Ever wanted to automate logging into a website. Well you can automate Internet Explorer to perform such tasks quite easily!
Say you wanted to automate logging into your GMail account at the click of a button, nothing could be easier. Below are 2 different approach to do exactly that:
Function OpenGMail1()
Dim IE As Object 'SHDocVw.InternetExplorer
On Error GoTo Error_Handler
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
With IE
.Navigate "https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=mail&continue=https://mail.google.com/mail/&hl=en"
.Visible = True 'True/False
Do While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
End With
With IE.Document.Forms(0) 'gaia_loginform
.elements(10).Value = "MyGMailEmailAddress" 'Email
.elements(11).Value = "MyPassword" 'Passwd
.elements(12).Click 'signIn
Do While IE.Busy Or IE.readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
'Continue now that we are logged in
'...
End With
Error_Handler_Exit:
On Error Resume Next
Set IE = Nothing
Exit Function
Error_Handler:
MsgBox "The following error has occurred." & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
"Error Number: " & Err.Number & vbCrLf & _
"Error Source: OpenGMail1" & vbCrLf & _
"Error Description: " & Err.Description, _
vbCritical, "An Error has Occurred!"
Resume Error_Handler_Exit
End Function
Function OpenGMail2()
Dim IE As Object 'SHDocVw.InternetExplorer
Dim HTMLDoc As Object
Dim EmailCtl As Object
Dim PwdCtl As Object
Dim SubmitCtl As Object
On Error GoTo Error_Handler
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
With IE
.Navigate "https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=mail&continue=https://mail.google.com/mail/&hl=en"
.Visible = True 'True/False
Do While .Busy Or .readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
End With
Set HTMLDoc = IE.Document
Set EmailCtl = HTMLDoc.getelementbyid("Email")
EmailCtl.Value = "MyGMailEmailAddress"
Set PwdCtl = HTMLDoc.getelementbyid("Passwd")
PwdCtl.Value = "MyPassword"
Set SubmitCtl = HTMLDoc.getelementbyid("signIn")
SubmitCtl.Click
Do While IE.Busy Or IE.readyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
'Continue scrapping here
'...
Error_Handler_Exit:
On Error Resume Next
Set SubmitCtl = Nothing
Set PwdCtl = Nothing
Set EmailCtl = Nothing
Set HTMLDoc = Nothing
Set IE = Nothing
Exit Function
Error_Handler:
MsgBox "The following error has occurred." & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
"Error Number: " & Err.Number & vbCrLf & _
"Error Source: OpenGMail2" & vbCrLf & _
"Error Description: " & Err.Description, _
vbCritical, "An Error has Occurred!"
Resume Error_Handler_Exit
End Function
Simple as can be.
These procedures can both be easily adapted to pretty much work with any website by simply changing the Form/Element # or the ElementId for the controls you are trying to bind to.
No Binding To Existing Instances
Typically I would try to bind to an existing instance of IE to automate, as it is more efficient, by doing something along the lines of:
On Error Resume Next
Set IE = GetObject(, "InternetExplorer.Application") 'Bind to existing instance of Internet Explorer
If Err.Number <> 0 Then
'Could not get instance of IE, so create a new one
Err.Clear
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
End If
On Error GoTo Error_Handler
Sadly, GetObject() does not work with Internet Explorer Automation and returns:
Run-time error ‘429’:
ActiveX component can’t create object
So there is no need for this block of code and instead we simply simplify things to only use CreateObject, by doing:
On Error GoTo Error_Handler
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
I am not a proponent of Internet Explorer (IE) because of major security issues and slower than average performance. That said, sadly, you cannot automate other browsers in such a manner, at least not that I am aware of. So IE does have a serious leg up on the competition when it comes to this type of thing!
