Extract information from various web sites

[john]

I would like to develope a system using a web or non-web based client
(FrontPage, Access, etc.) that can send requests to various travel web
site (using our user name and password for each) and extract the
requested pricing and information and compile it together for
comparison. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? I assumed XML
would be the best way to do something like this but would the web site
you are contacting not have to offer an XML interface of some sort to
accept the requests?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Steve Easton]

The term "various" websites confuses me.

Do you mean you want to surf the web and store "fare" information in a database on your
website??

If so you're going to need a whole lot more than FrontPage, you're going to need to write
a client side application using some flavor of Visual Studio and one of its programming
languages.
--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
95isalive
This site is best viewed............
........................with a computer

<jo**@destinytours.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

I would like to develope a system using a web or non-web based client
(FrontPage, Access, etc.) that can send requests to various travel web
site (using our user name and password for each) and extract the
requested pricing and information and compile it together for
comparison. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? I assumed XML
would be the best way to do something like this but would the web site
you are contacting not have to offer an XML interface of some sort to
accept the requests?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[Dirk Goldgar]

<jo**@destinytours.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com

I would like to develope a system using a web or non-web based client
(FrontPage, Access, etc.) that can send requests to various travel web
site (using our user name and password for each) and extract the
requested pricing and information and compile it together for
comparison. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? I assumed XML
would be the best way to do something like this but would the web site
you are contacting not have to offer an XML interface of some sort to
accept the requests?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

With code in an Access application, you can use the Internet Transfer
Library posted here:

http://www.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0037.htm

.... to query web sites and read the HTML they return. It would then be
up to code you would write to parse the HTML to extract the data you
want.

--
Dirk Goldgar, MS Access MVP
www.datagnostics.com

(please reply to the newsgroup)

[clintonG]

search: what is distributed computing
search: what are xml web services
search: what is a smart client

When you are convinced I know how to answer more questions that I need to
ask maybe we can talk about hiring me for a consulting and development
project...

<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

<jo**@destinytours.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

I would like to develope a system using a web or non-web based client
(FrontPage, Access, etc.) that can send requests to various travel web
site (using our user name and password for each) and extract the
requested pricing and information and compile it together for
comparison. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? I assumed XML
would be the best way to do something like this but would the web site
you are contacting not have to offer an XML interface of some sort to
accept the requests?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

[TruthTeller]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 20:28:37 -0500, "clintonG"
<cs*********@REMOVETHISTEXTmetromilwaukee.com> wrote:

search: what is distributed computing
search: what are xml web services
search: what is a smart client

When you are convinced I know how to answer more questions that I need to
ask maybe we can talk about hiring me for a consulting and development
project...

<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/

What a HARSH response. Who would want to hire such a wiseass??

Truth

[john]

We have accounts with various travel suppliers and airlines. If
someone wants a price on a flight or package, we must go to 3-5
supplier sights, login, enter the destination and dates, then get back
to the client with the best option. We avoid doing a lot of this as it
is time consuming. There are a few products out there that do little
more than what I would like to do but charge a lot of money up front as
well as ongoing monthly fees.

Does that explain it a little better?

John

[Steve Easton]

Yes it explains it better.

To do what you want can be done, but it's going to take some programming to build a
client side application.

You're looking at an application created with Visual Studio, or Visual Studio .NET
( or a comparable programming IDE )

That's why the applications that are out there cost money.

imho, if there are applications out there that do what you want, buying one will be much
cheaper than hiring someone to create one for you.

Or you can buy a version of Visual Studio, do a lot of research and trial and error
programming and "roll your own."

However, how much is your time worth??
--
Steve Easton
Microsoft MVP FrontPage
95isalive
This site is best viewed............
........................with a computer

<jo**@destinytours.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...

We have accounts with various travel suppliers and airlines. If
someone wants a price on a flight or package, we must go to 3-5
supplier sights, login, enter the destination and dates, then get back
to the client with the best option. We avoid doing a lot of this as it
is time consuming. There are a few products out there that do little
more than what I would like to do but charge a lot of money up front as
well as ongoing monthly fees.

Does that explain it a little better?

John

[clintonG]

Microsoft is not advocating the use of the outdated JET database you refer
to as Access. I contend if this project were to be implemented using JET and
given the credibility of the business case for doing so, everything we know
about the JET database indicates it would need to be replaced shortly after
deployment. It would be okay to use as a prototype given other business
considerations for doing so but I don't think the OP (John) asked how to
develop a prototype and as I understand it Microsoft is no longer releasing
any new versions of JET.

