Housekeeping

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-25 18:55:28

For SpaceNut ... thanks for taking care of the latest batch!

FYI ... I found a hint about using Chrome to capture a record of GETs and POSTs, and I tried it on one of my older Linux boxes. The method did not work, or if it did I was not able to find the output file, so I'm planning to try the method on a newer machine today or tomorrow.

Apparently there is a command format available to cause Chrome to record transactions between the browser and the server, and it is that record I am hoping to study to create a program to perform the numerous operations needed to recover an ID. Hopefully the book about programming Chrome/Chromium will provide guidance about how to proceed. The book is due in mid-February (on Earth).

If this initiative succeeds, it will be possible to process one ID at a time in a few seconds, instead of the two minutes it takes me now. Someone else might be faster, but the automated process would be handy even for them.

The advantage of a one-at-a-time automation is that the operator can visually confirm the desired results were achieved before going on to the next ID.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-26 08:19:05

This post is reserved for today's batch: 1585:1606

1585-1606 are ready for unbanning.

There is a (remote) similarity of this process to gardening .... We have a collection of discarded pots. The process underway is to clean them up, fill them with soil in anticipation of a new resident, and set them on the shelf for use as needed.

Often, as I carry out the simple clerical steps involved, I think about the person who might come along at some point to use the newly refurbished slot.

There are ** so ** many needs, and so many opportunities as humans think about settlement of Mars, and in some cases, set in place nuggets of knowledge that would be useful to those who will be making the leap of faith required.

The count of Registered user records is up to 16,878. The count of available recovered ID's is 381.
The count of recovered ID's given to new members is 2.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-26 11:40:40)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-26 19:57:48

This is a separate item for SpaceNut (open to all of course, if interested)

In slowly moving forward with automation inquiry, I've learned that the major browsers (Edge, Chrome, fireFox) all support creation of HAR files to log browser activity. I succeeded in creating a little capture using Edge today, but then wondered how to read it. It is (apparently) in XML format ... or so it appeared when I looked at it with a text editor. It is ** possible ** that a browser can open it. I'll try that in the next day or so.

Edit: OK ... it's not XML ...

You can open HAR files with various programs, including the online HAR Viewer tool and the open source, cross-platform HTTP Toolkit. Since HAR files are saved in JSON format, you can also open them using a JSON editor or a plain text editor, such as Microsoft Notepad or Apple TextEdit.
If you open a HAR file in a text editor, you will see the contents in the JSON format organized into the following object types:

The above was from a web site called fileinfo.com

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-26 20:00:14)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-26 20:19:24

Web code that is created and opens on the machine is much like a batch file in DOS in that the commands must be part of the address scheme on the remote site but that is the issue. All we have are a few handles of the code which is newmars to work from....

Handles on the displayed web page
Report Delete Edit Quote Post reply Subscribe to this topic Post new topic Index User list

Search Posted ?action=show_replies
Search New ?action=show_new
Search Active ?action=show_recent
Search Unanswered ?action=show_unanswered

Profile ?id=number for your id

Logout ?action=out&id= number for your id &csrf_token= session token for you or cookie

unban 1585 -1606 found 1587 was missing and created it moved all into the user list

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-26 21:10:00

For SpaceNut re #729

Thanks for notes on the displays of the web page.

I was able to open the HAR file ... it opened in an older version of Chrome ... It has LOTS more data than I want ... for example, images are shown in bit rendered text format ...

*** Regarding missing 1587 ... that's a mystery! Thanks for catching it! A clue is that the verification procedure I'm using is to show the Bans table after it has been updated. 1586 was at the bottom of the display page, so I had to advance to the next page to see the next item. Somehow, I must have missed 1587.

I'll pay more attention in future.

*** I noticed your interesting addition to the Ballistic Delivery topic ... fold out wings are an interesting idea ....

The direction that topic may be heading is automation combined with a combination of minimal slowing techniques combined with some ability to take a hard stop. The point that Calliban made was that Void's idea seems worth investigating further, for certain kinds of deliverables.

If automated drone type delivery systems can be made practical, then it will be possible to eliminate the need for a flight of a Phobos-Mars manned vessel.

