Web.Headers

One of the most widely used functions in Power Query is the Web.Headers function. This function is used to retrieve the headers of a web page, which can be useful when working with web data sources. In this article, we will take a closer look at the M code behind the Web.Headers function, and explore its various use cases.

Understanding the Web.Headers function

The Web.Headers function is a built-in function in Power Query that is used to retrieve the headers of a web page. Headers are pieces of information that are sent between a client and a server as part of an HTTP request and response. These headers contain metadata about the data being transferred, such as the content type, encoding, and language.

The Web.Headers function takes a single argument, which is the URL of the web page whose headers you want to retrieve. Here is an example of how to use the Web.Headers function in Power Query:

In this example, we first use the Web.Headers function to retrieve the headers of the web page at the URL https://www.example.com. We then extract the field names from the first record in the resulting table, which gives us a list of the headers.

Use cases for the Web.Headers function

The Web.Headers function can be used for a variety of purposes in Power Query. Here are some common use cases:

1. Retrieving metadata about a web page

The Web.Headers function can be used to retrieve metadata about a web page, such as its content type, encoding, and language. This information can be useful when working with web data sources, as it can help you understand the structure of the data and how to work with it in Power Query.

2. Checking the status of a web page

The Web.Headers function can also be used to check the status of a web page, such as whether it is currently available or not. This can be useful when working with web data sources that may be unreliable or subject to downtime.

3. Testing web service APIs

Finally, the Web.Headers function can be used to test web service APIs by sending HTTP requests and examining the resulting headers. This can help you understand how the API works and what data it returns, which can be useful when integrating the API into your Power Query workflows.

In this article, we have explored the M code behind the Power Query M function Web.Headers. We have seen how this function can be used to retrieve headers from web pages, and we have discussed several common use cases for the function. If you are working with web data sources in Power Query, the Web.Headers function is a powerful tool that can help you extract and transform your data with ease.

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