IE: Detecting newly-opened tabs

[jbnv]

I'm writing a script to automate retrieving PDFs from a third-party website. The website opens the PDF in a new tab when I click on the link. I know how to click on the link, but the focus remains in the original tab. I need to transfer control to the newly-opened tab, where I can execute a SaveAs on the PDF. How do I detect the new tab and move to it?

[Danp2]

Your description is pretty vague, so you will only get a vague response from me.

Take a look at _IEAttach.

P.S. There may be alternative methods that will work better than the direction you are going. But without some specifics from you, it's difficult to know how to advise you.

[jbnv]

What is vague or unspecific about the description? I click on a link, it opens in another tab in IE, I need to get the focus onto that tab... pretty straightforward. 

I have looked at _IEAttach. I'm still trying to understand. The title and URL options aren't helpful because the new tabs have the same title and URL as the original. The HTML option isn't helpful either because the new window contains a PDF document, not HTML. Maybe the instance option, but how do I get the instance number of the new tab?

[Danp2]

What is vague or unspecific about the description? I click on a link, it opens in another tab in IE, I need to get the focus onto that tab... pretty straightforward. 

​Yes... you gave the steps. But you didn't provide any specifics that may generate the help you desire. What's the website? How are you clicking the link (are you using _IELinkClick* or something else?). What is the URL for the link you are clicking? 

[jbnv]

What's the website? What is the URL for the link you are clicking? I can't give that to you. I'm writing a script for a client that harvests data from a particular website. Why does it matter? The pertinent info is that the webpage opens a new tab.

How are you clicking the link? I have the ID for the link. I use _IEGetObjById to get the link object. Then I call _IEAction with the link object as the first parameter and "click" as the second parameter.

[mLipok]

 where I can execute a SaveAs on the PDF. 

I think you do not need to use SaveAs.

Question: is this PDF have any specyfic name ? for example invoice_122356.pdf

 

EXAMPLE:

Func _WWW_Invoice_PDF_Clear()
    Local $sIECacheDir = _IE_GetCacheDir()
    Local $aFolders = _FileListToArrayRec($sIECacheDir, 'Invoice*.pdf', 1, 1, 0, 2)
    If @error = 0 Then
        For $i = 1 To UBound($aFolders) - 1
            FileDelete($aFolders[$i])
        Next
    EndIf
EndFunc   ;==>_WWW_Invoice_PDF_Clear

Func _WWW_Invoice_PDF_FileFullPath()
    Local $sIECacheDir = _IE_GetCacheDir()
    Local $aFolders = _FileListToArrayRec($sIECacheDir, 'Invoice*.pdf', 1, 1, 0, 2)
    If @error Then
        Return SetError(@error)
    Else
        Return $aFolders[1]
    EndIf
EndFunc   ;==>_WWW_Invoice_PDF_FileFullPath

Func _IE_GetCacheDir()
    Local $sIECacheDir = RegRead('HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\', 'Cache')
    $sIECacheDir = StringReplace($sIECacheDir, '%USERPROFILE%', @UserProfileDir)
    If StringInStr(@OSVersion, 'WIN_8') or StringInStr(@OSVersion,'WIN_2012') Then
        $sIECacheDir &= '\IE'
    Else
        $sIECacheDir &= '\Content.IE5'
    EndIf
    Return SetError(0, 0, $sIECacheDir)
EndFunc   ;==>_IE_GetTemporaryInternetFiles_Path

 

Edited April 29, 2015 by mLipok

[Danp2]

What's the website? What is the URL for the link you are clicking? I can't give that to you. I'm writing a script for a client that harvests data from a particular website. Why does it matter? The pertinent info is that the webpage opens a new tab.

​It matters because there may be a simpler way to accomplish the task, but without this type of information it's difficult to know. For example, I download some PDF files daily from a specific website. My script (running in an embedded browser) logs into the site, traverses to the correct page, then proceeds to examine the links and download the PDFs without having to actually click the links. This is accomplished by examining the URLs, parsing out the required information, and then using InetGet to retrieve the file.

I understand that the site is likely not publicly accessible. But that doesn't prevent you from providing an example of the link's URL, such as:

https://lockbox.onlinebank.com/Mavro/mavarc/downloadFile.aspx?file=Reports*junkdata*0150429_CR_IRD_321710.pdf

 

[jbnv]

​It matters because there may be a simpler way to accomplish the task, but without this type of information it's difficult to know. For example, I download some PDF files daily from a specific website. My script (running in an embedded browser) logs into the site, traverses to the correct page, then proceeds to examine the links and download the PDFs without having to actually click the links. This is accomplished by examining the URLs, parsing out the required information, and then using InetGet to retrieve the file.

It appears that the PDFs have their own URLs. However, the site uses ASP.Net, and the "href" of the PDF link is an ASP.net javascript:__doPostBack call. Also, the link in question is a cell in a table that could have more than one row. The strategy I am attempting is to examine the table row by row, queuing the link IDs into an array, then click each link in the array and open the PDFs, then iterate through the tabs and save the PDF files. 

I am doing whatever I can to reduce the number of steps in each script, so advice on how to do so is appreciated.

[Danp2]

Have you checked out the IEEx Libary to see if any of the functions contained within would help?

[jbnv]

Have you checked out the IEEx Libary to see if any of the functions contained within would help?

​No, and can't at the moment, but I will take a look at it tomorrow.