Incapable of bringing clarity to function usage

[shahin]

As a vba beginner sometimes i find it hard to understand how function works. If you consider the below example then you can see that the first scraper is running flawlessly. However, when I make my scraper act like same in case it is wrapped within a function, it works no more. It is happening only because i could not propel it the right way. How can i execute my second scraper?

First one (working):

Sub WebData()
    Dim http As New XMLHTTP60, html As New HTMLDocument
    Dim source As Object

    With http
        .Open "GET", "http://www.brazil4export.com/en/pesquisa/resultado/?page=1&", False
        .send
        html.body.innerHTML = .responseText
    End With
    For Each source In html.getElementsByClassName("panel-heading")
        x = x + 1: Cells(x, 1) = source.getAttribute("data-Name")
        Cells(x, 2) = source.getAttribute("data-site")
    Next source
End Sub

Second one (not working):

Function GetResult(url As String) As String
    Dim http As New XMLHTTP60, html As New HTMLDocument
    With http
        .Open "GET", url, False
        .send
        html.body.innerHTML = .responseText
    End With
    GetResult = html.body.innerHTML
End Function

Sub Test_result()
    Dim source As Object
    GetResult ("http://www.brazil4export.com/en/pesquisa/resultado/?page=1&")
    For Each source In (what should be here?).getElementsByClassName("panel-heading")
        x = x + 1: Cells(x, 1) = source.getAttribute("data-Name")
        Cells(x, 2) = source.getAttribute("data-site")
    Next source
End Sub

 

[Marc L]

You must load result of function in main procedure
- just use a variable ! - as shown in VBA inner help …​

 

[shahin]

Thanks Marc L, for your suggestion. Well, if I use a variable, how can that bridge between function and main procedure? However, I'm having a hard time to understand that as well.

 

[Marc L]

Function Square&(L&)
         Square = L * L
End Function

Sub Main()
    R& = Square(9)
    MsgBox R
End Sub

And with a bit of logic you ever do not neet any variable
as you already saw in my code within your own threads …
​

 

[shahin]

I got there almost. Now, msgbox in main procedure can display the responsetext but how to execute the uncommented part?

Function GetResult(url As String) As String
    Dim http As New XMLHTTP60

    With http
        .Open "GET", url, False
        .send
        post = .responseText
    End With
    GetResult = post
End Function

Sub Test_result()
    Dim source As Object, html As New HTMLDocument, post As String

    post = GetResult("http://www.brazil4export.com/en/pesquisa/resultado/?page=1&")
    MsgBox post
'    For Each source In html.getElementsByClassName("panel-heading")
'        x = x + 1: Cells(x, 1) = source.getAttribute("data-Name")
'        Cells(x, 2) = source.getAttribute("data-site")
'    Next source
End Sub

 

[shahin]

Sorry to have not attached the relevant part. Now, I did.

 

[Marc L]

First your function must return the correct data type
so comparing initial code it can't be a string !​

 

[NARAYANK991]

Hi ,

Try this :

Function GetResult(url As String) As String
    Dim http As New XMLHTTP60
    Dim post As New HTMLDocument

    With http
        .Open "GET", url, False
        .send
        post.body.innerHTML = .responseText
    End With
    GetResult = post.body.innerHTML
End Function

Sub Test_result()
    Dim source As Object, html As HTMLDocument
    Dim odoc As Object

    Set odoc = CreateObject("HTMLFile") '// late binding

    odoc.body.innerHTML = GetResult("http://www.brazil4export.com/en/pesquisa/resultado/?page=1&")
    Set html = odoc
   
    For Each source In html.getElementsByClassName("panel-heading")
        x = x + 1: Cells(x, 1) = source.getAttribute("data-Name")
        Cells(x, 2) = source.getAttribute("data-site")
    Next source
End Sub

Narayan

 

[shahin]

Thanks Narayan, for this robust solution. It works great. Thanksssssssss a trillion.

 

[Marc L]

NARAYAN's solution is not what you initialy asked for :

For Each source In (what should be here?).getElementsByClassName("panel-heading")

So (what should be here) can't be a string but an object !
Just comparing with initial code …
As every beginner coder must know which data type to use !
The very basics of any coding language …
​

 

[shahin]

@Marc L, I needed to know how to execute a sub procedure if a significant part of which is wrapped within a function. I now at least know how to give it a go. The way I expected in my first post perhaps hard to satisfy or I don't know. It would be great If I could do such way.Thanks.

 

[shahin]

Perhaps this is what I expected. It is working now.

Function GetResult(url As String) As String
    Dim http As New XMLHTTP60, html As New HTMLDocument
    With http
        .Open "GET", url, False
        .send
        html.body.innerHTML = .responseText
    End With
    GetResult = html.body.innerHTML
End Function

Sub Test_result()
    Dim source As Object, html As New HTMLDocument
    html.body.innerHTML = GetResult("http://www.brazil4export.com/en/pesquisa/resultado/?page=1&")
    For Each source In html.getElementsByClassName("panel-heading")
        x = x + 1: Cells(x, 1) = source.getAttribute("data-Name")
        Cells(x, 2) = source.getAttribute("data-site")
    Next source
End Sub

Thanks Narayan and Marc L.

 

[Marc L]

Narayan gave you a fish.
If tomorrow you need another one but if Narayan can't come
to bring you a fish, neither anyone else, you will stay on your own …

My attempt was not to bring you any fish but to show you how to fish,
the Confucius' way !
As here it was just the very lower level of programming, data type …
​

 

[shahin]

@Marc L, I know your style and I like it very much. You always tried to make me do stuffs on my own by providing with guidelines. That is why I have learnt so quickly. Thanks.

 

[shahin]

Although I do not have a good knowledge on function, I've tried to modify the existing code the way it should be:

Function GetSource() As String
    Dim http As New ServerXMLHTTP60

    With http
        .Open "GET", "https://yts.ag/browse-movies", False
        .send
        GetSource = .responseText
    End With
End Function

Sub Fetch_Data()
    Dim html As New HTMLDocument
    Dim post As HTMLHtmlElement
   
    html.body.innerHTML = GetSource()
   
    For Each post In html.getElementsByClassName("browse-movie-bottom")
        With post.getElementsByClassName("browse-movie-title")
           If .Length Then Row = Row + 1: Cells(Row, 1) = .Item(0).innerText
        End With
        With post.getElementsByClassName("browse-movie-year")
           If .Length Then Cells(Row, 2) = .Item(0).innerText
        End With
    Next post
End Sub