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VBA: How to use firefox instead of IE when reading http response?

In the code snippet, you can see that I want to read the http response. It works ok, but I am reading from an intranet-based web app that doesn't support IE. I need to use FireFox or some "generic" web browsing.

Thanks in advance.

Dim http As New MSXML.XMLHTTPRequest
http.Open "post", "http://www.advfn.com/blah,blah,blah", False, "Username", "Password"
http.send
Str = http.responseText

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Badotz

Well, if you are using AJAX, I don't see where the browser fits in at all. Unless your snippet doesn't work in IE?

I'm not sure what you are asking, I guess...

jhattingh

ASKER

if I run that code from within microsoft excel (VB Script), the http response is a bunch of text that effectively says: "You're using IE and we don't support IE. Please use Firefox"

The problem is, I don't know what module to use (instead of MSXML2) that would allow me to ask for httpResponse data and not be implicitly using a microsoft browser object....

Badotz

>>...a bunch of text that effectively says...

What does the text say, exactly?

jhattingh

ASKER

It will be a while before I get to the windows PC again to get exact data, but it should be enough to describe this way:

I get exactly the same data as I would if I attempted to use IE with the url I provide in the script. In other words, I get the same as if I would right-click in IE and "view source".

Badotz

I know in Firefox, these three things are invalid:

XMLHTTPRequest
http.Open
False

They should be:

XMLHttpRequest
http.open
false

hielo

The server you are contacting "thinks" that you are using IE to retrieve the data. You need to specify your own user-agent value.
Try:
Dim http As New MSXML.XMLHTTPRequest
http.Open "post", "http://www.advfn.com/blah,blah,blah", False, "Username", "Password"
http.setRequestHeader "User-Agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.0; en-US; rv:1.9b5) Gecko/2008032620 Firefox/3.0b5"
http.send
Str = http.responseText

Badotz

If he specifies >MSXML.XMLHTTPRequest<, then he *is* using IE.

jhattingh

ASKER

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it, but get the same results...

I was thinking: What if I get the "variable names" for the username/password that usually is supplied in the login page.. then "somehow" send those credentials as cookies WITH the above httpRequest...

Is this "pie in the sky" idea even feasible?

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hielo

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jhattingh

ASKER

Fantastic.