How do I go about programmatically use PHP to access a secure site of a website and pull an image?
There is a website that I can login with my username/password. Once logged in, I then have to go to a few different pages before the image is available for download. I am trying to download a POD (Proof of Delivery) image from a carriers website.
Can this be done with CURL?
Unfortunately, I cannot access the image directly because:
a) it is in a password protected area
b) I think there are session variables being set as you browse, as if i browse to the POD of the consignment, there is no request variables added to the image, so I am thinking the previous page must set a session variable to say “this is the consignment I am currently looking at”.
Also- is there any ethical restrictions you guys can see in doing this? If I company lets you login to their website, I can’t see why they would care if you are doing it physically or programmatically.
I often use SimpleTest’s PHP Scriptable Web Browser for such tasks.
Regarding your “ethical” question, if you’re not breaking any laws and getting the information for personal purposes, nobody should care. Just don’t abuse it.