[Web4lib] capturing data from Amazon in an Access database

[Pons, Lisa (ponslm)]

The first thing that popped into my head was to use the "wishlist" function- that is, mark your purchases to the wishlist, then use a script to get that.

Doing a quick google search I did find:
http://www.splintered.co.uk/experiments/85/

Would this be a starting point?

-----Original Message-----
From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of John Fitzgibbon
Sent: Tue 7/3/2007 5:36 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] capturing data from Amazon in an Access database
 
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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