wasm_transcript_browser

This project generates a searchable transcript browser from local .srt files and ships it as a WebAssembly web app.

Type a word or phrase, click a match, and it opens the exact timestamp in the matching YouTube video. You can also copy a direct timestamped link.

What it does

• Parses subtitle files (.srt) from a local folder.
• Generates a packed transcript index (build/entries.inc) at build time.
• Compiles a C codebase to main.wasm and serves it with a small HTML/JS shell.
• Provides instant text search over all transcript text.
• Creates timestamped YouTube links from search hits.

How the pipeline works

1. build_file.c defines a hard-coded source folder:

   • folder_to_create_transcript_for

2. During build, src/prototype/prototype.meta.c:

   • scans .srt files in that folder,
   • parses subtitle entries,
   • normalizes text (lowercase, removes punctuation, turns - into spaces),
   • writes generated data to build/entries.inc.

3. src/prototype/main.c includes that generated file and compiles to WASM.

4. The browser app (package/index.html + package/main.wasm) renders a custom UI and handles link open/copy actions.

Transcript filename format

To build correct YouTube links, filenames are expected to include the 11-char YouTube ID wrapped in one character on each side at the end of the name (commonly brackets).

Example:

• My Video Title [dQw4w9WgXcQ].en.srt
• My Video Title [dQw4w9WgXcQ].srt

The app extracts the video ID from the ending token and creates links like:

• https://youtu.be/<id>?feature=shared&t=<seconds>

Build

Prerequisites

• clang (or gcc/MSVC depending on your platform)
• Python 3 (for local static server)

Linux

./build.sh

Windows

build.bat

Build output of interest:

• build/entries.inc (generated transcript index)
• package/index.html
• package/main.wasm

Run locally

From package/:

python3 -m http.server 8080

Then open:

• http://localhost:8080

Windows helper script:

• package/run_server.bat

Configuration notes

• Update transcript source folder in build_file.c before building.
• The current build file also contains hard-coded deploy commands (ssh/scp) in build_prototype_wasm_target; remove or update those for your own environment.

Project status

This is an older personal project with a custom C build/codegen stack. The rough edges are expected, but the core idea works: local transcript ingestion + fast search + one-click timestamped YouTube links.