description_sourceforge.txt

httpanalyzer, source code for delphi

This project automates Http-requests i.e. all browser activities can be logged/written to XML-formated files and redone by using simple methods.
This is very useful for automating http-server-requests e.g. queries to search engines, external databases.

Status: implementation for Perl already completed and ready-to-use.

Idea behind:
Probably you have already written a small script which queries/loads an external webpage. Due to the natur of the internet, links, addresses and the parameter/names of the webpages/formulars can change very fast. If you queries are hardcoded it will take quite a massive amount of time to adjust your program code to these changes. 

The solution is to keep all the information which is necessary for your http-request in external xml-files. 

Therefore you have 4 benefits:
1) your source code does not need to be changed
2) you only have to adjust the external xml-files
3) the xml-files can be easily generated by logging your browsers activities.
4) You will never again lookup what data (e.g. in form posts) is send manually, this can be recorded and saved to the xml-files automatically. Therefore you will save a huge amount of time.


The project contains of two parts:
1) the XML-format: 
   it describes what the http-request are doing
2) a reference PERL package
   which can run i.e. performs the http-request as specified in the XML-files.



Programming languages:  PERL, [JAVA, Phyton, Ruby will follow]

Q: Used libraries for the PERL reference implementation: 
A: -XML::TreeBuilder;

Q: Supported OS platforms or environments:
A: all systems running Perl, Java, Phyton or Ruby. 
 
Q: Description of the problem the software will solve:
A: automating complicated http-request. 

Q: A list of the major obstacles (technical problems) your team will need to overcome in writing this software:
A: software is already working. Hopefully further ideas will be generated due to this publication.

Q:The major features which will be included in your software (an itemized list is preferred).
-XML-Format for describing http-actions
-Source code for reading and executing these descriptions
 
Q: If applicable, a listing of the existing data formats your software will use, software with which your project will interoperate, network protocols supported, etc.
-HTTP,
-XML
 
Q: Information about any existing work (i.e. links to existing source code or web sites related to the project). 
A: source code already existing, working and in daily use. The source code will be uploaded at source forge for further develepment under the GPL.