software recommendation

[Greg Barniskis]

fbsd_user wrote:
> I am looking for am application that will simulate a browser and
> allow me to program responses to filling in forms from the internet
> application the browser is accessing.
> 
> I have read about this type of thing before and even seen it
> mentioned on this list but at the time I had no interest in it. I
> don't even know what this type of function is called so I can not do
> a successful web search or ports search. I tried the words scraping,
> session capture, and browser session simulation all with no luck.
> 
> Does anyone know what this is called or the port name if there is
> one?

If you like Perl at all, take a look at WWW::Mechanize and its 
companion modules, e.g.:

./devel/p5-Test-WWW-Mechanize
./devel/p5-Test-WWW-Mechanize-Catalyst
./www/p5-WWW-Mechanize
./www/p5-WWW-Mechanize-FormFiller
./www/p5-WWW-Mechanize-Shell

There are probably (many) other Perl modules that would be of 
tremendous usefulness, but WWW-Mechanize is specifically designed 
for what you are asking.

http://search.cpan.org/~PETDANCE/WWW-Mechanize-1.18/lib/WWW/Mechanize.pm

-- 
Greg Barniskis, Computer Systems Integrator
South Central Library System (SCLS)
Library Interchange Network (LINK)
<gregb at scls.lib.wi.us>, (608) 266-6348