if you know the name of the form elements, you can manually construct the POST statement. Entering the text into a textbox only allows the browser to use it to create the POST statement.
Google should help you out if you search for "vb.net create POST statement" On 30 Dec 2008, 17:49, "Ron B." <[email protected]> wrote: > Thanks to Kaarthik & Arsalan. A couple of followup questions... > > I do not need the user to interact with the webpages the program hits > - so the overhead of System.Net.WebBrowser is somthing I am trying to > eliminate. Two questions: > > 1) Given Arsalan's example, can I take the value of sHTML and force > that into an HTMLdocument object so I can use methods like > "GetElementsByTagName"? > > For example: > Dim w As System.Net.WebClient > Dim sHTML As String > w = New System.Net.WebClient > sHTML = w.DownloadString("http://www.google.com";) > dim x as HTMLdocument > x = sHTML > debug.print x.GetElementsByTagName("INPUT").item(2).value > > 2) Does the System.Net.WebClient have the ability to intereact with > the webpage? Meaning I need to specifically enter data into text > boxes and click on buttons. (Using the POST method - which I see it > will do - won't work for what I need.) > > For example: > Dim w As System.Net.WebClient > Dim sHTML As String > Dim x as HTMLdocument > w = New System.Net.WebClient > sHTML = w.DownloadString("http://www.google.com";) > x = sHTML > x.GetElementsByTagName("INPUT").item(2).value = "LookForThisValue" > x.All.GetElementsByName("btnG").click > sHTML = w.downloadstring() > > I am sure this won't work, but does the WebClient have the ability to > recognize the objects on the page and interact with them this way or > am I barking up the wrong tree. I am sure there is a way - obviously > if the WebBrowser control can do it, I should be able to do it without > the WebBrowser control. I just need to know if WebClient is what I > need to research or if I have to go to a lower lever and access ports > directly and go right to the TCPIP level. (Again, simply building a > POST transaction won't work in all cases.) > > Thanks so much for your help.
