by Chris Kesler (7 Submissions)
Category: Internet/HTML
Compatability: Visual Basic 3.0
Difficulty: Beginner
Date Added: Wed 3rd February 2021
Rating: 
(16 Votes)
Ever want to be able to automate a web page process through a Visual Basic front end or form you've created? This code helps you control a web page through the WebBrowser control to emulate actually entering data and submitting it through the web page itself. Check it out. This code is from https://vbpoint.cjb.net/ and there are more useful code there also.
Assumes
In sample I will fill the Altavista search box, with the WebBrowser control. Below I will list some subs and functions which are used in this sample. Open a new project (standard exe) and place a WebBrowser control, a textbox, and a command button on form1.
VBcodersAdd the following code to form1:
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim doc As HTMLDocument 'Reference MSHTML.TLB - may end up being IHTMLDocument3
'go to the altavista (text) search page
WebBrowser1.Navigate "http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?text"
'Wait until page is loaded
Do
DoEvents
Loop Until Not WebBrowser1.Busy
'Make doc reference to the document inside the webbrowser control
Set doc = WebBrowser1.Document
'Set field q with the value of Text1
SetInputField doc, 0, "q", Text1
'Submit the form (same result as click the search button)
doc.Forms(0).submit
'Wait until result are loaded
Do
DoEvents
Loop Until Not WebBrowser1.Busy
MsgBox "Altavista search result loaded"
End Sub
'Add the following code to a module:
Public Sub SetInputField(doc As HTMLDocument, Form As Integer, Name As String, Value As String)
'doc = HTMLDocument, can be retrieved
' from webbrowser --> webbrowser.document
'Form = number of the form
' (if only one form in the doc --> Form = 0)
'Name = Name of the field you would like to fill
'Value = The new value for the input field called name
'PRE: Legal parameters entered
'POST: Input field with name Name on form Form in document doc will be filled with Value
For q = 0 To doc.Forms(Form).length - 1
If doc.Forms(Form)(q).Name = Name Then
doc.Forms(Form)(q).Value = Value
Exit For
End If
Next q
End Sub
'Additional useful subs:
'Sub to get the contents from a textbox:
Public Function GetInputField(doc As HTMLDocument, Form As Integer, Name As String) As String
For q = 0 To doc.Forms(Form).Length - 1
If doc.Forms(Form)(q).Name = Name Then
GetInputField = doc.Forms(From)(q).Value
Exit For
End If
Next q
End Function
'Sub to set a Checkbox:
Public Sub SetCheckBox(doc As HTMLDocument, Form As Integer, Name As String, Value As Boolean)
For q = 0 To doc.Forms(Form).Length - 1
If doc.Forms(Form)(q).Name = Name Then
doc.Forms(From)(q).Checked = Value
Exit For
End If
Next q
End Sub
'Sub set a radio button:
Public Sub SetRadioButton(doc As HTMLDocument, Form As Integer, Name As String, Name2 As String)
For q = 0 To doc.Forms(Form).Length - 1
If (doc.Forms(Form)(q).Name = Name) And (doc.Forms(Form)(q).Value = Name2) Then
doc.Forms(From)(q).Checked = True
Exit For
End If
Next q
End Sub
'Sub to make a selection in a ComboBox with Option Values:
Public Function SetComboBoxValue(ByVal doc As IHTMLDocument3, Form As Integer, Name As String, Name2 As String)
Dim q, i
For q = 0 To doc.Forms(Form).length - 1
If (doc.Forms(Form)(q).Name = Name) Then
For i = 0 To doc.Forms(Form)(q).length - 1
If doc.Forms(Form)(q).Options(i).Value = Name2 Then
doc.Forms(Form)(q).Options(i).Selected = True
Exit For
End If
Next i
End If
Next q
End Function
'Sub to make a selection in a ComboBox without Option Values:
Public Function SetComboTextValue(ByVal doc As IHTMLDocument3, Form As Integer, Name As String, Name2 As String)
Dim q, i
For q = 0 To doc.Forms(Form).length - 1
If (doc.Forms(Form)(q).Name = Name) Then
For i = 0 To doc.Forms(Form)(q).length - 1
If doc.Forms(Form)(q).Options(i).Text = Name2 Then
doc.Forms(Form)(q).Options(i).Selected = True
Exit For
End If
Next
End If
Next q
End Function