Internet Explorer Automation

[Roberto Diaz Jr]

I've been looking around the forums but haven't come across a way of easily interfacing with internet explorer and accessing the DOM. Below is an example that works in Python.

from  win32com.client import Dispatch
import time
ie = Dispatch("InternetExplorer.Application")
ie.Visible = 1

# Navigate to google
ie.Navigate("http://www.google.com/")

while (ie.ReadyState != 4): time.sleep(3)

ie.Document.getElementById("q").Value = "test"

The basic Idea is to be able to control internet explorer through PowerBASIC as if a user was entering information into forms and pressing submit buttons. I know its possible through OLE/COM but I have no idea where to start with that. Any ideas of what samples I can look at that might help me get started with something like this. Thanks.

[Roberto Diaz Jr]

Looking through sample files...

I found the Web Browser sample file that comes with PB and have been studying it. I looked through the WebBrowser.inc file and I saw the methods like Navigate, etc. However I didn't see anything that would allow me to directly access the DOM.

Does anyone know if there's a modified inc file with those extra methods built in to do something similar to the python code? Or any help on what I might be able to do to recreate that functionality.

So far I was thinking I could try programming my own method that parses the document and retrieves or sets values but I'm assuming creating a parser that can handle all the nuances of imperfect html code would be kind of hard.

[José Roca]

However I didn't see anything that would allow me to directly access the DOM.

These methods and properties are in MSHTML.TLB. Use the COM browser to generate an include file for them.

[Roberto Diaz Jr]

Thanks!

Ok, cool, I'll go and try that out right now.

[Roberto Diaz Jr]

Hmmm...

Included the MSHTML but now compiler is complaining about an undefined type Tag__userBITMAP do you know where that definition is located.

[José Roca]

If you're willing to use my new include files

http://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=2819.0

instead of the ones provided with the compiler, this is what you will need:

#COMPILE EXE
#DIM ALL
#INCLUDE "exdisp.inc"
%USEHTMLWRAPPERS = 1
#INCLUDE "mshtml.inc"

FUNCTION PBMAIN () AS LONG

   LOCAL ie AS IWebBrowser2
   LOCAL pDoc AS IHTMLDocument2
   
   ie = NEWCOM "InternetExplorer.Application"
   IF ISNOTHING(ie) THEN EXIT FUNCTION
   ie.Visible = 1
   ie.Navigate UCODE$("http://www.google.com/")

   WHILE (ie.ReadyState <> 4)
      apiSleep 3
   WEND

   pDoc = ie.Document
   IF ISOBJECT(pDoc) THEN
      IHTMLDocument_setElementValueById(pDoc, "q", "test")
   END IF
   
END FUNCTION

[José Roca]

I have posted an example in my forum that explains step by step how to do it, It also clicks the submit button to perform the search.

http://www.jose.it-berater.org/smfforum/index.php?topic=2824.0