Hi all,

we have seen more and more users who needs to download something from a closed web site or perform various automation against a web site. Because of this we have started to develop a Web automation Task.

Now, we cannot foresee all scenarios so we need your help with test cases that are interesting to you.

The Web automation Task will be released in several steps but there are two different things that is interesting;

1. click, select, download, upload
2. extract data from a web site

Let us know how you want to use this Task and describe in detailed steps from the page you start with to every click.

UPDATE
2016-05-23: We now have a first version of our test application. The purpose of the application is to make sure it is working for you.
2016-07-18: We know have our first implementation of Web Macro Task. See latest updates and status here: http://www.visualcron.co....aspx?g=posts&t=6772 

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By closed web site, do you mean a website that requires login? Will this web automation task be able to login to a site if we provide the credentials?
Great initiative by the way, this could be useful.

Thomas

By closed web site, do you mean a website that requires login? Will this web automation task be able to login to a site if we provide the credentials?
Great initiative by the way, this could be useful.

Thomas

Yes, sorry, by closed web site I mean either a local web site or a public which requires credentials. Yes, this Task will be able to login if you provide credentials.

We hope that we can get access to your test cases - otherwise we cannot test them ourselves.

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First test client published - bring the test cases on 😁

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Would this require foreground (i.e. a real user session) or will it presumably run in the background using whatever credential/session you specify like any other task?

Brian

Would this require foreground (i.e. a real user session) or will it presumably run in the background using whatever credential/session you specify like any other task?

Brian

Hi Brian - we have added this information to the first post. This is one of the great advantages of many other tools that it can be run in background without any window.

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Cool I just tried it and it worked!

Couple of things that we could need:

1) The ability to change a datepicker using a date as a variable. I guess this one is a bit tricky if it is done just by recorded clicking, but if it is a GET request with date as variable it should be possible right? More generally speaking, will any variable that is a part of a GET url, be available for manipulation?

2) We have a site where we need to log in, and once we are in we have to fire a url (with a bunch of variables), that triggers a download of an excel sheet. I doubt I can share the credentials for this site with you for testing, but I can ask them, maybe they can provide a test account.

3)We need to open a site, change some date, and print a screen - that is, send to printer using the default settings.

Just to explain, some of the cases are because we have auditors who visit us and request documentation. They may ask us to print out a screen of a given site, for all dates between let's say, 01 January and 01 September. (Auditors are a bit weird...). That is a lot of manual work, so this tool would be perfect for stuff like this.

Thomas

Cool I just tried it and it worked!

Couple of things that we could need:

1) The ability to change a datepicker using a date as a variable. I guess this one is a bit tricky if it is done just by recorded clicking, but if it is a GET request with date as variable it should be possible right? More generally speaking, will any variable that is a part of a GET url, be available for manipulation?

2) We have a site where we need to log in, and once we are in we have to fire a url (with a bunch of variables), that triggers a download of an excel sheet. I doubt I can share the credentials for this site with you for testing, but I can ask them, maybe they can provide a test account.

3)We need to open a site, change some date, and print a screen - that is, send to printer using the default settings.

Just to explain, some of the cases are because we have auditors who visit us and request documentation. They may ask us to print out a screen of a given site, for all dates between let's say, 01 January and 01 September. (Auditors are a bit weird...). That is a lot of manual work, so this tool would be perfect for stuff like this.

Thomas

1. the idea is that you first record a click for example, then, during record or after record you can edit the keys sent etc - and when editing you can use a Variable that will be translated in runtime
2. I see, you will be able to test this later
3. yes, print is one of the methods we will add

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We're currently testing this, we are going to a page where it requires authorization, i would like to know what should be my steps.

Am i suppose to use Launch New Instance or Go to Webpage first? Or my first step should be Authorization?

If using Authorization as first step, I put in the URL of the destination, then it has the following fields:
- Element Path: what do we put here?? I use the select button, put in the URL again and go, and then I'm on the login page, but what do i do from this point on?
- Element Frame: same question as above, what to put in here?
- UserName (this I know)
- Password (this i know)

Please advise!

We're currently testing this, we are going to a page where it requires authorization, i would like to know what should be my steps.

Am i suppose to use Launch New Instance or Go to Webpage first? Or my first step should be Authorization?

If using Authorization as first step, I put in the URL of the destination, then it has the following fields:
- Element Path: what do we put here?? I use the select button, put in the URL again and go, and then I'm on the login page, but what do i do from this point on?
- Element Frame: same question as above, what to put in here?
- UserName (this I know)
- Password (this i know)

Please advise!

