[NTLUG:Discuss] Scriptable, javascript-aware web browser OR virtual operator

[Leroy Tennison]

Since all the previous posts I've had a chance to try out the one which 
looked like it would be the easiest to learn (I wanted to invest as 
little time as possible since this is for work and I can't spend a lot 
of work time on it.)  My choice was iMacros (by iopus.com) and I'm 
pleased to report that it did what I needed.  They offer a free version 
while selling more robust versions.  I appreciate their providing a free 
version and thought I'd let people know about them.

Pros:

It works with both Firefox and IE.

It understands javascript (or maybe just works well with the browser's 
implementation).

Has a 'record' feature.  I'm no expert but it was adequate for my needs.

Can save resultant pages.  The 'record' feature even defaults to 
timestamped filenames so you don't have to do anything special to save 
multiple pages to different files.

The macros are plain text files, create/edit them in a regular text 
editor.  Combined with the record feature it makes things pretty 
convenient.  I recorded what I wanted to do and then optimized the result.

The scripting language has roughly 30 commands and 30 builtin variables. 
  Their web site has an online manual so you can do a review without 
even having to download the product.  The FAQ provides answers to 
technical issues.

You can play back the macros at three speeds, 'slow' is good for debugging.

They have limited the feature set in a few ways rather than time-bombing 
the free download or nagging you to death.

Cons:

Rather expensive for the full featured products.  Probably need to spend 
  $199 for internal corporate use.  However, the price drops $50 at 
quantity 2 and another $50 at quantity 10.  For "consultant" use (write 
for customers, deliver a player to them) the cost is $499 with quantity 
discounts and no royalty fee for the player.

The free version is limited to 3 loops in a script and there are a 
couple of commands which don't work.