Invoke Click On A Button On A Website With A Class Name? - c#

I am working with the web browser in C# and I was wondering how can I invoke a click on
How does one invoke a click on a button on a site that has a class name?
For example on some sites they have an ID attached to their buttons so the way in clicking the button would be:
webBrowser1.Document.GetElementById("ID NAME HERE").InvokeMember("click");
...but I need it for a button that uses a class instead of an ID

Ok, I think I get it what you are saying. You have this browser object you are using. OK, try GetElementsByTagName and try all the tags you expect to have the class name, could be p,a,div,span, etc but that's on you because you are looking for a class name, you could also try using XPath if that supports it, either way you will be getting back a collection of tags, then you must loop through them, check the existence of that class name then "click" it. Otherwise, I'm lost on this one dude.

Related

Programmatically Clicking on a Web Page's Button in Windows Forms Application

I am working on a project which is Analysis of Papers from Google Scholar. What I do is basically, parsing the HTML, storing related fields into database etc. However, I am stuck at a point, while I am taking the Titles of the publications, I realized, I am able to get first twenty elements. But, there are sixty papers in related account:
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=B7vSqZsAAAAJ
So, I think as a solution, I need to click to the 'show more' button programmatically, so I can have all the Title's, Publication Venue etc.
What do you think? How can I perform that kind of action?
Edit: I checked the 'show more' button, while there is nothing to show as a next page, its html code still remains same. As a solution I can use loop for n times. However, I am looking for more robust solution.
Thank you for your time!
If it is clicking on a button within a WebBrowser control on a Windows Form Application, then 'Yes' you can do it.
There are ways of getting more control over identification by using XPath.
(You might need to use Javascript to use XPath for object interactions - since you haven't asked for that, I will assume you don't need it)
webBrowser.Navigate("http://www.google.com");
// Or
HtmlElement textElement = webBrowser.Document.All.GetElementsByName("q")[0];
textElement.SetAttribute("value", "your text to search");
HtmlElement btnElement = webBrowser.Document.All.GetElementsByName("btnG")[0];
btnElement.InvokeMember("click");
Or even typing into text boxes with
webBrowser1.Document.GetElementById("gs_tti0").InnerText = "hello world";
If its this website specifically, there is a simple workaround. Change the query string to what records you want.
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=B7vSqZsAAAAJ&cstart=0&pagesize=2000

How does FindViewById() work?

I'm new in mobile app development. I'm using Xamarin to develop Android applications. In the hello world app in the OnCreate method I see the following code:
Button button = FindViewById<Button>(Resource.Id.MyButton);
So I'm trying to create my own button the same way. I create the button in the designer and inside OnCreate method put the line:
Button myOwnBtn = FindViewById<Button>(Resource.Id.MyOwnBtn);
That gives me an error that there is no MyOwnBtn. Then I'm looking the code of Id class and see there a line like:
public const int MyButton=2123344112;
If I put there the line:
public const int MyOwnBtn=2123344113;
Everything works fine. But as I understand it should be generated automatically or it will be a little bit difficult to put there a unique number for each control.
Can anybody tell me what I am doing wrong? And how does FindViewById() work?
You have to give the id MyOwnBtn to the Button that you created in the designer.
findViewById is a method of the View class and it looks for a child view having the id that you provided in the argument.
From official documentation:
Look for a child view with the given id. If this view has the given id, return this view.
MyButton id is not a const value, It will change every launch.
The Activity or ViewGroup's findViewById() method returns a view that already has an id. The findViewById() method should be used in conjunction with XML layouts to provide a reference to the View that was defined in the XML file.
Edit: Not entirely sure if my answer is relevant to Xamarin. I apologize if I have mislead people, I am referring to Java Android application development.
When you declare a button in your .xml file, you should set an id for it (Usually it is done using string.xml file). After that, R.java will be updated automatically and set a number to your declared id and you can access your button by that id like what you have done.
It will try to find it from the XML file that you inflate. So make sure you inflate the correct xml file. This code inflates the xml:
SetContentView (Resource.Layout.MainLayout);
Even if you got the correct id created in a xml file, if you don't inflate it first, the system won't be able to find that view since it is not inflated.

