Step-by-step guide to run Python script on Windows 11 PC

Step 1: Install Python

1. Go to the official Python website:
   https://www.python.org/downloads/
2. Click the big yellow button “Download Python 3.x.x” (the latest version is fine).
3. Open the downloaded file (python-3.x.x-amd64.exe).
4. Important: On the first screen, check the box that says
   ☑ Add python.exe to PATH
5. Click Install Now.
6. Wait until it says “Setup was successful”, then click Close.

Step 2: Open Command Prompt

1. Press the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. Type cmd and press Enter.
3. A black window (Command Prompt) will open.

Step 3: Install the required packages

In the Command Prompt window, copy and paste these two commands one by one (press Enter after each):

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

python -m pip install requests beautifulsoup4

Wait until both finish (you should see “Successfully installed…”).

Step 4: Create the Python file

1. Open Notepad (search for “Notepad” in the Start menu).
2. Copy the entire final script I gave you (the last version that includes radical + stroke count).
3. Paste it into Notepad.
4. Click File → Save As.
5. In the “Save as type” dropdown, choose All Files (*.*).
6. Name the file exactly:
   lexlist_crawler.py
7. Choose a easy location, for example your Desktop.
8. Click Save.

Step 5: Run the script

1. Open Command Prompt again (or use the same one).
2. Go to the folder where you saved the file.
   If you saved it on the Desktop, type this and press Enter:

   cd Desktop

3. Now run the program:

   python lexlist_crawler.py

What you will see

• The script will start checking IDs one by one.
• You will see lines like:
  ID 0001 → 一 | 一部 | 1 畫 | yī
• It will take a long time (several hours) because it waits 1.2 seconds between each request to be polite to the website.
• When it finishes, a file named lexlist_full.csv will appear on your Desktop.

You can open the .csv file with Excel or Google Sheets.

Tips

• Do not close the Command Prompt window while it is running.
• If you want to stop it early, press Ctrl + C.
• If you get an error saying “python is not recognized”, it means Python was not added to PATH. Reinstall Python and make sure the “Add to PATH” box is checked.