[RndTbl] auto fill in web forms

[Loren Card]

Hi Dan,

I've done this in C# using 'WatiN' <http://watin.sourceforge.net> and also
in Python using 'pywinauto' <http://pywinauto.openqa.org> and PAMIE <
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pamie>. The WatiN page also references a
project for ruby called Watir <http://wtr.rubyforge.org> but I have not used
it.

I haven't done this kind of thing from a Mac.

Watir works on Mac, but like I said, I have not tried it. That would be my
first approach if I were working from a Mac.

One thing which helps alot is a Firefox plugin called 'Firebug' <
http://www.getfirebug.com>. It can help you quickly navigae javascript and
identify elements of interest in page source. (There's also a devloper
toolbar for IE which fills a similar need, but I haven't seen anything for
Safari...)

Happy hacking!


-Loren

On Sun, Jan 11, 2009 at 7:18 PM, Dan Martin <ummar143 at shaw.ca> wrote:

> Problem:  to automatically fill form fields in a web page based on
> changing criteria.
>
> I am sure this problem crops up in a number of areas.  In my case, I
> place buy and sell orders (different variations) for stocks on my
> broker's web page.  By the time I enter all the info and go through
> one or two confirmatory screens, the price has often changed and the
> order cannot be executed.
>
> I would like to have a script that would offer me a choice of trading
> account and stock to select.  It would then calculate how many shares
> I could afford from the given account, and enter the info into the web
> page and subsequent pages, perhaps stopping before the very final
> confirmation.  Ideally, I would like visual confirmation of what has
> happened.
>
> It appears that the broker's web page (https) contains Java script
> forms.
>
> Possible Solutions:
> 1)  Use Applescript to control the Safari web browser on my Mac.
> Applescript can call a bash shell (or vice versa) to allow programmed
> control.
> 2)  A perl script using "mech" (WWW::Mechanize).
> 3)  A script which calls curl.
> 4)  other?
>
> I am unfamiliar with these technologies, and I have only a vague idea
> about how they would work.
>
> Does anyone have suggestions on these or other approaches?
>
> Dan Martin
> GP Hospital Practitioner
> Computer Scientist
> ummar143 at shaw.ca
> (204) 831-1746
> until Jan 21: (204) 219-6685
> answering machine always on
>
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