[Web4lib] capturing data from Amazon in an Access database

[Ross Singer]

John,

Is the information you're talking about not available via the AWS
ECommerce service?
http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSECommerceService/2007-06-13/DG/ListSearch.html

http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSECommerceService/2007-06-13/DG/

-Ross.

On 7/3/07, John Fitzgibbon <jfitzgibbon at galwaylibrary.ie> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> In the old days when we compiled order lists we used Whitaker's Books in
> Print on Cd-Rom and this allowed us to save a record into a text file
> with fields delimited by commas and records delimited by carriage
> returns. I believe that the US equivalent, Bowker, offered the same
> functionality.
>
> Now, we are using Amazon more and more. However, when we find a record
> in Amazon there is no easy way of saving it into Access or Excel.
>
> I don't think XML along with XSLT can be used because authors, titles,
> and prices are not indicated with any special tags on the 'wish list' or
> 'shopping cart' pages of Amazon. For example, authors are not delineated
> with <span class='author'> or some such tag.
>
> Also, there is no RSS feed which would provide us with a ready made XML
> page of the results.
>
> Copying and pasting into Excel seems very cumbersome.
>
> When I first considered some solutions to the problem the problem seemed
> very trivial but now, that these solutions won't work, I am at a loss.
>
> If only more web pages were based on XML...
>
> I would welcome any ideas.
>
> Regards
> John
>
> John Fitzgibbon
>
> p: 00 353 91 562471
> f: 00 353 91 565039
> w: http://www.galwaylibrary.ie
>
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