Please look at the instructions. Besides just pressing Record you should do exactly as you do in your normal browser. In your case I think it was navigating to ebay, press login, enter details, click on links.

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Hello!

We've did the testing and I was able to get through every point without a problem, but I do have a few concerns, please see the following screenshot and my concerns below:
  payment_report_screen.jpg (588kb) downloaded 72 time(s).
Concerns:
1. On the 2 date fields, we need to use yesterday's date for both fields, I can't test that right now, I just manually keyed it in, but I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, just need to make sure that we can use that variable there.
2. Once I click on Generate, the report generated would be the first one on the first and will have a "In Progress" with a Refresh link on there.
We will need to be able to set a pause here, maybe say 3 - 5min pause then click on the refresh button, then we can click on the download.

3. Since there's a whole list of download buttons, I'm not sure how it will work out, how would it know which download button to hit?
I was able to download the file without a problem though, did it a few times while testing. But I had this concern because each day when a new report is generated it probably has a different code/report ID behind that button. Here's what I got from Copy Link Location on that download button, not sure if this helps clarifying my concern:

https://sellercentral.am...referenceId=157704016946 

Thanks!

Hello!

We've did the testing and I was able to get through every point without a problem, but I do have a few concerns, please see the following screenshot and my concerns below:
  payment_report_screen.jpg (588kb) downloaded 72 time(s).
Concerns:
1. On the 2 date fields, we need to use yesterday's date for both fields, I can't test that right now, I just manually keyed it in, but I'm sure that wouldn't be a problem, just need to make sure that we can use that variable there.
2. Once I click on Generate, the report generated would be the first one on the first and will have a "In Progress" with a Refresh link on there.
We will need to be able to set a pause here, maybe say 3 - 5min pause then click on the refresh button, then we can click on the download.

3. Since there's a whole list of download buttons, I'm not sure how it will work out, how would it know which download button to hit?
I was able to download the file without a problem though, did it a few times while testing. But I had this concern because each day when a new report is generated it probably has a different code/report ID behind that button. Here's what I got from Copy Link Location on that download button, not sure if this helps clarifying my concern:

https://sellercentral.am...referenceId=157704016946 

Thanks!

1. yes, you will be able to use a Variable
2. we will add a manual pause action
3. right now, we use a relative approach which might work best for you because I guess you only want to click on the top one? But I think we will make it optional, to choose relative path or find object by name.

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We have updated the first post so it includes a link to latest build of VC where parts of the Web Macro Task has been implemented. Please add all feedback to the beta forum post. Thank you!

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Please test the latest full Client/Server implementation here: http://www.visualcron.co....aspx?g=posts&t=6772 

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Hello, I am new to the forum and to visualcron also. In my company we are looking on doing web automation also. What I am trying to do, is this: I need to read an excel document that includes name of employee, reason for absence, start date and end date. Afterwards I want to read the excel line ( I believe i will read all the excel lines with a loop). Afterwards, by using web macro I want to select the appropriate values on our internet site, instead of a user doing so. Is that possible?
Hi! I am new to visualcron and I am using 8.2.5 version. In my company we are interested on doing a web automation. Until now users have to login to our site and select reason of absence and when they want to start and end. So instead of users having to do those steps, we want to fill in an Excel document the reason of absence and the dates. Afterwards I want to crate an automation of this: VC will read the last Excel file ( every time will be created a new Excel file) and by reading line by line, by using web macro, to have a task that will choose the values inserted in the Excel.

Hi! I am new to visualcron and I am using 8.2.5 version. In my company we are interested on doing a web automation. Until now users have to login to our site and select reason of absence and when they want to start and end. So instead of users having to do those steps, we want to fill in an Excel document the reason of absence and the dates. Afterwards I want to crate an automation of this: VC will read the last Excel file ( every time will be created a new Excel file) and by reading line by line, by using web macro, to have a task that will choose the values inserted in the Excel.

Theoretically yes. You can use the Excel - Get cells Task and read some rows. Then put the follow up Task in a loop and use the loop Variables in the Web macro Task. There are some number of questions though, like if you need to login with different users etc.

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Thanks for the response.
No, all the data will be imported by one user account. So I just need to create a variable and give it the data from the Excel - Get cells Task? The fields I want to be filled in by the web macro, are date picker fields.