Web Site Command Issue

[stevecasper]

Hi,

 

I'm trying to create a macro that will use the Web Site command to launch my University student login page (it's a bore to get to my

online classes by hand, but building macros is seldom boring), strangely, though, the command is launching two Internet Explorer

browsers. The first one launches and never loads anything, the second one launches only fractions of a second later and loads the

school page right away, but the macro keeps running, as though the page has not loaded (I am using the Wait for Webpage option,

as the macro needs to do more once I'm logged in).

 

I've never had this problem with the Web Site command before. Any ideas why this is happening, what I could look for in my system or

settings that may be causing this? Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

Specs:

IE: 7.0.6001.1800

ME: 3.7d

OS: Vista 32

 

P.S. I've tried launching other websites with the same problem. The Google homepage isn't even recognized when it's loaded, and two

browsers are launching.

 

If I turn off the wait for webpage option, the macro stops running, but that doesn't fix the two browsers problem. I'm baffled. Hate to have

to do it the old-fashioned way: "Program Launch: iexplore.exe, Wait for window title, Alt+D, <TEXTTYPE:URL <ENTER>>, Wait for window

title"... Almost defeats the purpose of the macro!

 

By the way, the Program Launch command only launches one instance of IE. So it seems like it's the Web Site command itself.

 

Edit - Something else I tried. My default browser was Opera (running it that way, it works fine... the problem is my university website doesn't

trust Opera). I changed my default browser to IE, and ran the macro launching in the default browser, it doesn't even succeed in getting an

IE browser open. I'm terribly confused.

[stevecasper]

Here's My workaround. Wish I didn't need it. I worry that the "close" command will close the wrong one. After a half-dozen tests

it has only closed the one that isn't loading. So far, so good.

 

Web Site: [url="http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf"]http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf[/url] [internet Explorer]
If Window Title "Windows Internet Explorer" is running
 Window Close: "Windows Internet Explorer"
End If
Wait for Web Page: "http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf"
Activate Window: "Utah Valley University Login -"

 

<HTTP2:2:F:http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf><IFOTH:04:1:Windows Internet Explorer><WCLS:Windows Internet Explorer><ENDIF><WAITWEB2:000010:000000:http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf><ACTIVATE2:Utah Valley University Login ->

[terrypin]

Scasper,

 

My default browser is Firefox (so, as a side issue, I can't use the Wait for Web Page command, which is a pain) but I fired up MSIE6 and ran the simple macro below OK, from a hotkey scoped to IE.

 

Web Site: [url="http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf"]http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf[/url] [internet Explorer]
Wait for Web Page: "http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf"
Macro Return

 

The login page duly appeared. Have I misunderstood, or are you saying that doesn't happen for you?

 

Is it perhaps some IE setting? Are you using a hotkey or shortkey to activate?

 

Note that I'm using same MX vesrion as you but XP SP2, not Vista, although I can't believe that's a factor.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[stevecasper]

I wanted to think it had something to do with IE, and maybe it does on some level, but I've just tested it out using the

following browsers (with versions) set as my default with the following code:

 

IE: 7.0.6001.1800

Firefox: 3.0.3

Opera: 9.61

Google Chrome: 0.2.149.30

 

Web Site: http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf [Default Browser]

Wait for Web Page: "http://uvlink.uvu.edu/cp/home/loginf"

 

With the exception of Opera, in which I launched http://www.google.com since UVLink doesn't like Opera.

And:

I only used the Wait for Web Page command when launching IE.

 

All browsers launched the page in question without any problems. If an instance of the browser was already open, the

new URL launched in a separate tab within that instance. This includes IE, which is strange because last night IE wasn't

launching at all when set as the default browser.

 

However, as soon as I set the macro command to launch IE (specifically, rather than through the Default Browser option),

the macro started launching two instances of IE, one that never fully loads, and just hangs in the background preventing

the Wait for Webpage command from completing (this is only true of the check box in the Web Site Command; when using

the separate Wait for Web Page command, the second window is still hanging in the background, but the macro recognizes

the one that loads and the macro completes).

