Introduction
This article explains how to get "title and meta description" of a URL using ASP.Net. To do that just use the following procedure.
Step 1
Download "Html Agility Pack" from http://html-agility-pack.net/?z=codeplex
I will explain how to use that downloaded file later in this article.
Step 2
Make the design to get the "title and meta description" of a URL.
Code for the design
Default.aspx
  1. <%@ Page Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeFile="Default.aspx.cs" Inherits="_Default" %>
  3. <!DOCTYPE html>
  5. <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
  6. <head id="Head1" runat="server">
  7. <title>Get Title and Descripition of Live URl</title>
  8. <style type="text/css">
  9. .auto-style1 {
  10. width: 100%;
  11. }
  12. .auto-style2 {
  13. height: 15px;
  14. }
  15. .auto-style3 {
  16. height: 15px;
  17. width: 172px;
  18. }
  19. .auto-style4 {
  20. width: 172px;
  21. }
  22. </style>
  23. </head>
  24. <body>
  25. <form id="form1" runat="server">
  26. <div>
  27. <h2>Get Title and Descripition of Live URl</h2>
  29. </div>
  30. <table style="border:groove #00FF99">
  31. <tr>
  32. <td class="auto-style3"><h2 style="width: 167px; height: 20px">Enter Url</h2></td>
  33. <td class="auto-style2">
  34. <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox1" runat="server" Width="530px" style="margin-left: 0px" Height="28px"></asp:TextBox>
  35. </td>
  36. </tr>
  37. <tr>
  38. <td class="auto-style4"><h2>Title</h2></td>
  39. <td>
  40. <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox2" runat="server" Width="528px" Height="29px" Font-Bold="True" Font-Names="Times New Roman" Font-Size="Medium"></asp:TextBox>
  41. </td>
  42. </tr>
  43. <tr>
  44. <td class="auto-style4"><h2>Descripition</h2></td>
  45. <td>
  46. <asp:TextBox ID="TextBox3" runat="server" TextMode="MultiLine" Width="531px" Height="90px" Font-Bold="True" Font-Names="Times New Roman" Font-Size="Medium"></asp:TextBox>
  47. </td>
  48. </tr>
  49. <tr>
  50. <td colspan="2">
  51. <br />
  52. <asp:Button ID="Button1" runat="server" Text="Get" BackColor="#CC6600" ForeColor="#FFFF99" Height="33px" Width="85px" OnClick="Button1_Click" />
  53. </td>
  54. </tr>
  55. </table>
  56. </form>
  57. </body>
  58. </html>
For the code above, the output looks like:
Step 3
Add the reference of the preceding download "HtmlAgilitypack".
Now let's move to the "Default.aspx.cs" code.
In this you require the following namespaces:
  1. using System;
  2. using System.Net;
  3. using System.Text.RegularExpressions;
  4. using HtmlAgilityPack;
The last namespace is available to you, when you add the reference of the above download "HtmlAgilitypack". Now let's concern ourselves with the C# code
The code given below enables you to retrieve the title and meta description of a live "URL" in ASP.Net.
  1. using System;
  2. using System.Net;
  3. using System.Text.RegularExpressions; // Provides access to regular expression related api.
  4. using HtmlAgilityPack;
  6. public partial class _Default : System.Web.UI.Page
  7. {
  8. protected void Page_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
  9. {
  10. }
  11. protected void Button1_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
  12. {
  13. String url = TextBox1.Text;
  14. WebClient x = new WebClient();
  15. string sourcedata = x.DownloadString(url);
  16. TextBox2.Text = Regex.Match(sourcedata, @"\<title\b[^>]*\>\s*(?<Title>[\s\S]*?)\</title\>", RegexOptions.IgnoreCase).Groups["Title"].Value;
  17. GetMetaTagValue(url);
  18. }
  20. private void GetMetaTagValue(string url)
  21. {
  22. var getHtmlDoc = new HtmlWeb();
  23. var document = getHtmlDoc.Load(url);
  24. var metaTags = document.DocumentNode.SelectNodes("//meta");
  25. if (metaTags != null)
  26. {
  27. foreach (var sitetag in metaTags)
  28. {
  29. if (sitetag.Attributes["name"] != null && sitetag.Attributes["content"] != null && sitetag.Attributes["name"].Value == "description")
  31. {
  33. TextBox3.Text = sitetag.Attributes["content"].Value;
  34. }
  35. }
  36. }
  37. }
  38. }
When you write the live "URL" in the "Enter URL" corresponding TextBox then click on the button the output looks like: