Bunpro Progress Updater is a desktop application designed to help Japanese language learners efficiently master vocabulary on the Bunpro platform. It solves the problem of manual data entry by automating the “mastery” process for vocabulary learned on other platforms like Wanikani and Anki.
Key Features
- Multi-Source Import:
- Direct API integration with Wanikani to fetch learned vocabulary.
- File parsing for Anki text exports.
- Web Automation: Uses Selenium to log in to Bunpro and interact with the web interface just like a human user, marking items as mastered.
- Desktop GUI: A clean PySide6 (Qt) interface that separates the complex automation logic from the user experience.
- Progress Tracking: Allows filtering by JLPT levels (N5-N1) to target specific study goals.
Tech Stack
This project demonstrates proficiency in:
- Python: Core logic and application structure.
- PySide6: Building responsive desktop GUIs.
- Selenium: Advanced browser automation for sites without public write APIs.
- Pandas: Data manipulation and vocabulary list processing.
- REST APIs: Consuming the Wanikani API.
Challenges & Solutions
- Recursive Page Navigation: The application uses a recursive crawling algorithm to navigate through pagination on Bunpro decks. This ensures that as the bot masters items, it correctly processes dynamic page structures without missing items.
- Robust Data Parsing: User-generated Anki decks often contain inconsistent formatting. I implemented a custom Regular Expression (RegEx) parser to strip out metadata, formatting tags, and noise, extracting only the pure vocabulary terms needed for matching.
- Dynamic DOM Interaction: Bunpro’s modern web interface relies heavily on JavaScript. The automation script handles complex states—like dropdown menus that only appear on interaction—using intelligent explicit waits to ensure stability across different network speeds.
How it works
The application functions as a bridge between your “knowledge” sources and your “practice” destination.
- Ingestion: It builds a normalized list of “known words” by hitting the Wanikani API or parsing local Anki text exports.
- Authentication: It launches a controlled browser instance to securely log in to the Bunpro dashboard.
- Crawling: Based on selected JLPT levels (e.g., N5, N4), the bot navigates to specific decks.
- Matching & Action: It iterates through every card. If a word matches your “known” list and hasn’t been mastered yet, the bot automatically triggers the specific UI interactions to “Mark as Mastered,” saving thousands of manual clicks.
Key Code Snippet
The following snippet demonstrates the recursive logic used to navigate through deck pagination. This approach was chosen over a simple loop to better handle dynamic page loading and potential network interruptions during long execution times.
def edit_deck(self, page, stop_page, deck):
"""Navigates through deck pages recursively to mark vocabulary as mastered"""
try:
self.driver.get(f"https://bunpro.jp/decks/{deck}?page={str(page)}")
# Intelligent wait for deck cards to populate
WebDriverWait(self.driver, 10).until(
EC.presence_of_all_elements_located((By.CLASS_NAME, "deck-info-card"))
)
# ... (logic to process vocabulary items on current page) ...
# Recursive call to process the next page
if page < stop_page:
self.edit_deck(page + 1, stop_page, deck)
except (NoSuchElementException, TimeoutException) as e:
logging.error("Failed to process page %d: %s", page, e)“A tool that automates login and vocabulary updates on Bunpro, saving users significant time and effort.”