Signing in using Java

That's a very primitive way of doing the task. Try a latest open-source project by Apache:-
http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/httpclient/

Using this u can do whatever u can do using a browser. It maintains Sessions as well, thus making it feasible to use Signin on sites.
U can do something as follows:-
                HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
            
            GetMethod method = new GetMethod("http://www.xyz.com");
            PostMethod loginMethod = new PostMethod(
                        "http://www.xyz.com/login");
            postMethod.addParameter("username", username);
            postMethod.addParameter("password", password);

            GetMethod anotherMethod = new GetMethod(
                        "http://www.xyz.com/dosomething");
                 try {
                  client.executeMethod(method);
                  System.out.println("started...");
                  client.executeMethod(loginMethod);
                  System.out.println("authenticaed...");
                  client.executeMethod(anotherMethod);
            } catch (HttpException e) {
                  e.printStackTrace();
            } catch (IOException e) {
                  e.printStackTrace();
            }
I think this will solve ur problem.

Can you please be clear what you wanted is to pass the required parameters for signing in?????

or some thing else???

I think you are intending to make auto signing kind of stuff if i am correct.

I forgot to tell you that as the HttpClient maintains the Session information you need not provide the signin info again and again (almost similar like in the case of the Browser). So HttpClient is a browser and all the PostMethod/GetMethod are the form submits and page requests respectively that u will be making to the site.

Wow - Thanks for the prompt response!

Shivaspk,
In a nut shell what I am trying to do is download all the auction information into a database.  For the first link (below) there is no log in required and I simply parse the data and write to a db.  For the (2) link a login is required and this is the point that I am stuck on.

(1)http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4451836193
(2)http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&item=4451836193

Gauravkrtomar,
Thanks for the info.  I am going to review the web site and work out how to implement your code.  I am using JBuilder 9 Enterprise to develop this application and need to work out how to install the open-source project.  I also need to work out how to parse it.  Any tips would be most welcome.

Cheers

Wow.... I am getting somewhere fast.  I have successfully implemented the Apache code that you suggested and the following code works:


    HttpClient client = new HttpClient();
    PostMethod loginMethod = new PostMethod("https://signin.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?co_partnerid=2&siteid=3&UsingSSL=1");
    loginMethod.addParameter("userid", "expertsexchangetest");
    loginMethod.addParameter("pass", "experts123");
    GetMethod method = new GetMethod("http://offer.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBidsLogin&item=4451836193");
    try
    {
      client.executeMethod(loginMethod);
      System.out.println("authenticaed...");
      client.executeMethod(method);
      System.out.println("successful");
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
      ex.printStackTrace();
    }

I have a couple of questions though:

1) The code is printing out the following log text: how can I disable this.  Some people who will be using this product have 20,000 auctions and it is best not to have the logging.
--------------------------------------------------------
13-Apr-2006 15:11:24 org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpMethodBase readResponse
INFO: Discarding unexpected response: HTTP/1.1 100 Continue
13-Apr-2006 15:11:24 org.apache.commons.httpclient.HttpMethodDirector isRedirectNeeded
INFO: Redirect requested but followRedirects is disabled
13-Apr-2006 15:11:24 org.apache.commons.httpclient.SimpleHttpConnectionManager getConnectionWithTimeout
WARNING: SimpleHttpConnectionManager being used incorrectly.  Be sure that HttpMethod.releaseConnection() is always called and that only one thread and/or method is using this connection manager at a time.
authenticaed...
successful

2) Parsing.  I have already written a class that uses BufferedReader to parse the code.  I know this is ugly and hard core, however it works.  How can I output the source code of the GetMethod to the BufferedReader or to a simple String.  It would be simpler/quicker than rewriting the code using http://tidy.sourceforge.net/

THANKS THANKS AND THANKS for all your help!

>>How can I output the source code of the GetMethod to the BufferedReader or to a simple String.  It would be simpler/quicker than rewriting the code using http://tidy.sourceforge.net/

U can use getMethod.getResponseBodyAsStream()
or            getMethod.getResponseBodyAsString().

for setting the logging off try:-
 System.setProperty("org.apache.commons.logging.Log", "org.apache.commons.logging.impl.NoOpLog");

thanks again for all your help.  Your recommendations have worked.  The issue that I am having now is that with the fact that the Log On is via SSL.

Therefore the logon is not successful and the reading of the (2) link is redirecting back to the logon screen.

Trying to fix it.

hmmm.  puzzling... I tried simply this:

    HttpClient httpclient = new HttpClient();
    GetMethod httpget = new GetMethod("https://www.verisign.com/");
    try {
      httpclient.executeMethod(httpget);
      System.out.println(httpget.getStatusLine());
    }
      catch (Exception exe)
      {
        exe.printStackTrace();
      }
    finally {
      httpget.releaseConnection();
    }

And get this error

javax.net.ssl.SSLHandshakeException: java.security.cert.CertificateException: CA certificate does not include basic constraints extension

      at com.sun.net.ssl.internal.ssl.BaseSSLSocketImpl.a(DashoA6275)

http://jakarta.apache.org/commons/httpclient/sslguide.html

Look at the above link. It has all the details about how to connect to secure HTTP communication over SSL.

haha I just noticed expertsexchange is expert sex change!!! hahaha! funny never saw that before :D