java class to act like a browser

[Edward]

I am wondering if anyone knows of a way to use java as a virtual
browser. I hope (and imagine) that there are already classes written
to perform this task.

What I want to do is write a java application that will run on a PC
that will send a request to a particular external web site passing
various input as if submitted by an HTML form, and then read the HTML
that is sent back by the site. I will then parse the HTML that is
returned and perform my own, straighforward manipulations on it.

Any ideas as to where to start?

Thanks.

Edward

 

[Roland de Ruiter]

I am wondering if anyone knows of a way to use java as a virtual
browser. I hope (and imagine) that there are already classes written
to perform this task.

What I want to do is write a java application that will run on a PC
that will send a request to a particular external web site passing
various input as if submitted by an HTML form, and then read the HTML
that is sent back by the site. I will then parse the HTML that is
returned and perform my own, straighforward manipulations on it.

Any ideas as to where to start?

Thanks.

Edward

Sounds you want a HTTP client rather than a full blown browser.
The Apache Commons HTTP Client package allows you to send a HTTP request
(incl. form parameters etc) to some server and receive its response
(which could be a HTML page but also an image or some other document).

See <http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/httpclient/>.

 

[B Briggs]

I am wondering if anyone knows of a way to use java as a virtual
browser. I hope (and imagine) that there are already classes written
to perform this task.

What I want to do is write a java application that will run on a PC
that will send a request to a particular external web site passing
various input as if submitted by an HTML form, and then read the HTML
that is sent back by the site. I will then parse the HTML that is
returned and perform my own, straighforward manipulations on it.

Any ideas as to where to start?

Thanks.

Edward

possibly java.net.HttpURLConnection ?
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/java/net/HttpURLConnection.html

 

[Edward]

possibly java.net.HttpURLConnection ?
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/java/net/HttpURLConnection.html

Thanks a lot! I have not tried posting info yet to the URL but the
request is working like a charm.

Edward