Your suggestion of foldout wings is an interesting contribution in that direction.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-27 08:36:51

For SpaceNut ... this post is reserved for today's batch .. 1607-1628 (if all goes well)

In order to try to prevent re-occurrence of the dropped ID that occurred yesterday, I have renamed some of the Banned Spammer ID's so the current set of TestID's shows up on page 63 of the bans table.

***
The first half are stored in the bans file, and displaying correctly on screen ---time for a break at .7 hours.
***
Hello! We've reached a mini-milestone! The Query showing Not Verified ID's just transitioned from B* to the beginning of the C's (Yay!)
***
The second half of today's set is about to complete, with the first of the C* group heading into the hopper for tumble, polish, refill and restock.
***
For posterity (such as it is) here is the Spammer ID just replaced with TestID01628: Cabalarrk

ID's 1607-1628 are ready for unbanning in the Bans table.

Because of the adjustment made earlier today, all 22 ID's fit nicely on the display page, in the font size that is optimum for this task

I have verified that all 22 are present and accounted for, and that there are no obvious defects.

I'll be watching for your feedback.

We've entered the C's !!! This is a long slog but it is doable ... The Not Verified should be refurbished by July 1st on Earth.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-27 13:03:24)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-27 20:33:04

ID's 1607-1628 all fixed and done with the unban and move to the user list

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-28 08:02:09

For SpaceNut re #732

Thank you for taking care of 1607-1628! This post is reserved for 1629-1650

1629-1650 are over in the Bans table, ready for your finishing touch.

The count of registered ID's climbed up to 16,921
The count of ID's recovered from Not Verified status is up to 424
The count of all ID's recovered is 1650 plus 2

***
For Calliban re post in Orbital Mechanics ... It is unlikely you will see this (because it is in the administrative chitchat topic) , but just in case you do, I ** really ** liked your contribution to the OM topic today, but did not want to put my name on display where your's is an advertisement for the value of the post.

For SpaceNut ... I ran a quick search and did not find a topic containing the word "cycler"

Please compose one and put a copy of Calliban's post into the lead post position.

That new topic will ** surely ** have a lot of potential for vigorous development. Calliban may be good for at least a couple more posts there, and my hope is that others in the Registered Member list will be interested in adding names of bodies (asteroids mostly I'd assume) that would qualify for Calliban's proposal.

In addition, there is a potential for a whole fleet of cyclers, and as humans accumulate on Mars at 1,000,000 and more, building such a fleet would (presumably) be justifiable, until Fast Fusion Propelled Ships become standard in the inventory.

Edit#1:

The Wikipedia article cited by Calliban is quite detailed ... here is an excerpt:

A detailed survey of Earth–Mars cycler trajectories was conducted by Ryan Russell and Cesar Ocampo from the University of Texas at Austin, Texas. They identified 24 Earth-Mars cyclers with periods of two to four synodic periods, and 92 cyclers with periods of five or six synodic periods. They also found hundreds of non-ballistic cyclers, ones which would require some powered maneuvers.[8]

I see no reason at all why there need only be one cycler, or in Buzz Adrin's case, two. There could be plenty of pairs. A departure time of once per month seems quite feasible to me, if the population of Mars becomes great enough.

The speed of the "taxis" does not seem to me to be an insurmountable problem, if the energy required to make the fuel and oxidizer comes from the Sun via solar panels or solar collectors, and if the propellant/oxidizer pair is CO/O2 for simplicity.

Edit#2: For SpaceNut ... what do you think of setting up one or more Peanut Gallery topics?

They would provide a way for folks to comment upon posts in selected topics without placing a post in the stream.

Edit#3: https://github.com/jeremybytes/mvc-conv … -aspnet-50

The link above is to a presentation on programming of a web site using Microsoft MVC. The talk itself was given for the local .Net gorup this evening.

The presentation is one of the best I've seen online since the transition to online meetings due to the Covid situation. A video of the presentation is said to be in preparation (capture of the stream). If anyone is interested I'd be happy to provide a link to the video.

The sample situation used for the talk is programming an online maze. it features a variety of parameters input by the operator, to generate a maze according to several different algorithms.

