Automatically check eBay for favorite auction items

May 22, '03 09:37:00AM

Contributed by: macubergeek

Ok this isn't a hardcore geek hint but ... I like to troll for bargains on eBay. I re-run the same search query every so often to see if what I'm looking for is available. Here's how I automated the process:

  1. Surf to eBay and run your search query.
  2. Once the query has run, copy the contents of the URL field of your browser (Safari) into the clipboard (select all the text then hit Command-C)
  3. In the AppleScript Script Editor (in /Applications -> AppleScript), enter this script:
    tell application "Safari"
      activate
      get location "[paste clipboard contents here]"
    end tell
    
    Obviously, replace [paste clipboard contents here] with the actual clipboard contents, by hitting Command-V.
  4. Save the script as an AppleScript application.
  5. Use Cronnix to set a cron job to fire off the script at the interval you want. Use this syntax in Cron:
    open /path/to/script/myscript.app
At the interval you choose, your script will run, Safari will launch, and the query will be executed.

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