Document Link Extractor
Document Link Extractor finds inline Markdown links whose destination starts with http:// or https:// and paired HTML a elements with quoted href attributes. It outputs visible label and URL separated by a tab. Relative links, reference links, autolinks, images, malformed markup, nested parentheses, unquoted hrefs, and browser-resolved URLs are not comprehensively handled.
Runs locally — files stay on your deviceDoes it find every link a browser or Markdown renderer would recognize?
No. It matches two simple source patterns rather than parsing either document language.
Link extraction depends on syntax and document base
Markdown and HTML support several link forms. Relative HTML hrefs also require a base URL to become absolute; this page does not resolve them.
How it works
One pattern finds [label](https://...) Markdown links. Another finds paired a tags with quoted href and strips tags from the anchor label.
Key concepts
Extraction does not visit links
No DNS, HTTP, redirect, or safety check occurs.
Relative URLs need a base
Without document location, /about is not a complete external URL.
When to use it
- List simple inline absolute Markdown links.
- Extract hrefs from controlled paired anchor tags.
- Create a quick tab-separated review list.
When not to use it
- Do not expect relative or reference Markdown links.
- Do not use regex extraction for arbitrary malformed HTML.
- Do not treat extracted destinations as safe or reachable.
Worked examples
Markdown absolute link
- Input
[Docs](https://example.com/docs)- Expected output
Docs\thttps://example.com/docs
The inline HTTP form matches.
HTML anchor
- Input
<a href="/about">About</a>- Expected output
About\t/about
HTML hrefs may be relative.
Reference link
- Input
[Docs][ref]- Expected output
Not extracted
Reference definitions are unsupported.
Common mistakes
Assuming all links are found
Many valid syntaxes are outside the patterns. Correction: Use language parsers for completeness.
Treating links as safe
Destination content is not inspected. Correction: Validate before opening or reusing.
Expecting URL resolution
No base URL is provided. Correction: Resolve relative hrefs in document context.
Best practices
- Use controlled source.
- Treat output as untrusted strings.
- Use DOM and Markdown AST parsers for comprehensive audits.
Related operations and differences
HTML to Markdown Converter
Choose HTML to Markdown Converter when you need to convert common HTML elements into clean Markdown.; use Document Link Extractor specifically for extract links.
Markdown to HTML Converter
Choose Markdown to HTML Converter when you need to convert Markdown headings, emphasis, links and lists to HTML.; use Document Link Extractor specifically for extract links.
CSV to Markdown Table
Choose CSV to Markdown Table when you need to turn comma-separated rows into a Markdown table.; use Document Link Extractor specifically for extract links.
HTML to Plain Text
Choose HTML to Plain Text when you need to remove markup, scripts and styles from HTML.; use Document Link Extractor specifically for extract links.
Inline Links to Footnotes
Choose Inline Links to Footnotes when you need to convert parenthesized URLs into numbered footnotes.; use Document Link Extractor specifically for extract links.
Markdown Heading Extractor
Choose Markdown Heading Extractor when you need to list heading levels and text from Markdown.; use Document Link Extractor specifically for extract links.
Limitations and privacy
- Two simple source patterns.
- No reference links, autolinks, images, DOM parsing, base resolution, validation, deduplication, or reachability checks.
Document text is transformed locally in this browser.
Frequently asked questions
Does it open links?
No.
Are reference links found?
No.
Are relative HTML hrefs returned?
Yes, as written.
Are duplicate links removed?
No.