer_showComicVi
                            ewer")]//script[@type="application/ld+json"]/text() 
                            not found at URL                                    
                            https://www.gocomics.com/basicinstructions.         
GoComics/BasicInstructions> WARNING: XPath                                      
                            //a[d:class_start("ComicNavigation_controls__button_
                            previous__")] not found at URL                      
                            https://www.gocomics.com/basicinstructions. Assuming
                            no previous comic strips exist.                     
GoComics/BC> Retrieving 3 strips
GoComics/BC> ERROR: XPath                                                       
             //section[d:class_start("ShowComicViewer_showComicViewer")]//script
             [@type="application/ld+json"]/text() not found at URL              
             https://www.gocomics.com/bc.                                       
GoComics/BC> WARNING: XPath                                                     
             //a[d:class_start("ComicNavigation_controls__button_previous__")]  
             not found at URL https://www.gocomics.com/bc. Assuming no previous 
             comic strips exist.                                                
GoComics/BabyBlues> Retrieving 3 strips
GoComics/BabyBlues> ERROR: XPath                                                
                    //section[d:class_start("ShowComicViewer_showComicViewer")]/
                    /script[@type="application/ld+json"]/text() not found at URL
                    https://www.gocomics.com/babyblues.                         
GoComics/BabyBlues> WARNING: XPath                                              
                    //a[d:class_start("ComicNavigation_controls__button_previous
                    __")] not found at URL https://www.gocomics.com/babyblues.  
                    Assuming no previous comic strips exist.                    

The list of affected comics today was:

GoComics/AndyCapp> ERROR: XPath                                                 
GoComics/ArloAndJanis> ERROR: XPath                                             
GoComics/ArloAndJanis> WARNING: XPath                                           
GoComics/BasicInstructions> ERROR: XPath                                        
GoComics/BasicInstructions> WARNING: XPath                                      
GoComics/BC> ERROR: XPath                                                       
GoComics/BC> WARNING: XPath                                                     
GoComics/BabyBlues> ERROR: XPath                                                
GoComics/BabyBlues> WARNING: XPath                                              
GoComics/BloomCounty> ERROR: XPath                                              
GoComics/BloomCounty> WARNING: XPath                                            
GoComics/CalvinAndHobbes> ERROR: XPath                                          
GoComics/CalvinAndHobbes> WARNING: XPath                                        
GoComics/DeepDarkFears> ERROR: XPath                                            
GoComics/DeepDarkFears> WARNING: XPath                                          
GoComics/ForBetterOrForWorse> ERROR: XPath                                      
GoComics/ForBetterOrForWorse> WARNING: XPath                                    
GoComics/Garfield> ERROR: XPath                                                 
GoComics/Garfield> WARNING: XPath                                               
GoComics/OffTheMark> ERROR: XPath                                               
GoComics/OffTheMark> WARNING: XPath                                             
GoComics/Overboard> ERROR: XPath                                                
GoComics/Overboard> WARNING: XPath                                              
GoComics/Peanuts> ERROR: XPath                                                  
GoComics/Peanuts> WARNING: XPath                                                
GoComics/PearlsBeforeSwine> ERROR: XPath                                        
GoComics/PearlsBeforeSwine> WARNING: XPath                                      
GoComics/Shoe> ERROR: XPath                                                     
GoComics/Shoe> WARNING: XPath                                                   
GoComics/WaynoVision> ERROR: XPath                                              
GoComics/WaynoVision> WARNING: XPath                                            
GoComics/WizardOfId> ERROR: XPath                                               
GoComics/WizardOfId> WARNING: XPath                                             
GoComics/Ziggy> ERROR: XPath                                                    
GoComics/Ziggy> WARNING: XPath          

I retrieve 3 days worth each day (in case the previous day or the day before that was missed). It looks like today only AndyCapp's daily was retrieved, as I have an indication of a Saved image from that, but from none of the others. The error for AndyCapp that caused it to show in the list is for the retrieval 2 days back (the retrieval for day 1 is the "Skipping" message).

[jaylubo]

Seeing the same thing, the first two comics downloaded then it starts failing on everything else.

GoComics/Frazz> Retrieving 1 strip
GoComics/Frazz> Saved '/var/www/html/GoComics/Frazz/Frazz_20260110.gif' (127.7  
                kB).                                                            
GoComics/DarkSideOfTheHorse> Retrieving 1 strip
GoComics/DarkSideOfTheHorse> Saved                                              
                             '/var/www/html/GoComics/DarkSideOfTheHorse/DarkSide
                             OfTheHorse_20260110.gif' (59.0 kB).                
GoComics/Brevity> Retrieving 1 strip
GoComics/Brevity> ERROR: XPath                                                  
                  //section[d:class_start("ShowComicViewer_showComicViewer")]//s
                  cript[@type="application/ld+json"]/text() not found at URL    
                  https://www.gocomics.com/brevity.                             

[jaylubo]

If you don't mind the wait bumping the random delays does seem to help for me.

diff --git a/dosagelib/plugins/gocomics.py b/dosagelib/plugins/gocomics.py
index 35bb39fa7..4c968492f 100644
--- a/dosagelib/plugins/gocomics.py
+++ b/dosagelib/plugins/gocomics.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ class GoComics(ParserScraper):
 
     def __init__(self, name, path, lang=None):
         super().__init__('GoComics/' + name)
-        self.session.add_throttle('www.gocomics.com', 3.0, 5.0)
+        self.session.add_throttle('www.gocomics.com', 60.0, 90.0)
         self.url = 'https://www.gocomics.com/' + path
         self.shortname = name
         if lang:

[hendersj]

Thanks, I'll give that a shot, at least as a workaround. I thought it might potentially be related to throttling.