Here is the title:

Title:
ASP.NET MVC for Absolute Beginners: Your Secret Decoder Ring

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-28 20:09:55)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-28 20:35:23

we have many such peanut gallery topics as it is and that is why some have trouble staying on topic as it is...

unban and move to user list complete for 1629-1650

For the large ship topic... the thing which while we have a good ship shape and dimensioning we still have not a means for the material and less costly location to build it at. Whether LEO or LLO or some other location would be a better building location. Time and team of crew workers to build it and then how would you test some of the systems come to mind when you build something new that is untried for its design.

edit
you end up with a full post quote (yes some one comes to mind for it) being made in order to make sense of what you would be commenting to in this proposed peanut gallery topic.

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-29 06:20:13

For SpaceNut re #734

Thanks for unbanning 1629-1650

Thanks too, for thinking about the Peanut Gallery. This would be a ** formal ** Peanut Gallery. It would be provided specifically for those who want to comment on a topic without intruding upon the work of another person. A prime candidate for this special service would be Void, who seems to prefer his writings not be intruded upon by others, even when the posts by others are in support of or are enthusiastic about something he has written.

Your comments about the Large Ship topic are interesting. They are ** also ** an example of what the Peanut Gallery would look like. In this instance, we are discussing the Large Ship topic without intruding upon the flow of posts in that topic.

In the case of Calliban's recent post, I held back from posting there because I wanted his name to continue as an advertisement for that topic.

A Peanut Gallery would allow members to comment upon posts in other topics without causing their ID to appear as the most recent post in the other topic.

It would also (picking up on your point) provide a way for members to branch from a given topic as the first step in creating a new topic, or perhaps for finding an existing topic that would be a better fit.

This post is reserved for ID's 1651-1672.

ID's 1651-1672 are reading for unbanning in the Bans table.

The count of pages in the Bans table remains 71.

The count of pages in the Not Verified query has dropped to 54.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-29 14:22:24)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-29 19:04:13

ID's 1651-1672 have been unbanned and moved to the user list....

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-30 07:21:47

For SpaceNut re #736 ... thanks for taking care of Friday's group ... the Count of Registered Users is up to 16,943

The count of pages of Bans is holding at 71, since our focus now is clearing Not Verified. The count of Not Verified dropped to 54 pages.

***
I'm thinking about offering for your consideration a matched pair of topics. What I have in mind is a formally curated primary topic, and a free-for-all Peanut Gallery for the primary topic. The focus of the primary topic would be Knowledge about Cyclers and specifically about Mars/Earth cyclers.
***
There is also a possibility we might be able to provide a dedicated Tutorial on Orbital Mechanics, if GW Johnson would be willing to support the initiative as an Advisor. I am expecting to receive a copy of GW Johnson's spreadsheet for mission planning in the near future, at NewMarsMember * gmail.com.

When that arrives, I'm thinking of investigating to see if it might be examined cell by cell over an extended period of time, so that a student following the sequence would (presumably) become capable of performing the calculations for an orbit of their choosing. NASA and other organizations have created web based education and utility tools along these lines. Those could be included as references in a new tutorial topic.
***

This post is reserved for ID's 1673-1694
***
The first 11 ID's are in the bag. It's time for a break. Since the earlier Slow Glass report the display from Vancouver has come online. It is 7:40 AM their time, and while there is a significant cloud cover, at least it is not raining. The bay (I think it is called English Bay) is filled with freighters waiting to be called to the wharf as usual.
***
The second half of today's batch is in the bag. Total time was just under one hour. It is normal (for me at least) to be distracted by ID's that show up in the queue, left behind by our friends in the Internet Advertising community. At first, the bulk of the ID's seemed to have been created by folks in Russia or Ukraine or other nations in that part of the world. However, in recent times I've been finding debris left behind by good old American entrepreneurial Internet marketers, offering a variety of goods and services over a rainbow of ethical patterns.

***
Now I'm planning to process one ID from tomorrow's batch, with the intention of recording the steps with respect to automation of the process.

Actual keystrokes implemented in the current procedure interact with the browser, of course, so automation will be dealing with the browser. At this point, while waiting for the book (on order for delivery in February) about programming Chrome apps, I can only guess what may be possible. But what I ** can ** do is to record precisely what events occur in sequence, and add text showing context.
***

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-30 10:23:37)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-30 10:33:33

This is a special item for SpaceNut ....

I just logged into Google to record notes about the procedures I'm using to prepare Not Verified ID's for your finishing touches.

In gmail (for an account other than NewMarsMember) I found an ad from Google, trying to entice me to invest $150 in their Google Ad service.

