[AccessD] Scroll button

> jwcolby:
>
> ... I would dearly LOVE to programmatically find the data in the web page
> and insert it myself but I do not know how to do that...
>

Well, there is the RIGHT way to do it, and the WRONG way... ;)

First, the RIGHT way:

Build a web service that allows you to update the records in a completely
generic, standards-compliant way. Any properly-credentialed client could add
or update information on the site. This would add the most value to what you
are giving your client.

SOAP
On the web side, you first would build a WSDL file which describes the
service, then you would have to build a web service that supports entering
the data, and returning success or an error. On the Access side, there are
SOAP and REST COM automation objects that let you interact with a web
service via VBA. I have used the SOAP object with VBA to interact with a PHP
SOAP web service that I built, and it works.

Here is an overview, using the SOAP Toolkit 2.0...
http://www.soapuser.com/client4.html

The latest is SOAP Toolkit 3.0 -- here is an example on the VBA side:
http://oreilly.com/pub/h/1306

REST
REST web services are simpler than SOAP, because you don't have to build a
WSDL file describing the service. Calling is simpler, too, because you just
create GETs or POSTs with data to URIs. Actually, building the web service
is easier, too, because you don't have to decode a SOAP XML request to
figure out what to do.

Excel, VBA, and REST URLs - A Sample Application
http://developer.webtrends.com/community/dx/blog/2009/08/26/excel-vba-and-rest-urls--a-sample-application

How to call web services with REST instead of SOAP
http://www.oreillynet.com/windows/blog/2004/09/how_to_call_web_services_with.html

REST is not CRUD, and here’s why.
http://blog.punchbarrel.com/2008/10/31/rest-is-not-crud-and-heres-why/


Then there is the WRONG way:

Automate Internet Explorer to fill in the forms programmatically. This is
wrong because it binds you to a particular browser, and will break if they
change their web page.

You would start an IE instance in code, and traverse the DOM tree for the
page until you found the HTML that held the web controls you were looking
for, and fill them in, and programmatically 'click' and update control.

Depending on the complexity of the HTML page, and how it is structured, this
could be moderately easy or very hard. If they want to interact with the
browser while your program is working, that may add additional complexity.

Automate Internet Explorer
http://www.codeforexcelandoutlook.com/excel-vba/automate-internet-explorer/

InternetExplorer Object
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa752084%28VS.85%29.aspx

-Ken