Word Cloud GUI Application

A graphical user interface application that creates word clouds from website content. Simply enter a website URL and the application will automatically fetch the content, process the text, and generate a beautiful word cloud visualization.

Features

• Modern GUI: Responsive two-panel layout with rich styling and handy keyboard shortcuts
• Web scraping: Automatically fetches and processes content from any website
• Customizable options:
  • Adjust maximum number of words
  • Set minimum word length filter
  • Choose from multiple colour schemes even after the cloud is generated
  • Switch background colours on the fly to preview different looks
• Real-time progress: Progress bar and status updates during processing
• Demo shortcuts: One-click demo URL loader for instant experimentation
• Save functionality: Export word clouds as PNG or JPEG images
• Smart text processing: Automatically removes common stop words and HTML tags

Installation

1. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Run the modern interface:

   python word_cloud_gui_modern.py

   Prefer the classic layout? Run python word_cloud_gui.py instead.

What's New

• Live styling updates: change the colour map or background after generation without reprocessing the webpage.
• Streamlined processing queue keeps the app responsive between runs.
• Refreshed UI styling with clearer status messaging and demo URL picker.

Usage

1. Enter Website URL: Type or paste a website URL in the input field.
2. Adjust Options (optional): Configure maximum words, minimum word length, colour scheme, and background colour before generating.
3. Generate: Click "Generate Word Cloud" (or press Ctrl+Enter / F5) to create the visualisation.
4. Tweak Styling: Select new colour schemes or backgrounds to immediately refresh the cloud.
5. Save: Once satisfied, use "Save Image" to export the word cloud.
6. Clear: Use "Clear" to reset the display.

Supported Websites

The application works with most public websites that allow web scraping. Some websites may block automated requests or require special handling.

Dependencies

• matplotlib: For creating and displaying visualisations
• wordcloud: Core word cloud generation library
• requests: For fetching website content
• beautifulsoup4: For parsing HTML content
• Pillow: For image processing
• tkinter: GUI framework (included with Python)

Example Websites to Try

• News websites (BBC, CNN, etc.)
• Wikipedia articles
• Blog posts
• Company websites
• Documentation sites

Troubleshooting

"Error fetching website":

• Check if the URL is correct and accessible
• Some websites block automated requests
• Try a different website

"No valid words found":

• The website might have very little text content
• Try lowering the minimum word length
• Check if the website loaded properly

GUI not responding:

• The application processes content in the background
• Wait for the progress bar to complete
• Large websites may take longer to process

Original Word Cloud Example

This GUI application is based on the original word_cloud_example.py which demonstrates basic word cloud creation with sample data. The GUI version extends this functionality with web scraping and a user-friendly interface.