Re: Program to Submit to forms [message #173923 is a reply to message #173918] |
Thu, 12 May 2011 23:30 |
Jerry Stuckle
Messages: 2598 Registered: September 2010
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Senior Member |
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On 5/12/2011 3:43 PM, Charlie wrote:
> On May 12, 9:26 am, Jerry Stuckle<jstuck...@attglobal.net> wrote:
>> On 5/12/2011 7:25 AM, Charlie wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> On May 12, 12:21 am, Denis McMahon<denis.m.f.mcma...@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 11 May 2011 18:02:40 -0700, Charlie wrote:
>>>> > Every reference to form handler ... blah
>>
>>>> Charlie.
>>
>>>> You asked two questions. One question was "Can I do x using php?"
>>
>>>> The answer is yes, and that was the answer you were given.
>>
>>>> If you meant to ask "How do I ..." then ask "How do I ..."
>>
>>>> The other question you asked was "Can I do x using other languages?" and
>>>> again you were given the answer yes, because yes is again the correct
>>>> answer.
>>
>>>> If you're looking for a method to make a php script load a page from a
>>>> website, look at the curl module of php.
>>
>>>> Assuming you have an array of website urls and some formdata, you could,
>>>> for example, use a foreach loop to iterate over the array and curl to
>>>> submit the formdata to each website in turn.
>>
>>>> curl:http://www.php.net/manual/book.curl.php
>>>> foreach:http://www.php.net/manual/control-structures.foreach.php
>>>> arrays:http://www.php.net/manual/language.types.array.php
>>
>>>> Rgds
>>
>>>> Denis McMahon
>>
>>> Lessons on grammar and trivialities such as loops are not productive.
>>> Nor is the use of singular when referring to an aspect of PHP
>>> consisting of 15 different functions, and reference to a page that
>>> lists options such as "starting a session" and "getting information on
>>> transfers and handles" without explanation as to what they mean or if
>>> they relate to what I want to do.
>>
>>> If I want to load a page from a website, you ask? I thought I
>>> explained exactly what I want. (I referred to 10 arbitrary URLs to
>>> make it clear that the URLs are variable and arbitrary rather than
>>> being a single constant URL that might open up the possibility of a
>>> hard-coded solution not appropriate for my needs.)
>>
>>> But if nobody is willing to simply talk about PHP code that does what
>>> I want (without a barrage of undefined alternate functionality to wade
>>> through) I will just pay someone from India to explain it. His
>>> English might be even worse than mine, but his sarcasm and
>>> condescending level are nonexistant (which also counts.)
>>
>>> Thanks
>>
>>> Charlie
>>
>> With that attitude, you will need to pay someone to help you.
>>
>> Denis's answer was correct - and considering no one here knows your
>> level of expertise, I think his comments on loops were fine.
>>
>> As for his comments on curl - he's also correct in pointing you in the
>> right direction. Sure there are several functions available - but the
>> doc is pretty good on what they do.
>
> etc.
>
> Well, if he was sincere, then my apologies. :)
>
> But it seemed obvious to me what I was asking and it is frustrating
> when someone knows something and "points you in the right direction"
> instead of just saying which one it is (same number of keystrokes.) I
> like to think that if someone asks me a question, I give them a couple
> of specifics - like the actual function and a brief description of how
> to use it.
>
> I just don't see the point of saying "curl" instead of "curl_exec" or
> whichever one it is. I have to spend 30 minutes going through and
> trying to figure out 15 functions (and very special ones at that)
> because he couldn't type 5 more characters.
>
That's because it will take more than one function to do it. It's not a
simple one-liner; you also have to set the proper options, parse input
data (if you retrieve the page), set up output data, etc.
> Yeah, it's free. But really, whatever the price, if I do something I
> do it for real.
>
> Someone who had volunteered to help a standards group I also helped
> once said that he wasn't going to do a lot of the job because "I'm
> doing it for free." I felt like saying, "You knew the pay scale when
> you applied for the job. What if your secretary said "My salary's too
> low - I'm not going to do half the job."? If you're not going to do
> the job, let someone else who will do it." but I didn't.
>
> Not going to happen? To me writing code (using constructs that I
> know, of course) is like writing English. If someone asks how to do
> something that I know how to do, I just do it - write the code, here's
> the function. I don't give a link to 15 functions and say it's one of
> them, go figure it out. It will happen if someone asked me and I knew
> the answer. My posts tend to be pretty long and detailed.
>
Writing code is how I (in part) make a living. I can't eat if I give
everything away. Most here are in the same boat. We'll give advice to
help you get on the right track, but not write the code for you -
especially if it's more than a few lines.
You'd be surprised what some people have come in here asking be done for
free!
> So I guess I have to learn to ignore the ones that really don't help
> that much. I'm thinking it can't be that much to post to a form on
> another URL.
>
> Of course I could be wrong.
>
It takes some coding, but it's not all that difficult. But there are
problems such as your code breaking if they change the page you're
posting to - as well as keeping track of everything which needs to be
posted.
Of course, if you're making this generic, you don't have those problems
- but then you have to parse each page to determine what's required -
much more difficult.
> I AM a big perfectionist, actually.
>
> I voted for Ross Perot. (Look up his interviews. Multi-billionaire
> who talked about people becoming lazy after World War II and America
> losing its edge. He got 15% of the vote.)
>
I know all about Ross. He didn't get my vote. :)
> Charlie
>
--
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Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex(at)attglobal(dot)net
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