Search code

[Vader]

Hi,

I was wondering if someone could help me with a small problem I have at the moment.

I was asked by a friend to create a toolbar for him with the option to search these forums from it.

However I'm not very good with vBulletin boards :D and require a way of doing a search of all the forums from the IE address bar (as in the way Googles bar does it).

If anyone knows how to do this I would be very gratful

Cheers

[Tobbe]

I don't think that anyone here have asked a question about Toolbars before...

I don't know which programming language you're using.

Use this APIs to create a toolbar:

InitCommonControls

CreateToolbarEx (don't forget the TBBUTTON structure)

I guess that you have an API Reference...

[Vader]

Hi,

The thing is I have already created the toolbar (it sits next to the address bar in IE :D) for Internet Explorer all I need to do now is find a way of passing the search string to vB and then telling it to do a search of all the public forums available.

Cheers.

[Tobbe]

oh... I see...

[BeeJay]

Origionally posted by Myself in wrong darn thread :o

upon examining the message board search form, I see the form is being submitted using the POST method. The search query value is sent in a field named "query".

You should be able to submit the query value using the POST method in your toolbar application.

If the search page accepted the GET method instead, this would be as appending a search value to https://www.neowin.net/bboard/search.php?query=

BTW... if you do add this search feature. Could you add a drop down to allow us to select between directing the search between the Board and searching "all of NeoWin" (https://www.neowin.net/search.php). BTW... the field on that form is named "searchfor".

I have some Delphi resource sites bookmarked at home, along with Delphi 6. I will try to figure something out when I get home from work.

I haven't done any programming in Delphi since the origional release (aka 1.0)! :D However, I do have Delphi 6 Personal Edition installed at home and have tinkered with it a bit.

[BeeJay]

Basically you need to send an HTTP POST command to https://www.neowin.net/bboard/search.php passing the search value to the query parameter. I have complied a list of various examples which explain how to preform this below.

These examples require the TWebBrowser component. It does not appear to be in the Personal edition of Delphi 6. :( (If you have it, it will be available on the Internet toolbar.) It looks very easy to impliment.

• Automating Internet Explorer to POST Form Data
  http://community.borland.com/article/0,141...0,26531,00.html
  
• Retrieving POST data in a TWebBrowser
  http://www.delphi3000.com/articles/article_1469.asp
  

These ones do not require the TWebBrowser component. Although they might be a little harder to implement... I think these will work on the Personal Edition, though I have not tested them..

• Posting a web-form using TClientSocket.
  http://www.delphi3000.com/articles/article_805.asp
  
• Post form data with wininet.dll and netmanage component
  http://www.delphi3000.com/articles/article_2060.asp
  

There are some freeware component packs at torry.net that should also do the trick. These components just might be easier to impliment than the second set of examples.

FYI... I found most of this information by searching for "HTTP POST" on various Delphi related sites.

Good luck Vader!

[Vader]

Thanks BeeJay I'll look into them later on today

Cheers.