I agree with Microsoft who now advocates the use of SQL Server 2005 Express
(SQLX) as it provides native support for XML and provides many other
benefits.

Furthermore, John is on a fact finding mission. If he follows my leads he
will become informed of the 'big picture.' For example, I already understand
that he wants to deploy Smart Clients but he doesn't even know what that
means yet. Furthemore, he will soon learn he needs a good plan to get to
where he wants to go.

I mean, the suggestion to use JET as stated at best provides a base level of
backwards compatibility. I think it is important to challenge each
prospective client as it is them and them alone who must determine if they
want to work with a backwards solution when I offer to help them learn to go
forward.
<%= Clinton Gallagher
METROmilwaukee (sm) "A Regional Information Service"
NET csgallagher AT metromilwaukee.com
URL http://metromilwaukee.com/
URL http://clintongallagher.metromilwaukee.com/



"Dirk Goldgar" <[e-mail]> wrote in message
news:OP**************@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

<jo**@destinytours.com> wrote in message
news:11**********************@g47g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com

I would like to develope a system using a web or non-web based client
(FrontPage, Access, etc.) that can send requests to various travel web
site (using our user name and password for each) and extract the
requested pricing and information and compile it together for
comparison. Can anyone suggest the best way to do this? I assumed XML
would be the best way to do something like this but would the web site
you are contacting not have to offer an XML interface of some sort to
accept the requests?

Any suggestions are appreciated.

With code in an Access application, you can use the Internet Transfer
Library posted here:

http://www.mvps.org/access/modules/mdl0037.htm

... to query web sites and read the HTML they return. It would then be
up to code you would write to parse the HTML to extract the data you
want.

--
Dirk Goldgar, MS Access MVP
www.datagnostics.com

(please reply to the newsgroup)

[Dirk Goldgar]

"clintonG" <cs*********@REMOVETHISTEXTmetromilwaukee.com> wrote in
message news:Od**************@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl

Microsoft is not advocating the use of the outdated JET database you
refer to as Access.
You are mistaken in three ways. First, after a period of SQL Server
evangleism, Microsoft has stepped back from recommending "SQL Server
everywhere", and is now recommending Jet databases for appropriate uses.
Second, Access is not Jet, but a user-interface and
application-development program that happens to use Jet as its default
file-server database. Access works just as well with a SQL Server
back-end. And third, this is not a question about data-storage
mechanisms; it's a programming question for which any debate about what
the superiority of one back-end database or another is entirely
irrelevant. John's original question was posted to two Access
newsgroups, from which I think it's reasonable to conclude that he
already has an Access application to which he wants to add this
functionality.
I contend if this project were to be implemented
using JET and given the credibility of the business case for doing
so, everything we know about the JET database indicates it would need
to be replaced shortly after deployment.
I wonder what it is you think you know about Jet. But again, the
question is really about programming, not about databases as such..
It would be okay to use as a
prototype given other business considerations for doing so but I
don't think the OP (John) asked how to develop a prototype and as I
understand it Microsoft is no longer releasing any new versions of
JET.
Jet is currently in maintenance mode, but since various OS components
rely on it, I don't think it's going away any time either. MS currently
doesn't have any other database product that fills the same niche. When
they develop one, I expect Access will work with it.
I agree with Microsoft who now advocates the use of SQL Server 2005
Express (SQLX) as it provides native support for XML and provides
many other benefits.
TTBOMK, Microsoft is not, as a corporation, currently advocating SQLX as
a replacement for Jet. The SQL Server design team may be.
Furthermore, John is on a fact finding mission. If he follows my
leads he will become informed of the 'big picture.' For example, I
already understand that he wants to deploy Smart Clients but he
doesn't even know what that means yet. Furthemore, he will soon learn
he needs a good plan to get to where he wants to go.
Your view of what John is after and what he needs, like mine, is based
on very little information. But I think you're mistaken.
I mean, the suggestion to use JET as stated at best provides a base
level of backwards compatibility. I think it is important to
challenge each prospective client as it is them and them alone who
must determine if they want to work with a backwards solution when I
offer to help them learn to go forward.

I agree with your philosophical statement, but I think you know very
little about Access.

--
Dirk Goldgar, MS Access MVP
www.datagnostics.com

(please reply to the newsgroup)