Re: Posting to a page with JavaScript

[Scott Klement <sk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sender: Scott Klement <sk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>


> I've got our digital certificate loaded on my PC so when I connect it takes
> me past the login stuff.  The URL never changes in the address bar.  I'm
> guessing that the JavaScript is doing its magic instead of just throwing up
> basic html.

When you bypass the signon screen using your PC, do you get the same HTML 
source?  or is it completely different?

If it's different, I'd say that there's a program running on the server 
that's reading your certificate and determining that it should send you 
back a different page.

And, if that's the case, the problem is that you're not sending the 
certificate properly from the iSeries.

> I've explained it to the guy I've been working with over and over but he
> still tells me to try clicking on this or that.  I just want to make sure
> that I learn something out of this experience to make it

Yes, but my point is, he may not understand what's happening under the 
covers. He may never have been trained in how the page works, how the 
server works, etc.  All he knows is how to use a browser, and has been 
trained to help people with that.

> What do you mean by "consume"?  Do you mean a non-JavaScript site that I
> can access that accomplishes the same thing?

I mean a web service.  A web service is a web site designed for a program 
to use, instead of a person.  Instead of geting input from a web form, you 
send an XML document.  Instead of sending output in HTML, JavaScript, 
JPEG, etc... it returns an XML document.

The word "consume" simply means "use".  If I write a program that consumes 
a web service, what I've done is written a program that utilizes that web 
service.

Since Web services are designed for programs to run instead of being 
designed to be displayed in a browser, they're much easier for you to 
write a program that calls them.  They're much easier to change without 
breaking compatibility, etc.

I don't know if your bank offers a web service, but I'd find out. If they 
don't, then you can go back to trying to automate their web site.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the FTPAPI mailing list.  To unsubsribe from the list send mail
to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the body: unsubscribe ftpapi mymailaddr
-----------------------------------------------------------------------