bauer1sc has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I've been working on this app that strips data from a web page. I have come to the point where everything is working but when trying to navigate to next page I am failing. The sites navigation is in Javascript and Im not sure how to handle javascript. Here is the code from the source on their page. let me know what you think. 
        <form name="frmRegisteredProjectList" method="post" action="Re
+gisteredProjectList.aspx?CMSPageID=243&amp;CategoryID=19&amp;" id="fr
+mRegisteredProjectList">
<input type="hidden" name="__EVENTTARGET" value="" />
<input type="hidden" name="__EVENTARGUMENT" value="" />
<input type="hidden" name="__VIEWSTATE" value="biglong garbage that wo
+uld make post 5 pages long.=" />

<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript">
<!--
    function __doPostBack(eventTarget, eventArgument) {
        var theform;
        if (window.navigator.appName.toLowerCase().indexOf("microsoft"
+) > -1) {
            theform = document.frmRegisteredProjectList;
        }
        else {
            theform = document.forms["frmRegisteredProjectList"];
        }
        theform.__EVENTTARGET.value = eventTarget.split("$").join(":")
+;
        theform.__EVENTARGUMENT.value = eventArgument;
        theform.submit();
    }
// -->
</script>

[download]
The link to the page is at http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/RegisteredProjectList.aspx?CMSPageID=243&CategoryID=19& Thanks in advance!

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: Help with javascript navigation
by Corion (Patriarch) on Jul 13, 2007 at 14:50 UTC

    I usually just inspect what requests go over the wire with a web browser, for example the Live HTTP Headers plugin for Mozilla. After looking at what requests get sent, I replicate them from my Perl code. This technique makes it really easy if the on-page JavaScript is too ugly to decipher.

[reply]
      I will give that a shot! Thanks!
[reply]
      Corion After looking at the live headers, the only thing that is changign from page to page it this 
      __EVENTTARGET=dgRegProjList%3A_ctl29%3A_ctl2&__EVENTARGUMENT=&__VIEWST
+ATE=dDwtMjc0MDE3Mjc7dDxwPGw8TEVFRElkO1Byb2plY3ROYW1lO1Byb2plY3RPd25lc
+jtQYWdlSW5kZXg7Q2l0eTtTb3J0UHJvcGVydHk7U3RhdGU7U29ydERpcmVjdGlvbjtDb3
+VudHJ5Oz47bDw7XGU7XGU7aTwxPjtcZTs7XGU7O1xlOz4%2BO2w8aTwxPjs%2BO2w8dDw
+7bDxpPDE%2BO2k8Nz47aTw5PjtpPDIxPjtpPDIzPjs%2BO2w8dDxwPHA8bDxCcmVhZENy
+dW1iQ2F0ZWdvcnlJRDs%2BO2w8aTwxMTU%2BOz4%2BOz47bDxpPDE%2BO2k8Mz47aTw1P
+jtpPDE1PjtpPDE3Pjs%2BO2w8dDxwPHA8bDxUZXh0Oz47bDxcZTs%2BPjs%2BOzs%2BO3
+Q8cDxwPGw8VGV4dDtOYXZpZ2F0ZVVybDs%2BO2w8U2lnbiBJbjsvTG9naW4uYXNweD9SR
+UZFUlJFUj0vTEVFRC9Qcm9qZWN0L1JlZ2lzdGVyZWRQcm9qZWN0TGlzdC5hc3B4P0NNU1
+BhZ2VJRD0yNDMmQ2F0ZWdvcnlJRD0xOSY7Pj47Pjs7Pjt0PDtsPGk8MT47aTwzPjs%2BO
+2w8dDw7bDxpPDE%2BO2k8Mz47PjtsPHQ8cDxsPGNsYXNzOz47bDxMRUVEOz4%2BO2w8aT
+wwPjs%2BO2w8dDxwPHA8bDxUZXh0Oz47bDxMRUVEOz4%2BOz47Oz47Pj47dDxwPGw8XyF
+JdGVtQ291bnQ7PjtsPGk8MTA%2BOz4%2BO2w8aTwwPjtpPDE%2BO2k8Mj47aTwzPjtpPD
+Q%2BO2k8NT47aTw2PjtpPDc%2BO2k8OD47aTw5Pjs%2BO2w8dDw7bDxpPDE%2BO2k8Mz4
+7PjtsPHQ8cDxsPFZpc2libGU7PjtsPG88Zj47Pj47bDxpPDE%2BO2k8Mz47PjtsPHQ8cD
+xwPGw8TmF2aWdhdGVVcmw7PjtsPGh0dHA6Ly93d3cudXNnYmMub3JnL0Rpc3BsYXlQYWd
+lLmFzcHg%2FQ01TUGFnZUlEPTIyMiY7Pj47PjtsPGk8MD47PjtsPHQ8QDxMRUVEIFJhdG
+luZyBTeXN0ZW1zOz47Oz47Pj47dDxwPGw8XyFJdGVtQ291bnQ7VmlzaWJsZTs%2BO2w8a
+TwtMT47bzxmPjs%2BPjs7Pjs%2BPjt0PDtsPGk8MT47PjtsPHQ8cDxwPGw8TmF2aWdhdG
+VVcmw7PjtsPGh0dHA6Ly93d3cudXNnYmMub3JnL0Rpc3BsYXlQYWdlLmFzcHg% .... C
+ONTINUES ON FOR A MILE

      [download]
      The only thing changing in that garbage is the __EVENTTARGET=dgRegProjList%3A_ctl29% I havent got the slightest idea on how to replicate this. Please throw any and all suggestions at me. Thanks again monks!
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