Grab-a-Site

Note: This program is not supported anymore, but it can still be downloaded and used with the limitations mentioned on this page.

Although you need a constant connection to the Internet in order to stay up to date with the latest changes on a website, there are various circumstances that require offline browsing. In this regard, Grab-a-Site puts a handful of tools at your disposal with the help of which you can get ahold of nearly any web page out there, along with its content.

Once the application is launched, you are greeted by a simple interface, with the majority of functions kept either in categories from the upper toolbar or context menu entries. The rest of the space is cleverly organized to provide quick access to project content, as well as downloaded files.

Setting up a project requires you to go through a series of steps in order to specify the target URL, add notes, select the number of levels to be downloaded, as well as specifying the file types to grab.

Depending on the complexity and the quality of your Internet connection, it can take from several seconds up to a few minutes to complete the process. A real time updating log displays elements that are being downloaded along with status, size, level, exact URL, as well as the amount of received data.

Whenever you consider you've grabbed enough or simply feel like the process takes forever to complete, there's always the possibility to hit the “Stop” button, without discarding already downloaded items.

Your projects can be made up of multiple target URLs that are cleverly displayed in a tree view for easy navigation. Accessing the context menu gives you the possibility to view the specific item's properties, edit, and export either the whole tree or a single page.

For a preview, you can either do this with local tools, or through a web browser of your choice, but you need to provide its executable file path. What's more, you can add an external application to act as an HTML editor which immediately launches along with the content you triggered it for.

The application can be set to only search for specific file formats in case you know exactly what you're looking or, or simply to reduce time needed to download. Moreover, all gathered files are easily exported to a directory of your choice at the press of a button, so you can use it in other projects.

All things considered, Grab-a-Site might not be or feel like a professional application of its kind, but don't let visuals fool you. Simplicity in design lets you quickly get acquainted, with configuring and putting the process in motion being easily done by anyone, regardless of experience. So whether you're saving content on your hard disk drive to use later on or simply get ahold of some files, the application can easily get the job done.