<html><body><span style="font-family:Verdana; color:#000000; font-size:10pt;"><div>Thank you for reply. That looks interesting. </div><div><br></div><div>From my first look at the API this doesn't provide future reservations - only historical reservations. </div>
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-------- Original Message --------<br>
Subject: RE: [ale] How to drive Linux browser to make a campground<br>
sniper?<br>
From: "Putnam, James M." <<a href="mailto:putnamjm@sa.edu">putnamjm@sa.edu</a>><br>
Date: Sat, January 13, 2018 3:00 pm<br>
To: Neal Rhodes <<a href="mailto:neal@mnopltd.com">neal@mnopltd.com</a>>, Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts<br>
<<a href="mailto:ale@ale.org">ale@ale.org</a>><br>
<br>
<br>
I'd first try to talk to their API directly. If it has the data you want,<br>
you'll have a large number of options for looking at it and sending <br>
notifications.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://ridb.recreation.gov">https://ridb.recreation.gov</a>/<br>
<br>
--<br>
James M. Putnam<br>
Visiting Professor of Computer Science<br>
<br>
The air was soft, the stars so fine,<br>
the promise of every cobbled alley so great,<br>
that I thought I was in a dream.<br>
________________________________________<br>
From: Ale [<a href="mailto:ale-bounces@ale.org">ale-bounces@ale.org</a>] on behalf of Neal Rhodes via Ale [<a href="mailto:ale@ale.org">ale@ale.org</a>]<br>
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2018 2:16 PM<br>
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts<br>
Subject: [ale] How to drive Linux browser to make a campground sniper?<br>
<br>
Boring "Real-World Details":<br>
<br>
So, we are planning a summer trip to Glacier National Park in Montana.<br>
<br>
We would really like to camp at Many Glaciers Campground in the park. However, at present, all the sites are already reserved. They are reserved through <a href="http://recreation.gov">recreation.gov</a>, starting 6 months to the day from today.<br>
<br>
But we have a really strong impression that people initially book a long stretch, then later either reduce the duration once they get more specific plans, or cancel.<br>
<br>
SO, we really want to detect if/when sites become available over the next 6 months and jump on it before someone else does.<br>
<br>
There is someone who offers this as a service for $40 a reservation, irrespective of whether they are successful.<br>
<br>
Exciting Technology Application:<br>
<br>
Initially I looked at the HTML for their search page, with the thought of using "wget" to simulate the reservation request. That increasingly looks like a fool's errand, assuming that they may have session cookies related to sign-on and other magic handshake crap that would be difficult to simulate. And what happens when they alter their data fields?<br>
<br>
Then I thought: All I want to do is:<br>
Setup a browser window on our Centos 6 desktop, any browser that understands https;<br>
Run that browser through the responses to get it to the search window on this campground, and put in all the dates and related input.<br>
Then:<br>
Run SOMETHING that will automate:<br>
Hit the Search Submit button;<br>
See if the resultant page contains "No Suitable availability"<br>
IF Not: Email me<br>
Sleep 15 minutes<br>
Rinse, Later, Repeat<br>
<br>
This sounds to me like a very elemental application of a test/control manager for a GUI interface. If I can automate an existing browser, we can eliminate all the complexities of trying to fake out their web server.<br>
<br>
Since this just sits on my desk in the basement, I can live with hard-coded screen coordinates.<br>
<br>
What tools exist in Linux to do this?<br>
<br>
regards,<br>
<br>
Neal Rhodes<br>
MNOP Ltd<br>
<br>
<br>
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