Things You Didn't Know About the Magical Tool Merlin
I really like open source software. They save time and money, are adaptable, and are simple to use. But what if there isn't an open source tool available for what you require? Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to use this incredible tool. Merlin, I must add, is a magical tool that can do everything from collect data to analyse it intricately to give you what you need, all while making it appear as though magic was used throughout. I'll try to cover every aspect of Merlin in this blog based on my personal experience and information from the tool's open source contributors, Salsa Digital, so you can determine if it's the best option for you or not.
What is Merlin?
Using the command line programme Merlin, you may convert and move website content (marked up text) to more organised data. The merlin Framework, which offers a standardised process for converting content from a website (markable markup) to more organised data, is used to do this.
The following ideas served as the basis for designing the framework:
- Markup transformation - This entails converting plain HTML or XML into a corresponding JSON representation, or the other way around.
- To compare or integrate two representations into one document, migration entails mapping between the two (e.g., comparing how many contacts are associated with each account)
There is more information available at https://salsadigitalauorg.github.io/merlin-framework/.
Why Merlin?
Migrations are simpler when the appropriate tools are used!
While developing this tool, I learned some things that convinced me it was the best tool for the job.
A wrapper for the open source toolkit is called Merlin.
A free and open source tool for data transformation is called Merlin. Using a single command, it may be utilised to automate complicated pages, media, and attachments across numerous platforms all at once. As a result, information may be sent between systems more quickly than ever before!
Due to its simplicity of use and ease of learning, Merlin facilitates migration. By allowing businesses like yours to utilise Merlin without having to pay licence or royalties, the open source nature of Merlin further lowers expenses.
Markup from the web is ingested by Merlin, which makes it pluggable so that source data can come from any format, including PDF, XML, and other input files.
How to use Merlin?
Merlin is the solution if you're seeking for a programme to assist with content migration from one site to another. The content migration tool begins with a clever spider that assists in finding all information on a website that is accessible to the public (e.g., articles, videos and images). These URLs are divided into content categories in accordance with a set of predetermined guidelines (e.g., news articles vs blogs vs staff profiles). Then, these pages are analysed and dissected down to the field level (e.g., title, publication date, body file attachments, etc.), producing a generic machine-readable format (JSON) that is prepared for ingest into your CMS or other platform.
Visit https://salsadigitalauorg.github.io/merlin-framework/docs/getting-started to learn more about it.
Open source tools are great!
Merlin is available for no cost. Tools that are open source are excellent since they are flexible and simple to use. Merlin is open source, whereas proprietary technology is pricey and restricts you to a single platform or provider (and free).
Merlin simplifies and lowers the cost of transfer if your legacy site is nearing its end of life or has security concerns by combining numerous hosting arrangements into one. This boosts productivity and lowers costs.
Credit references
https://github.com/salsadigitalauorg/merlin-framework
https://salsa.digital/insights/automated-content-migrations-introducing-merlin
