Add "online_chip" to the Google Image Search URL

[garyfeng]

As of Dec 2021, the google image search allows you to refine your searches with UI chip elements -- prepared tags based on the images in the research results.

For example, if you search for "swimming" using the standard google image search on browser, you will see chip UI elements right under the search bar, suggesting "free style", "underwater", "female swimmer", etc. Clicking on one or more of those will refine your search results -- this is reflected in the search URL, e.g., for:

• search term = "swimming"
• chips selected = "underwater", "pool", and "dolphin kick" You get the URL: https://www.google.com/search?q=swimming&tbm=isch&hl=en&chips=q:swimming,g_1:underwater:QMBk9Fu0UUs%3D,g_1:pool:pcMtMsPoOMM%3D,online_chips:dolphin+kick:ECAdxtgRNu8%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjW8MKV44z1AhX_r3IEHaZkDYEQ4lYoAXoECAEQGA&biw=1807&bih=1247

Notes:

• g_1 and online_chip seem interchangeable in my experiment. We can use them as part of the metadata for the images if possible.
• chips=q: is always the same as the q=, and it seems optionable
• the junk that goes after the g_1 and online_chip is optional; you are fine just delete the :QMBk9Fu0UUs%3D and get the same result, for instance.

[garyfeng]

To-do:

• add the cli parameter --online_chip or -oc
• implement the online_chip logic
• URL creation
• test

Additional thoughts:

• file organization -- look into the log feature and export in COCO meta data format?
  • a JSON of filenames and locations,
  • with metadata such as file type, image size, URL, online_chip, download date
• can we add the keyword and online_chip as part of the metadata?

[garyfeng]

Usage:

• -oc "keyword one, keyword two, keyword three"
• --online_chip "keyword one, keyword two, keyword three"

We then parse the string by , into an array, and insert &chips=q:KEYWORD,online_chip:keyword+one,online_chip:keyword+two,online_chip:keyword+three.

Note

• we could use g_1:; I don't know if this makes any difference
• we will ignore the junk in the third position, see below.

&chips=q:swimming,g_1:underwater:QMBk9Fu0UUs%3D,g_1:pool:pcMtMsPoOMM%3D,online_chips:dolphin+kick:ECAdxtgRNu8%3D

[garyfeng]

tested googleimagesdownload -k "swimming free style" -oc "female swimmer" -l 5

closing