WebBrowser and javascript

I am working with a website that has javascript that does some changes on the page load. However, when I load the page and handle the DocumentCompleted event, this change isn't there. If I then continue paste the DocumentCompleted event, I can see the change happen. However I need this change to happen during DocumentCompleted so I can check some things.
Is there an other event I can subscribe to, or a way to cause the webBrowser to do all the javscript on page?
Edit: This is what I am talking about.
I loaded a sample page just to show you, and clicked the submit button with all fields empty to generate an the error.
Here is the result:
http://s8.postimage.org/zfv6stcar/sfsdfsdfds.jpg
Now if I take the HTML at that precise moment from that WebBrowser control, and render it somewhere else, those errors go away. The same thing happens when the server sends back those errors. If I handle the DocumentCompleted event and take the html, it isnt there. But after the event, it shows up in the control.
Hope you understand, it's hard to explain.
The problem seems to be that the DocumentCompleted event is being fired before the javascript. You should do some reading on how client side/server side things function.
One option is to make a separate method for the DocumentCompleted event and call it form the javascript after it has been completed. This would get the sequencing of these events working properly, but is not very ideal.
Alternatively, you could call the javascript code at the beginning of your DocumentCompleted event. The link below gives a pretty good explanation of how to go about that.
http://forums.asp.net/t/1117189.aspx/1
Personally, I would avoid using javascript and do the validation on the client side .NET, but I don't know enough about the website to really say.
EDIT:
This should be the script you are looking for. Alternatively here is a thread related to your issue. Sorry I don't have the exact code as I don't have a project to test this on.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.web.ui.clientscriptmanager.registerstartupscript.aspx
Calling JavaScript Function From CodeBehind
RE-EDIT:
What is happening on the link you provided in the comments, is that each textbox is calling some javascript as well as the submit button. The best way to examine this is using the "Inspect Element" in the right-click menu on Google Chrome. For example, doing this on the textbox would show that it is registered with a few events:
onfocus="$('f_tip_Username').style.display = 'inline'"
onblur="$('f_tip_Username').style.display = 'none'"
onchange="$('f_err_Username').style.display = 'none'"
The first the element with the ID 'f_tip_Username', sets the display style of that element to inline (visible).
The submit button calls the following:
onclick="return o_edit_profile_form.validate()"
Doing a find on "o_edit_profile_form" in the source code, you can find the exact javascript location that is being called. Enjoy!
FINAL EDIT (hopefully?):
Follow these steps: go to your site, right click and go view source. Do a find for "f_tip_Username". This is the ID of one of the div tags being used. The third entry of it, should be a "div tag" that is used under the first textbox to warn of "min 3 characters".
You'll notice above that in the code is a input type "text" with the Name "Username". Notice the three events it has registered in it:
onfocus="$('f_tip_Username').style.display = 'inline'"
onblur="$('f_tip_Username').style.display = 'none'"
onchange="$('f_err_Username').style.display = 'none'"
These either hide or make visible, the div tag we found (f_tip_username) and also a separate div tag (f_err_Username) which is the error message div tag. Let me know if you are not able to find these in the source. Follow the steps I provided and you will find it in the "view source" OR in the DocumentText.

How to click an element (hyperlink) on a webform from C#, when it does not have any ID and Name

