Description

plr is a command-line utility that can help prevent link rot by automatically archiving links to the Internet Archive. It works on markdown or plain text.

Installation

TODO: AUR package, double check the following commands:

$ git clone https://lifesgood123/prevent-link-rot && cd prevent-link-rot
$ python3 -m venv .
$ source bin/activate
$ pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

$plr -if inputfile.md -of outputfile.md

plr's file arguments are optional; it defaults to standard input and output.

TODO: to return just a list of links, add the command-line flag -list

About

Link rot is real, it is common, and it is pervasive. What is link rot? Link rot is essentially the process by which hyperlinks cease to function, usually because the web page or server they point to has moved or has become permanently unavailable. It has existed since the internet began. An example of its influence can be seen as recently as 2000, when a study found that within 24 months, 50% of .com domains and 20% of .gov domains were no longer viable. [1] Another study found that 70% of links in Harvard Law Review and 50% of links within the United States Supreme Court opinions are no longer viable. [2] If we are to take the internet as a primary resource seriously, then we seriously need to think about undertaking a better way of long-term preservation of link contents.

This is a fork of schollz/prevent-link-rot. Full credit for the original library and logic should go to schollz. This fork cannibalizes the project with a KISS attitude. The goal is to create a small but useful command-line utility and an accompanying library that can be integrated into other projects.

Todo

• return a list of links instead of the full markdown contents with the -list command-line flag

• add the archive links commented out to the markdown content so the admin can un-comment as needed

• automatically ignore links that don't work (like nytimes) or provide alternative methods for them

• allow domain whitelists (so you aren't archiving links to your own website automatically)

• Detect relative links and fill in the original address to be able to convert (need a command-line option for the baseurl)

  • Find Relative Links
  • Figure out if link is relative to root, or directory ("./" or "/", or "")
  • Join Links