As an inducement, they are offering a $150 credit, so for the first outing with them, a person or entity would have $300 of credit to spend.

In thinking about that, while I don't have $150 to invest right now (today), it is possible that amount might free up over the Earth year immediately at hand.

So for ** you ** I have a question, or at least something to think about ... if this forum were to place ads for high value members, where might we place them, and how would we word them?

We already have open requisitions (from RobertDyck) for assistance with the Large Ship project, and it is possible that RobertDyck will add other needs as the outlines of the project become clearer.

In addition, we have opportunities to invite new members to assist with potential projects that might be launched by Calliban.

kbd512 has written sketches of a number of activities that could become projects.

Louis has done the same, on a grand scale.

I haven't thought of everyone who has contributed to the store in this forum archive, and there wouldn't be time to list them all in any case.

(th)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-30 11:15:04

Notes for the Record: Procedure to update one Not Verified ID, written with guesses about how this might be automated ...

SearchTerm:Logging Transcription of steps performed while converting one Not Verified ID to a Banned ID in the Bans table, ready for final processing.

2021/01/30 Notes on Procedure for Processing One Not Verified ID

Starting configuration:

Screen 1: Spreadsheet showing ID’s to be processed in a column

Screen 2: Open to forum main page

Screen 3: Open to forum main page

On Screen 2:

Transmit query Admin show Not Verified users

From first item in the results, pull the Username

Note string generated: newmars.com/forums/profile.php?id=######

Transmit the string shown above

Note result: a page appears showing Essentials for the selected ID

The topmost field on the form is to be replaced with a new, computed value

To get to the topmost field, it is possible to tab 20+ times from the opening position on the form

The first field highlighted with the first tab is the title display [New Mars Forums]

The actual count of tabs needed is 22, starting with the first to the title display

At this point, a computed value can be entered: “TestID” plus string “#####”

Where the numeric portion is computed from the numeric value stored in a variable available to the procedure (in this case that number is 1695).

Tab from the field after entering the characters …

The next field to be updated is the email field:

Once again, generate a string: “TestID” + “#####” & “@test.com”

Tab ten times to arrive at the Admin note field.

This field can be prepared ahead of time, to contain the following:
“Updated yyyymmdd by moderator”

The program needs to call up the first item in the drop down list.

When done manually, the procedure (action) to call up this item is a DownArrow key

A second DownArrow key will cause the item to be highlighted.

At this point, two Enter commands will cause the item to be stored in the field, and for the record to be updated in the MySql database.

The result of this action will be a re-display of the Essentials data for the current record.

To reach the Administration button, it is necessary to enter a number of tabs …

The first tab illuminates the Title display again …

A total of 21 tabs causes the Administration button to become highlighted

Send Enter

The next form that appears is an Administration page that contains only one active button:

[Ban user]

To reach this button, enter tabs …

22 tabs will cause this button to become illuminated/highlighted

Send Enter

The form that now appears is the Moderator menu

The field to be changed is the IP field …

The form opens with the Username field highlighted

Tab once to reach the IP field …

In the IP field, enter Backspace, to clear the field

Tab twice more to reach the Ban message field

This field can be prepared ahead of time to contain:

Upd: yyyy/mm/dd

To cause this item to be moved from the dropdown list to the field, enter DownArrow twice

Now send Enter twice

This action will cause the form to be updated and then sent to the database.

The result is a blank display of the Moderator menu

Move to Screen 2 ( I have no idea how to do this with automation)

As a manual process, hold ALT and press the tab key ….

On the second screen, send Ctrl/F5 to refresh the screen

At this point the procedure should stop, so the operator can verify the display in the Bans table.

***
This brings up a point … the script needs to start with the opening query, which needs to be performed in the First screen, and the counter for the active ID needs to be updated.
***
Move back to Screen 1 (in manual mode this is done with Atl/Tab)

The cursor is in the Username field of the Moderator menu for [New ban]

Update the counter for the current ID by one.

At this point, the procedure is complete for one ID.

It has been visually verified and the system has been positioned to repeat.

Some means of causing the script to run is needed.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-02-07 13:12:52)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-30 13:32:09

The run command sounds as a possible for windows to start the script file name.

Completed ID's 1673-1694 unban and move to user list...

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-30 14:28:06

For SpaceNut re #740 .... thank you for taking care of our latest batch of recovered ID's!

