Good way to check changes to web site

[MikeGale]

I'd like to automate checking of a web site.

If something is different compared to a reference copy I'd like to get an email.

I'm thinking of a script that runs on a schedule.

What is a good way to do that using BC?

[MikeGale]

I can recast that idea into the way BC scripting tends to work.

I'd like something that might be called an email report (as opposed to a folder, file, hex, data or text report). It would only be sent if there were differences, it would only have the minimum of detail (time as UTC and list of differences). Ideally there would also be a log where records are appended, similar to some side-by-side reports but more concise.

Is anybody cobbling that together using existing scripting features (with maybe some external tools)?

[Aaron]

Hello Mike,

Use Windows Automated Task Scheduler to run "bcompare.exe @c:\script.txt" where script.txt contains BC Script that loads a session containing your local <> website comparison, and then generates a folder-report.

BC does not support email, so then use another program to email the generated folder-report.

Detailed script reference is available in the BC3 Help file under Scripting Reference, and also under Using Beyond Compare: Automating with Script.

[MikeGale]

Thanks Aaron.

Yep I'm using the scheduler to do things like that. It works great, once I get my head out of the habits of OO programming and explore the BC way. Has run without glitches for months.

The Regex's can do a lot if used creatively.

Congratulations on a powerful tool.

I thought it might come down to writing supporting code. (Service running, File watcher, parse the file and decide whether it is a warning, email if needed, log always...) I'll have a look at adding the extras to my existing script driven system.

(It would be cool if there was an API that I could use to directly get at the information which is already there while BC runs.)

[MikeGale]

Hi Aaron,

I'm currently running this to report/log to a timestamped file.

Taking the time to email it is overshadowed by other work so it will have to wait.

[Aaron]

I am not sure if this is what you mean by timestamped, but you can use the variables %date% and %fn_time% in your file to give the filename a date/timestamp.

such as log verbose c:\log%date%.txt

[MikeGale]

Hi Aaron,

Yep that's what I'm using %date% and %fn_time%.

It's currently running on schedule without any emailing.

[Jonas78]

This was cool .... I have to do this ..... on my larger sites ...