How to manipulate the web browser based on data in libre calc?

English
#1

I would like to manipulate the webb brozer based on whats happening in my calc sheet.I would appreciate any guidance or suggestion on where to start as well as suggestions on what method is best.

I have considered tampermonkey for his purposes.

Because it conveniently it runs in the webb brozer and calc can also run in the webb brozer (Perhaps tapermonkey can do stuff on the hard drive as well). I have sean code that is not much longer than one side in a notepad. And that can do things more complex then what Im looking for.

Apparently tapermonkey i can send cocies between two tabs i crome.
that would in this case be between my sheet that runs in one tab and the webb page that runs in an other one.

I dont know if this is good ideer or if there is other ways to go? Im open to leav tampermonkey all together and do something els if its beter.

#2

I’ve used the Selenium API to move Calc data from Calc to a plain HTML website. If I were only sourcing from Calc I’d probably use Python as a macro language for Calc. While most Selenium work seems to be done in Java, there is a large Python Selenium community. Selenium is amazing, but a lot to learn, depending on your familiarity with XPath, etc. With the js execution option there isn’t much you can’t automate. However, you are driving another instance of your browser through a JSON connection, not doing cross-tab automation.

It is, I have to say, a lot of fun to watch Selenium automate a website as if a superhero were typing right at the keyboard.

#3

Its seems kind of intressting when you put it that way. And perhaps every one sould learn som coding thise days. On the other hand Im looking for the simplest solution that require minimum skills… But the again cuting corners might case more work in the end to make up for the flaudes.

Also rather then moving data from calc to a webb borozer the program needs to manipulate buttons on a webb page based on the content in calc. I seen a short code in taper monkey that worked on a webb page like this… This inspired me as the same function can be aplide to what Im doing.

But there also an aditional factor here becous in the case abow calc whas not involved.

Regarding my skilles they are non exsisting so I have no ideer what route to explore.

Webb scrabbling might be needed eventually as this seems to be a bit inconsistent when using URL from webb pages.

For some reason there is a delay then using links for this why is that?

#4

I do not have experience with taper monkey, so I cannot help on the delay.

Selenium offers nearly full control of a website. Selecting, pushing buttons, entering data, etc.

What is your ultimate goal? Do you want to see data from the website?

Sometimes a website has an API, often it is a RESTful API. That means that you can send URLs to the site and it responds back with data in JSON format. In that case, you avoid needing to press buttons, etc. You are “talking” directly to the site rather than using the HTML frontend meant for human users. The trick can be authenticating with the website before making a request.

The community here could probably help you out some if you found out that your website had an API. If it does, post a new question like “Using macro to get RESTful response”.

Using Selenium would probably require significant programming experience and solid familiarity with HTML.

#5

I was introduced to libre calc when I bought a business with lots of stuff that the tax agency asked for. Everything was unordered and I need a way to organize the very basic data that the previous owner left behind.

I also run a separate catering business. This type of kitchen have many problems one will not encounter in a normal ala carte kitchen.

So I used what I learn in my previous project in this context. And managed created a system where the data the chaser put in a calc document generates diagrams that are displayed on screens across the kitchen. This makes it easier to provide fresh food and minimize leftovers. I have improved, margins and the work environment significantly.

Now am looking for other arias to use this. Unlike the stuff I did before my new goal requires programming. This is a big leap of course in terms of complexity compared to what I done before.

The potential and over all ider is clear to me. But unfortunately Im not good at the practical aspects of this typ of things. And dident even finish the equivalent of high school where I’m from.

Hence I will never be a software engineer. The combination of time and capacity is as always a factor. So now Im trying to figure out where to focus my efforts. Im stumbling in the dark and are looking for some advice on what path to explore. Of course there’s no use spending time on software that will never fulfill my goal.

Having said that the ultimate goal is to:

Track updating information on a webbpage and then take action (manipulating the web page)based on that information in conjunction with data that is in a libre calc document. On can say that the relevant varibels and the potential conditions that needs to be met are distributed in two sources. In the webb page and the calc document. Obviously there is a number of things the software needs to deal with.

#6

I encourage you to keep using LibreOffice when appropriate. However, to be honest, if you are without programming experience and can invest a little, I would get Microsoft Office 360 then use Excel’s Power Query feature to try to “scrape” table information from websites. If that doesn’t suffice, you can go another step and use Power Automate.

Power Query: Scrape Data from Multiple Web Pages with Power Query - YouTube

Power Automate: Web Scraping Made EASY With Power Automate Desktop - For FREE & ZERO Coding - YouTube

#7

There is no Power Query in LO, but there are Python technologies that are incomparably more Powerful. :slightly_smiling_face:

#8

Very interesting links. Thank you

#9

I relics why the code (that I found on forums) that where designed to preformed specific tasks where in tapermonky. Its simply because its so easy to just copy passed in the plug in.

#10

I will reconsider this question and will put up an other thread for it. If any one has a solution and wish to send me privately pleas do.

#11

Because you should format code or literal text that contains markup tags or elements as code, see This is the guide - How to use the Ask site? - #6 by erAck .

#12

Done by me

#13

Thats very nice of you :slightly_smiling_face:! Thanks a lot to both of you

#14

Yes it’s now possible in LibreOffice Calc to drive Python Requests and Selenium.
You must install the OAuth2OOo extension.
Enjoy…

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