For the last two weeks I have been kind of stuck on a problem.
I am developing some web scrapers using C# and I am using a WinForms WebBrowser control in my application. I am able to fill up the web form which is opened in my browser and submit it automatically by using the following code:
HtmlElement submitButton = document.GetElementById("Element_ID″);
submitButton.InvokeMember(“click”);
So far everything is fine, but the problem is that there is one another element in the web form that I want to click too, but this element does not have any id or name so I don't know how to click this one.
Please help me as soon as possible I need it for my master thesis.
(I want to click the next page arrow button in the give website:
http://www.gelbeseiten.de/yp/11//subscriberlist_pageAction.yp?sessionDataString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAI2PQU8CMRCFfw0XSEmns9128k5KongwGjFeSZftIqILbhcVf70NSgg3X-pbyXjLfvCFpqsbbIMpwbVRRuaBELKm6iew5T4gLFUpdmKpewJAGD8xV7JaxalfpdZX6mP31bH4WQfZblJehXcd2tGvr0WwbunVIKbYIZjjKmoa3atct4RSh-pA/S912oY4qhWzyjJkLvPZV4P4JetNFHYWOG2OoCH4pZlyU-pjWdhjS/LY2sp7-p1lLCLOGXwTLqpT1XSqOiXcpE3Xzw-pncUtGSDNp0ZZwR0we92TxSHjIX0x-pIQM-p0AZuciLl7M/kGE-pmcGjIOsvEpTB-pADJS0suGAQAA&page=0&filterTrade=-&filterFunction=-&sortBy=sort_trade&availableLetters=ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW )
I've written many web-scrapers in the past using embedded WebBrowsers, so you've come to the right place.
When the element does not have a name you need to find it by either content, or another associated element that is named.
In the first instance we wrote helper methods to iterate the hierachy looking for a specific piece of content within an element.
For the second option you get the named element and use a specific index for the desired child.
A combination of both (find a specific parent then look for a child with the right content)
In your specific example webpage, the next page anchor has a class type of "arrow next" you can search for.
You could do
HtmlElement next_arrow = document.GetElementsByTagName("a")
.Cast<HtmlElement>()
.Where(e => e.GetAttribute("class") == "arrow next")
.FirstOrDefault();
if (next_arrow != null)
{
next_arrow.InvokeMember("click");
}
Here's a trick, not by InvokeMember("click") rather just "simulating the click" -
this is the link for the first page:
gelbeseiten.de/yp/11//subscriberlist_pageAction.yp?sessionDataString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAI2PQU8CMRCFfw0XSEmns9128k5KongwGjFeSZftIqILbhcVf70NSgg3X-pbyXjLfvCFpqsbbIMpwbVRRuaBELKm6iew5T4gLFUpdmKpewJAGD8xV7JaxalfpdZX6mP31bH4WQfZblJehXcd2tGvr0WwbunVIKbYIZjjKmoa3atct4RSh-pA/S912oY4qhWzyjJkLvPZV4P4JetNFHYWOG2OoCH4pZlyU-pjWdhjS/LY2sp7-p1lLCLOGXwTLqpT1XSqOiXcpE3Xzw-pncUtGSDNp0ZZwR0we92TxSHjIX0x-pIQM-p0AZuciLl7M/kGE-pmcGjIOsvEpTB-pADJS0suGAQAA&page=0&filterTrade=-&filterFunction=-&sortBy=sort_trade&availableLetters=ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW
as you see page=0; clicking next, gives the link -
gelbeseiten.de/yp/11//subscriberlist_pageAction.yp?sessionDataString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAI2PQU/DMAyFf00vmzLFdprE8gkmwTggEENcp3RNxxh0o-pmA8euJBlO1G0-p-pvCf58zNwUzW-pDKyQalSmckExl6DqJpKnPCEuVbDaYFUvBcEIFXgVu1Ws2nV6Xac-pZn89X5xFwoed2MvQbmI73rf1eL4L3SakFFsJOBpnzcJbte9W4hSI-pQ/S912oY4qhWz5LDSC992Dl/QR60ahPki2OZKeNfCgiba18oicmLV8lTcoS8t6BJ8zsHMo3yEU1VE1D1ZmWm7Tt-psXxtNwCMmjS4BhJ7oDAy72WR5CH/MT0l1HQEVa46QDK2Z/JsTyhcdIAWrZeGy8/k7LJ5YQBAAA-e&page=1&filterTrade=-&filterFunction=-&sortBy=sort_trade&availableLetters=ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVW
now page=1
and so on... in general clicking next means page=(x+1) clicking prev means page=(x-1). so build a string according the requirements. this addresses ur problem, however there are some other data also sent with querystring, that u have to append to the string as well.

Form action attribute not working - have to click submit button twice

I have a button called btnSubmit where i set the Form action attribute to a URL like so.
Protected Sub btnSubmit_Click(ByVa....
Form.Attributes.Add("action", "http://now.eloqua.com/e/f2.aspx")
End Sub
This does work but for some reason it only works after I clicked the button the second time. Why is this and how can i fix this?
I am using ASP.NET 3.5 with VB.NET(C# code is also fine)
What I actually want to do it do some code on the submit and then as soons as everything is complete, then set the form action attribute where it must send the form data to another location at that URL.
Thanks in advance!
Fabian is right.
Your code executes on the serverside, after the first submit.
To do what you want, you'll need to emit some javascript using the scriptmanager, which executes in the client, since it will all have to happen before the submit happens in the first place.
Use Page.ClientScript.RegisterClientScriptBlock() to emit a script block with a suitable function which does your stuff, then sets the form's action attribute. Call that function from the button using the OnClientClick attribute.
It doesn't work the first time because the form on which the attributes are added is already rendered.
The first time you click the button, it sets the form attribute, the second time you click it, it's submitting the form that you edited the first time round...
You might want to set the form attribute at some other point in the page lifecycle.
If you need to retain the POST data between pages you might want to use Server.Tranfer. See here for a most excellent explanation: Using asp.net, how do I redirect a user and change the POST data at the same time?

Categories