Download info at a certain time! (IE6)

[Rudi]

Is it possible to download info on the web automatically at a certain time in intervals if 1 hour? For example, I want to get the Rand exchange rates from NY Stock Exchange at 1am through to 6 am each hour (local time). How is this possible if it is?
Tx

[Leif]

How do you want to 'preserve' the downloaded data, if at all? Are you wanting to capture a web page on an hourly basis?
If you scheduled a browser to open a new instance of the web page on the hour, you may come unstuck if the page has an auto-refresh tag.

Maybe something on this Microsoft page - scroll down a bit unitil you come to the section:

<hr>As you can see in the previous screenshot, the Organize Favorite window has a check box labeled Make available offline. A description of this feature is available at Getting Site Updates and Viewing Offline which I encourage you to read in tandem with this article. By taking advantage of Make available offline you'll have access to a rich selection of options. Depending on what version of Windows and Internet Explorer you are using, you can set Internet Explorer to automatically update your offline pages according to a set schedule and even download other pages that can be accessed from your favorite page using hyperlinks.<hr>

Edited to add:
First you want to know the tides, now you want to know exchange rates through the night. Are you planning something.....?

[Rudi]

How do you want to 'preserve' the downloaded data >> As a text file, or anything easier.

Thx for the reply...I'll have to work through this reply when I get some time later. Appreciate the help.

PS: I'll fill you in on my elaborate scam when you have time. Its VERY technical and it involves the Bank of SmurfWorld!
PPS: If you have a welding torch, your in...if you wanna retire early!
Cheers

[Leif]

How is the data presented on the web? Can you give us a URL?

<img src=/S/whisper.gif border=0 alt=whisper width=29 height=17> Bank of London? Never heard of it. Do you mean East London?
And does this involve some RANDom wandering about the great plains of southern Africa in the dark? (I can't think why else I'd need a veldting torch.)
Oh - and I don't like to retire much before 11:00pm. Is that too late?

[jscher2000]

I used to work with a company named Snippets that had a Java application you could train to extract data from anything on the Internet that has a URL. I believe the company moved in the direction of doing customized work for corporations, and their consumer product never really matured...

The trend now is toward offering a web services interface, like the Google or Amazon.com API so that your queries can be very pinpoint and efficient, and so that the information providers can better control their traffic. Not sure whether any currency value sites offer such an API, but you could poke around and see.

[Rudi]

Leif, see this URL: Exchange Rates

I just had a brain storm: I could use Excel to link to the URL and using a macro, have it run on a timer every hour overnight! The only problem is that Excel will need to remain open!

Besides this brainwave: Any suggestion from your side, now that you have the URL?

Tx

[Leif]

>> I could use Excel to link to the URL...

Well - there is a link to an Excel file on that page to download...


>> The only problem is that Excel will need to remain open!

Well, something will have to be running, so it may as well be Excel. In theory, you could start Excel using Scheduler, but I can't see what harm having it open all the time is going to do.


>> Any suggestion from your side...

Yep - check that the values are really updated every hour. the site only states "using values from Monday, November 21, 2005" which - to me - only infers a daily update.

[Rudi]

Tx for the input. I'm gonna experiment with Excel, and see if I can get some macro sorted that will achieve this.
Cheers