From: ara.t.howard@...
Date: 2006-10-25T13:47:46+09:00
Subject: Re: Best way to automate web browser tasks?

On Wed, 25 Oct 2006, Hal Fulton wrote:

> ara.t.howard@noaa.gov wrote:
>> 
>> curl?
>> 
>> seriously - do you have to do it via firefox?
>> 
>
> No, I *don't* have to do it via FF or any other browser.
>
> Can curl do that sort of thing? I've never used it
> except for simple sucking-down of pages.
>
> Hal

that, and then some.

here's a script i use to post to sciruby:


     #! /usr/bin/env ruby

     $VERBOSE = nil

     #
     # built-in
     #
       require "getoptlong"
     #
     # setup
     #
       uri = "http://sciruby.codeforpeople.com/sr.cgi"
       moin_id = ENV['SCIRUBY_MOIN_ID']
     #
     # options
     #
       opts = {}

       GetoptLong::new(
         [ "--moin_id",    "-m",            GetoptLong::REQUIRED_ARGUMENT ]
       ).each{|opt, arg| opts[opt.delete("-")] = arg}

       moin_id = opts["moin_id"] || ENV["MOIN_ID"] || moin_id
     #
     # argv
     #
       page, infile = ARGV.shift, ARGV.shift
     #
     # run
     #
       abort "#{ $0 } page [infile or stdin] [--moin_id=moin_id]" unless page

       page = "http://sciruby.codeforpeople.com/sr.cgi/#{ page }" unless
         page =~ %r/^http/

       data = (infile.nil? or infile == "-") ? STDIN.read : open(infile){|f| f.read}

       command = <<-sh
       curl "#{ page }" \
              -s -S --stderr - \
              -bMOIN_ID=#{ moin_id } -A=Mozilla/4.0 \
              -F action=savepage -F comment=curl -F "savetext=<-"
       sh
       command = command.strip.split(%r/\s+/).join(" ")

       STDERR.puts command
       IO::popen("#{ command }", "r+") do |pipe|
         pipe.puts data
         pipe.close_write
         while((line = pipe.gets))
           print line
         end
       end

       abort "command <#{ command }> failed with <#{ $?.inspect }>" unless
         $? == 0


you might also consider http-access2, here's an example

   http://codeforpeople.com/lib/ruby/rubyforge/rubyforge-0.1.1/bin/rubyforge

nearly all of what you need to know is at the begining or the very end.

cheers.


-a
-- 
my religion is very simple.  my religion is kindness. -- the dalai lama