Overview

A simple python wrapper for Google's Search API, enabling programatic web and image searches.

Key Features

• Web and image search functionality using Google Custom Search JSON API.
• Customizable search queries and result limits.
• Formatted search results including titles, links, snippets, and images.
• Error handling for missing credentials or invalid queries.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x

Dependencies

The following Python packages are required:

• requests: For making HTTP requests to the Google API.
• python-dotenv: For loading environment variables from an .env file.

Installation

To use this wrapper, clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/RMNCLDYO/Google-Search-API-Wrapper.git
cd Google-Search-API-Wrapper
pip install -r requirements.txt

Obtaining Google Custom Search API Credentials

Obtaining an API Key

1. Visit the Programmable Search Engine introduction page.
2. Scroll down to the middle of the page and click on 'Get a Key' to generate your API key.

What is a Programmable Search Engine?

A Programmable Search Engine allows you to search google via the API, using Google's core search technology. You can customize it extensively, including the look and feel, search features, and even link it with Google Analytics for user behavior insights.

Creating a Programmable Search Engine

Before using the Google Custom Search API, you need to create a Programmable Search Engine. Follow these steps:

1. Visit the Programmable Search Engine Control Panel.
2. Name your search engine and specify what to search:
   • Choose specific sites or the entire web.
3. Set your search settings, such as enabling image search and/or SafeSearch.
4. Complete the reCAPTCHA verification and create your search engine.
5. Once created, find your Search Engine ID (cx parameter) in the Overview page's Basic section.

Configuration

1. Once you've obtained your API key and CX id, add them to your .env file.
2. Create a new file named .env in the root directory, or rename the example.env file in the root directory of the project to .env.
3. Add your API key and CX id to the .env file as follows:

   api_key=your_api_key_here
   cx=your_cx_id_here
   

4. The application will automatically load and use the API key and CX id when making API requests.

Usage

Text Search Example

from google_search_api import GoogleSearchAPI

print(GoogleSearchAPI().response(method='text', max_results=5, query='Your text prompt'))

Image Search Example

from google_search_api import GoogleSearchAPI

print(GoogleSearchAPI().response(method='image', max_results=5, query='Your image prompt'))

Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

Please refer to CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed guidelines on how to contribute to this project.

Reporting Issues

Encountered a bug? We'd love to hear about it. Please follow these steps to report any issues:

1. Check if the issue has already been reported.
2. Use the Bug Report template to create a detailed report.
3. Submit the report here.

Your report will help us make the project better for everyone.

Feature Requests

Got an idea for a new feature? Feel free to suggest it. Here's how:

1. Check if the feature has already been suggested or implemented.
2. Use the Feature Request template to create a detailed request.
3. Submit the request here.

Your suggestions for improvements are always welcome.

Versioning and Changelog

Stay up-to-date with the latest changes and improvements in each version:

• CHANGELOG.md provides detailed descriptions of each release.

Security

Your security is important to us. If you discover a security vulnerability, please follow our responsible disclosure guidelines found in SECURITY.md. Please refrain from disclosing any vulnerabilities publicly until said vulnerability has been reported and addressed.

License

Licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.