automation query

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:42 pm

Alright, since the boss left, I've been put in charge of getting some websites up & running. Same cookie-cutter websites (more or less -- cosmetic differences), same shitty web-based FTP interface. It is not possible to do a mass download of files thru this interface. This means I'd need to download each file individually. Unfortunately, that means clicking perhaps THOUSANDS of times whilst waiting for the browser to reload the page each ... fucking ... time, in addition to the lag time of saving & selecting where to save the file. I do this to upload it to another FTP server on a different cookie-cutter website hosted by the same fuckers. In short, anyone have some experience simulating clicking & interacting w\ file dialog boxes? Currently have my underling working on it, but he's not having immediate success & I figured I'd pick some brains here before investigating the matter thoroughly or smacking the underling 'round.

Edit : Mass uploading is not a problem. The asymmetry of this place's fucking apps/interfaces is starting to piss me the fuck off something fierce.

Edited By Malcolm on 1183491821

Post by **TPRJones** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:07 pm

I haven't used one since Windows 3.1 so I can't offer specific suggestions, but I bet one of these would do the trick. I used something like these to great success long ago.

Macro'ing: It's not just for videogames.

Edited By TPRJones on 1183493362

DoctorChaos · Post by **DoctorChaos** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 4:57 pm

If I understand it you want to start a bunch of downloads and walk away. Try cURL. I use it for a bunch of automated downloads in my build files.

Post by **TheCatt** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:32 pm

DoctorChaos wrote:If I understand it you want to start a bunch of downloads and walk away. Try cURL. I use it for a bunch of automated downloads in my build files.

Exactly what I was going to say. curl totally rocks the ftp/http automation.

Post by **TPRJones** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:45 pm

Nice! Does it do wildcards and/or subdirectory trees? Or do you have to specify all the files individually?

Post by **TheCatt** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 5:54 pm

It can do anything.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:33 pm

TheCatt wrote:It can do anything.

If it can do all that, I will certainly knock back some shots for y'all. Cheers, mates.

Post by **TheCatt** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:42 pm

So why are you forced to this web-based interface instead of a command line or real FTP program?

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Tue Jul 03, 2007 6:54 pm

TheCatt wrote:So why are you forced to this web-based interface instead of a command line or real FTP program?

Cos the company we use for hosting & the cookie-cutter template has fucking idiots write their web & stand-alone apps. & the CEO won't okay switching it to something that might be sane cos the investors have been on his back. Site was supposed to be up four months ago.

There's some serious asymmetry. I can upload a billion files at once, but I can only download one at a time? WTF? I can import products into multiple categories, but when they export, it prints one entry per product PER category it's in, most certainly creating an entry w\ a duplicate primary key. Their app has a useful tool for grouping variants of products that their web interface doesn't get access to. Their app has a BIG fucking memory leak (sucking up 321K+ by itself when the req's clearly state 96 megs).

On the other hand, the app is the only way to upload more than one product at a time. It's fucking craptacular, man.