How to find a video link in page source?

To find a video link within a page's source code, you need to view the page's underlying HTML and search for specific elements or patterns commonly associated with embedded videos.

Viewing the page source allows you to see the raw code that the browser uses to render the page. While the direct video file link isn't always immediately obvious or even present in the initial static source (especially with dynamic content), it's often embedded within specific HTML tags or associated scripts.

Steps to Find a Video Link in Page Source

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to view the page source and search for potential video links:

1. Open the Web Page: First, open your web browser and navigate to the web page containing the video you are interested in.
2. Access the Page Source:
   • Right-click anywhere on the page (not directly on the video player, if possible).
   • Select an option like "View page source", "Show Page Source", or "View Source" from the context menu. This will open a new tab or window displaying the raw HTML code of the page.
   • Alternatively, you can often use keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl + U (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + U (Mac).
3. Open the Search Function: Once viewing the source code, use your browser's built-in search function to search within this code.
   • Press Ctrl + F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + F (Mac) to open the search bar.
4. Search Using Keywords: This is where having a clue about the video can be helpful, as mentioned in the reference. Use keywords related to common video embedding methods, HTML tags, attributes, or video file types. Type potential search terms into the search bar and press Enter to find matches.
5. Identify the Link: Examine the search results. Look for URLs (http:// or https://) associated with the keywords you searched for. Video links often appear within src or href attributes of HTML tags like <video>, <iframe>, or within <script> tags. The link will typically point to a video file (.mp4, .webm, etc.) or an embed URL from a video hosting service.

What to Search for in the Source Code

When searching the page source, look for the following common terms and patterns:

• HTML5 Video Tag: Search for <video and src=. The video file link is often in the src attribute of the <source> tag within the <video> tag.
• Embed Tags: Search for <iframe> and src=. Many websites embed videos from platforms like YouTube or Vimeo using <iframe> tags, where the src attribute contains the embed URL.
• Source Attribute: Search for src= or href=. These attributes are commonly used to specify the URL of resources, including video files or embed pages.
• Video File Extensions: Search for common video file extensions like .mp4, .webm, .ogg, .mov, .avi, .mkv, etc.
• Keywords related to the Video: If you have a clue about the video's title or topic (like searching for "Mars" as shown in the example), try searching for those terms. Sometimes, parts of the video's metadata or associated identifiers might appear near the video link in the source code.
• Video Hosting Platform Names: Search for names like youtube.com, vimeo.com, dailymotion.com, etc., especially when looking for embed links.

Here is a table of common terms to search for:

By systematically searching the page source using these terms and examining the surrounding code, you can often locate the video link or embed URL. Keep in mind that complex websites using JavaScript to load content dynamically might not have the direct video link immediately visible in the initial static source code.