getting db data from an HTML page [Archive]

wooliewillie

01-29-03, 05:07

I have need to get data from a web siite that is across the internet on a web site. The only thing is that the server is not mine and my only access to it is via html pages. From my server I want the user to enter some data into a form, which I will then submit to the server in NY. The server in NY will return two fields. I then need toenter these two fields into a form on the NY server and submit it. The NY server returns a list of records, one per line in a grid (which is html). On each line of the gird is a button labeled "details". If this button is pressed another page opens with more info about the record. On my server I need to build a page showing some data from the grid and some data from the "details" page.

What tool can I use to post the data to the various forms from my server to the NY server? Some mentioned using serverXMLHTTP, but how do I Post with it? And then the data comes back. How do I parse the info coming back? It comes back as html, not XML, as far as I can tell.

Any help is appreciated.

playernovis

01-30-03, 12:31

well.... you have two ways, the hard way and harder way.

I'd probably use some HTTP activeX component and GET and PUT and .... data from the web page automatically. This expects that you know little bit about HTML and HTTP protocol.... simply say you can easily simulate your clicks on the web page, you get get a text from a web page.... check this http://www.dart.com/powertcp/web.asp there are some cheaper ActiveX components... you can do your own...

The other way is to use special software for data extraction from web pages..... it cannot do everything, but maybe it can do exactly what you need, so it takes you minutes to get what you need to get.... check this http://www.lencom.com/VisualWTSite.html http://www.extradata.com this will have probably two stages.... getting data from first page and getting data from second page.....

uh I almost forgot, there is FREE EXCEL2000 way. I used it and although it is not the best, it is free and even non-programmer can do it. Excel can get data from HTML page (this can be fully automated). The question is if your web page uses GET or POST method......

jiri
:)