Thanks too, for noting the record of steps I am using, as a phase of development of automation to try to accelerate the pace of the effort, while maintaining the security of the existing procedure, which works on only one ID at a time, and takes about two minutes.

As an update .... the book I'd ordered on how to Program Chrome just arrived ... it is early, and that's just fine!

I ordered a keyboard logger today, and it is due February 5th. Hopefully I'll have had a chance to study the book enough by then to know if it is possible to generate keyboard-equivalent-commands from within the browser.

Tiny USB Hardware Keylogger - KeyGrabber Forensic USB Keylogger 16MB Flash Drive
Guaranteed delivery by Fri, Feb 5.

In case anyone else is interested, there are versions of this for various environments, and with various capacities.

My impression is this tool can be (and likely has been) used for forensic investigations. The device fits between the USB plug from a keyboard and the port on a devices.

My interest is to capture the keystrokes that are needed to carry out the ID Recovery Procedure that delivers cleaned up ID's to SpaceNut for final processing.

Edit#1: Ctrl/L is the key combination to get to the address line of a browser

I started reading the book that just arrived about how to write an API for Google Chrome browsers .. The emphasis of the book is on pulling data from web sites to display on a screen, but a Chrome API can access the local computer file system. I only found one reference to POST statements in the entire book, and I think that was incidental in the context of something else.

At this point I'm doubtful that a Chrome API is the right approach for the current situation ...

I may need to look for functions within computer languages that deliver data to fields in a form that is open on the screen.

I've written plenty of programs that display data in windows on screens, and pull data entered by the operator, but a browser is a screen I don't "own", so I'm unsure how to deliver data into such an object.

Edit#2: Stack Overflow had this:

Edit: If, instead, you want to start up the browser and then interactively play with the window browser, maybe you should look into desktop automation/messaging frameworks, such as dbus. I do not know exactly if or how, but it should be possible to focus on the browser window, select a specific field and put some text in it.

Edit#3: More from Stack Overflow:

There are Two Ways to transfer winform data to web applications
If you want to transfer the data to IE then You can Use
1)MSHtml.dll
code
InternetExplorer TargetIE = null;
IHTMLDocument2 document = null;
//Check whether the IE is opened
foreach (InternetExplorer internetExplorer in new ShellWindows())
{
if (internetExplorer.Document is HTMLDocument)
{
TargetIE = internetExplorer;
break;
}
}
2) If you want to transfer data from winform to any web browser my personal advice to you please use selenium for this. download the respective dll and driver for respective drivers from this site help
Code
using OpenQA.Selenium;
using OpenQA.Selenium.IE;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Support.UI;
using OpenQA.Selenium.Chrome;
namespace WindowsFormsChrome
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// download the chrome driver
IWebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver(@"C:\Users\Downloads\chromedriver");
driver.Navigate().GoToUrl("http://www.yahoo.com");
IWebElement myField = driver.FindElement(By.Id("txtUserName"));
myField.SendKeys("UserName");
IWebElement myField = driver.FindElement(By.Id("txtPassword"));
myField.SendKeys("Password");
IWebElement myField = driver.FindElement(By.Id("btnLogin"));
myField.click()
}
}
}

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-30 21:35:33)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-30 16:42:34

So far the error rate is not all that many even in the current mode of operation to convert them but its still worth learning from a writing of a fresh program to make as a tool for the current php forum coding.

Just created Id's 02061 -02070 unbanned and they are now in the user list

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-31 08:17:24

For SpaceNut re #742

Thanks for taking care of today's batch, and adding your own in the 2000 series! Nice!

I gave the book on Programming Chrome a thorough look last night ... I was disappointed there is (apparently) no easy solution to the immediate problem of making an automated solution for the Recovery ID's project. However, aside from the sheer depth of the programming exercise which left me feeling a bit exhausted, I ** am ** grateful to the author for his efforts. This gent is an experienced technical author who persuaded O'Reilly to give him a bird symbol all his own for this effort.

As I understand the situation (and that is not yet very far along) it is possible to use Developer Tools developed by Google to write code that runs in Chrome, to access data held by Google or other cloud resources. The language can access resources on the local machine, such as files, bluetooth and Wifi.

