When a website lacks a traditional "Next" button and instead has pagination like "Next 10 pages" or jumps to non-sequential pages (e.g., from page 1 directly to page 11), you need to adjust your pagination strategy.
Here's how to handle this scenario:
Note:
This method works for both missing "Next" buttons and jump-style pagination by targeting the specific page number links instead.
Step 1. Create a Pagination Loop
In your Octoparse workflow, click on the visible page number (e.g., "2" or "11") in the pagination bar
Select Loop click single URL from the action options
Step 2: Adjust the XPath to Locate the Correct Next Page
Click on your pagination element in the workflow
Replace the default XPath with:
//a[@class="on"]/following-sibling::a[1]
This XPath specifically targets:
The currently active page (marked with class="on")
Then selects its immediate sibling link (the next available page number)
Finalize and Test:
Apply the XPath changes
Run a preview to verify the pagination works correctly
Adjust the XPath further if needed to handle your specific website structure
Why This Works:
The modified XPath bypasses the missing "Next" button by directly finding the next numbered page link
It's flexible enough to handle jumps in page numbering (like from 1 → 11 → 21)
Works similarly for both numbered pagination and missing "Next" button scenarios
💡Tip: If the pagination is particularly complex, consider combining this with batch URL generation for maximum reliability.