 

Furthermore, if I have an instance of IE running, the macro launches a new IE window, opens the URL I'm looking for in a

new tab of the original IE browser, and then continues to hang, if the check box is selected. If not, it opens the hanging

window, launches in a new tab in the original browser, and then stops running once the web page has loaded (when using

the separate "wait for" command).

 

I've tested this using a shortkey, a hotkey and using the play button on the macro script window with identical results each

time.

 

I don't know if this is technically a bug in the Web Site command, or if it is just a miscommunication with this version of IE,

but it is kind of frustrating if the latest version of ME can't communicate effectively with the only browser that it is supposedly

compatible with.

 

I run similar macros from my work computer which is still on IE 6, and never have any problems... so this is likely due to

something in IE 7, but I can't even begin to guess where that problem is, or what adjustments I might need to make to IE in

order to fix it. I'm not planning to roll back my IE or even my ME just for this one problem, since there are workable - yet

annoying - work-around solutions.

 

I did a search for similar issues and found one last night, but after Kevin asked the poster for his ME version, the poster never

responded. That was back in April. I'll try to find it again and post a link in an Edit to this message.

 

-EDIT 1- I just tried it out on my wife's computer without any difficulty whatsoever. She's running the same ME version as me,

and virtually the same IE, though her IE version is: 7.0.5730.11 I can't imagine there being that much difference between the

two versions. Her computer is running WinXP SP3. I'm running Vista Ultimate 32 SP1. Maybe it's a Vista issue?

 

 

-EDIT 2- Ok, well I can't figure out how to link to the post I referred to above, so I'll just give the information about it, and if

somebody with more brains and know-how wants to look it up, that would be great.

 

Posted by: Billy.Quick

Date Posted: April 14, 2008

Post Title: Possible Bug Report ?

 

His exact post is:

Recently, a function that used to work in a Macro I wrote stopped working. I suspect something about Internet Explorer has changed.

 

The Command: "Internet>Web Site: https:// (etc...)" launches one instance of Internet Explorer, but two different tabs. The first tab is launched without a web-address, and cycles indefinately per the "wait for web-page to load" tick, and the second tab loads the URL correctly, but the script will not move forward due to the hanging first IE tab.

 

This happens whether "Default Browser" or "IE" is checked.

 

I'm developing a work-around by trying to launch a specific instance of IE with the URL as secondary, but getting the "wait for" to work is a bit hairy for me.

 

I'm using IE 7 and Vista Ultimate, if this matters.

 

Any help or explanation appreciated.

 

Billy

 

After which Kevin requested his ME version. No further reply.

[terrypin]

It does rather seem like an issue arising from the IE7 + Vista + MX 3.7d combination. So you really need to hear next from Stan or Kevin, plus other users with that combination.

 

--

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

[pepperpod]

I use MX 3.7d with Vista, though like Terry my default browser is Firefox. I tried Scasper's troublesome macro and had exactly the same result as Scasper: 2 instances of IE7, one running minimized showing 'connecting' all the time, the other running maximized showing the university login page. I'm not able to offer any help I'm afraid but I thought it worth reporting as it appears to add further support to it being Vista/IE7 related.

 

P

[stevecasper]

I use MX 3.7d with Vista, though like Terry my default browser is Firefox. I tried Scasper's troublesome macro and had exactly the same result as Scasper: 2 instances of IE7, one running minimized showing 'connecting' all the time, the other running maximized showing the university login page. I'm not able to offer any help I'm afraid but I thought it worth reporting as it appears to add further support to it being Vista/IE7 related.

 

P

 

Awesome, thanks Pepperpod. If I'm not the only one with this problem, then there may actually be something that

Insight can fix (assuming Kevin and Stan don't have a fix for us). I'll just stick with the commands that work for now.

It's not a huge issue, as long as I use 'Default' and run 'Wait for Web Page' as a separate command.

 

Frankly, I switched back to IE from Opera and Firefox since Opera won't work with a lot of sites I use, and I wanted

to be able to use ME with my browser.

 

I am glad I'm not just running a broken system over here!