It is a ** real ** stretch to imagine being able to run GW Johnson's orbit calculations as a Google App, but apparently there is no reason why a talented programmer with the energy of a person just starting a career couldn't pull it off. After all, there are already plenty of web sites that do similar computations.

The difference is that the app runs in Chrome on the local machine, ** and ** that it is made available to the user by download from the Google App store.

A person could (I presume) study orbits at home without needing to consume online resources at all. So, theoretically, an app designed for this platform could run on Microsoft Edge on a Windows 10 machine, since Edge is a port of Chrome.

***
This post is reserved for today's batch: 1696-1716.
***
Before starting work on today's batch I took a quick look at your nicely tilled 2000+ section. It's progressing nicely!
***
Also before starting work on today's batch, I'd like to report on some exploring I did after study of the book on Chrome Programming reported above...

It appears that multiple languages support simulated keyboard input to a form displayed on the screen ...

If I were more familiar with Python I'd used that, because my preferred platform is Linux. However, since my experience is with Microsoft .Net, I took a look at the options available there ...

It appears that a program can obtain the assigned "handle" of a program running on a system as part of the Windows environment.

With the handle known, it is possible to use several (or at least two) built-in functions to deliver characters to a running/open form as though the input were coming from a keyboard.

One of those functions is "SendInput" .... I would have to learn how to use that, because a need for it never came up before.

However, apparently Microsoft makes extensive use of that function in their utility program library.

The program (if developed) would (presumably) acquire the handle of a browser ... it wouldn't matter (apparently) which one, and then be able to deliver messages to the running browser as though the input were coming from a keyboard.

If the input to the program is a script, similar to the set of steps posted a few posts earlier in this topic, then the browser could (presumably) be caused to carry out the sequence of steps needed to prepare a Not Verified ID for your unbanning process.

The next step for me (or anyone else who might be interested in this little problem) is to write code that can find the handle of a running browser and deliver at message to the running instance.

My guess is that the handle in a Microsoft system may have an equivalent in the Process ID of a Linux system, but that is just a guess.

If anyone with skill/knowledge/experience in these matters would care to comment or offer suggestions, please consider dropping a note to NewMarsMember * gmail.com.

Speaking of the NewMars portal ... there were no incoming messages this morning. I'm next expecting a couple of files from GW Johnson.
****
The first 11 ID's are in the bag, and it is time for a break.
***
In thinking about how a program might be able to carry out the ID Recovery duties one ID at a time, I've been thinking about how to verify the desired results are taking place. For example, after the ID record selected from the Not Verified queue is updated with a new name and posted, the record is displayed back on the screen with the changes. It ** should ** be possible for a program to find the contents of the username field in the blob that is returned from the server to paint the screen. The blob has ridiculous amounts of data, but it may be possible to search the blob for the string of interest. if it shows up at all that would (presumably) confirmation that the desired update took place.

The form returned after the second phase of update of an ID is a "New Ban" form, with empty fields. It might be possible to look for the string "New Ban" in the blob, to confirm the desired form is present.
***
ID's through 1716 are ready for unbanning in the Bans table.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-31 13:17:07)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-31 13:21:30

SearchTerm:Notes for a program that might be constructed to automate processing of Not Verified ID's

The working assumption in making these notes is that it is true/possible to deliver characters or strings of characters into applications running in an environment.

The specific target I have in mind is a web browser, but at this point it doesn't appear to matter what browser is used.

The notes pasted below show the strings that are generated as various actions are taken.

Not shown are the proposed computer generated actions that would take place inside a running form. These actions would included tabbing between fields, and entering text into fields as they become available due to navigation by tabbing.

2021/01/31 Notes on Web Site Interactions for ID Recovery Procedure

Assuming the workspace has been prepared with a screen (Screen 1) logged into NewMars.com/forums.

Assuming the workspace has been prepared with a screen (Screen 2) logged into NewMars.com/forums

The sequence starts with display of the Not Verified User ID's on Screen 1

http://newmars.com/forums/admin_users.p … ame%5D=%2A

Upon selection of the first Username in the results, the following string appears:

http://newmars.com/forums/profile.php?id=###### <<== the id varies of course

After updates have been applied to the fields in the form, submit gives this result;

http://newmars.com/forums/profile.php?s … &id=######

At this point, the updates are visible in the Essentials form. The title of the form matches the new ID.

it may be possible to find the title field as easily or more easily that the display window for Username.

**** The sequence recorded below is for a different User ID but otherwise the strings are the same.

This string is submitted by the Administration button in the Profile Menu

http://newmars.com/forums/profile.php?s … &id=######

This string is submitted upon activation of the Ban User button on the Adminstration page

http://newmars.com/forums/admin_bans.php?add_ban=######

This string appears after update of the Banned user page:

http://newmars.com/forums/admin_bans.php

Note that the page title is: Moderator menu New ban

****

The focus shifts to Screen 2

http://newmars.com/forums/admin_bans.ph … D=%2A&p=63

The resulting display should show the updated ID for visual confirmation by the operator

****

Focus returns to Screen 1, where the cycle can repeat.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-01-31 13:23:48)

tahanson43206 · 2021-01-31 17:14:23

This is an item for SpaceNut .... it is a bit out of line with the nature of the NewMars forum ... it may not fit ...

https://www.yahoo.com/news/op-ed-collap … 02647.html

The article refers back to the 1972 "limits to Growth" publication, which has been largely discredited ...

However, the authors of the article at the link above appear to be making the argument that for all it's flaws, the 1972 projection appears to be on track because humans just can't seem to help themselves.

(th)

SpaceNut · 2021-01-31 18:30:35

The next few days are coming Winter Storm Orlena to Pummel East Coast as a Nor'easter With Heavy Snow, Strong Winds Widespread totals of 6 to 12 inches are expected in these areas. Some of the locations shaded in darkest purple or pink could pick up 1 to 2 feet of snow, Plus I think my service days end with a break for computer as well until the 6th....

unban and move to user list are complete for id's 01696 - 1716

tahanson43206 · 2021-02-01 08:26:57

For SpaceNut re #746

Best wishes for lighter snow fall at your location!

Thanks for the heads up re Monthend data restrictions.

Thanks for taking care of the group through 1716.

***
In looking into automation of the ID Recovery process, I've found a number of alternatives are available. Selenium appears to be a package designed to automate browsers for industry, and it appears to have a free trial plan available. Apparently it is agnostic, and will run with several operating systems, languages and browsers.

Microsoft offers several ways of approaching the problem, including functions that deliver data into a running program (such as a browser). In addition, Microsoft offers Http capabilities that can run inside a desktop program to GET and POST to servers over the Internet.

The Chrome Application package is apparently able to allow for downloading of data from a web site, parsing the stream to pull out the data needed, and formatting the data for display. The book on the language seems to be primarily concerned with download, and less (if at all) with upload.

The application I am thinking about here is a mixture of upload and download. The download is needed to provide feedback on the success of each upload. A program written in a language that supports http interaction (there are many) would be one way to go, for sure.

There is another possibility .... a device designed to interface with the USB interface could play the role of a keyboard for upload of data.

Writing code on a device to perform USB interfacing is a non-trivial enterprise.

However, there ** is ** an alternative commercially available. Several years ago, when serial ports were in wide use, there was a market for devices able to convert RS232 serial traffic to USB packets. I still have several of those devices, which I used for a project in 2007 or so.

I'm thinking about testing one of those to see if it can feed data into a running browser as though it were a keyboard. The devices were designed to look like COM ports to the receiving computer, so I'm skeptical they will be able to feed data into a browser as though they were keyboards.

After thinking about it further, this is not worth trying. The software that consumed data via this pathway was written to pull data from a Com port, and a USB port can be defined as a Com port, so the software could see it. That was how I was able to keep using a device with a serial port for input, when the computer receiving the data no longer had a serial port. That capability is not built into a browser.
***
Well! It turns out that there has been a MAJOR need for a USB port adapter for serial input delivered into a running program. I was totally unaware of it, until starting the current investigation. An example from the web site shown below is of a scale built to deliver output via a serial port. The program written for the market (in this case) is able to open a COM port, and deliver the data directly into the onscreen window selected by the operator. Nice!

And it appears there is a free trial version available for testing. This is ** still ** a long way around to achieve the objective, but it might work.
If it ** does ** work, then it would be possible to deliver the needed stream of data to a browser as (simulated) keyboard input, originating from a program running on a machine that still has a serial port. In ** that ** case, the RS232/USB port adapter would work.

The web site shown below gives as an example a scale that had a serial port. The data from the scale could be fed into an Excel spreadsheet, running on a laptop with a USB interface.

232key - free RS-232 to keyboard software (keyboard wedge)
www.232key.com
Transforms data received via RS-232 (COM port) into keystrokes. ... Use 232key to capture data sent from a serial device and automatically enter it into any

****
This post is reserved for 1717-1738
***
1717-1738 are in the Bans table, ready for unbanning whenever you get time and bandwidth.

The set took 2.2 hours this time, because I spent some time thinking about (and documenting) possible approaches to automation of this process.

While something called "Selenium" appears to be a strong candidate to consider for this situation, it would require a learning investment.

On the other hand, the RS232 software I found might provide a solution that would work with software I already know and have available.

I did make an adjustment to the Bans Query, to only show the new ID's created in the current work session. The NewMars server will have less work to do from now on .... I'd been asking for all 71 pages every time I performed an update. Now the server only has up to 22 records to return.

(th)

Last edited by tahanson43206 (2021-02-01 12:39:19)

tahanson43206 · 2021-02-01 10:59:08

This is primarily for SpaceNut, but if there is anyone else interested, here is a draft of a procedure that might be followed using only keyboard input, to complete processing of one Not Verified ID. The scenario under consideration is programmed (simulated) keyboard input to a browser. It would not appear to make a difference which browser is used, since the interaction is with the web forms delivered by the NewMars FluxBB package.

***
Notes on keyboard input to Chrome web pages for NewMars.com/forums Not Verified ID updates

Start by setting focus to form Admin Index >> Users >> Search Results showing Not Verified ID's

Tab 1 - illuminates the title [New Mars Forums]

20 tabs from there puts the focus on the first name in the results display.

Recounting to be sure, starting with focus on the web page ... The total count of tabs is 21

At the chosen field, press Enter

***
The form that appears is the Profile Menu for the name selected

22 tabs are needed to reach the Username field to be updated: Enter TestID&#####

Send one tab to reach the email field

Enter TestID#####@testcom

Now send 10 tabs to reach the Admin notes field

Enter [Updated yyyymmdd by moderator]

Send one tab

Send Enter to cause Submit

The next form display is still Profile Menu, but this time the ID is shown with updated values

Now tab 21 times to reach the Administration button

Send Enter

The next form that appears is still the Profile Menu, but this time it is for Administration

There is just one button [Ban user]

To reach it, tab 22 times

Send Enter

Now the Moderator menu appears with the title: [Ban advanced settings]

The highlighted field is the username ... This should NOT be changed

Send one tab

This is the IP address field ... Send one Backspace to clear the field if there is anything there

Now send two tabs to skip over the Email field and to reach the Ban message field:

Enter Upd: yyyy/mm/dd <<== This length string will display cleanly in the Bans queue display

Send two tabs to reach the submit button

Send Enter to submit the form [Save]

The resulting form on display is the [New ban] form of the Moderator menu

Send Ctrl/L to reach the address line of the browser

**** this next step is optional - in a separate screen, refresh the display of banned ID's to show the newly banned TestID#####

On the main screen, in the address line, enter the Query for Not Verified ID's and send Enter

Return to top of loop

(th)

SpaceNut · 2021-02-01 19:27:03

Completed tonight's group of ids 1717-1738 for unban and move to user list

Looks like you have developed a tool that may be use able for other php style forums.

tahanson43206 · 2021-02-01 20:01:51

Hi SpaceNut re #749

Thanks for taking care of our little critters for today.

Thanks too, for noting the draft of a (possible) procedure for automation of the ID Recovery process.

eBay just notified me they have shipped the key logger I ordered, so it will be here next week. That would provide an "official" record of the actual keystrokes, to supplement the document posted above.

Meanwhile, a number of possibilities have opened up for actual implementation of a procedure to automate updates of a web site.

The one I am (cautiously) most optimistic about is one that takes serial (RS-232) data in and delivers it to a running program via a USB connection.

I've downloaded the program, and am now wondering how to safely test it without putting one of my working systems at risk.

The provider ** appears ** to be a legitimate organization, but it's not one I have any experience with.

The program runs on Windows, so that in itself is not a problem.

The first experiment I'll run (after I figure out where to test the download) will be so see if serial data from an old laptop can be fed into Notepad running on the target machine. If that works is is a small step to move up to a browser.

(th)

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