In this tutorial let us see how to load data using HTML Forms Data Loader (HDL).
To begin with first start HDL by clicking on the HTML Forms Data Loader icon, you will get a window like this
Now you can either open a existing file which you saved earlier to load the data, or you can click the Capture button to Record fields of a new Web Based form. Let's click "Capture" button to capture items of a new HTML Form.
Once you click Capture button, the built-in HDL Web Browser will open as shown below. Here type the URL of the website and click Go. After the page is loaded. Click "Start Recording" Button and HDL will start recording your navigation.
To enter data into Customer Form we have to click the "Customer Registration" link and then you will get Customers Registration Form. Let's click Customer Registration Link. After you click the "Customer Registration Link you will see Customer Page as shown below, enter a sample customer data by filling the values in Customer ID, Company Name etc., by using "TAB" key or clicking through mouse.
As you enter the data into fields and clicks links or buttons, the HDL starts recording those items. Please Note the Spreadsheet in the top section which shows the recorded items.
After you finished entering all the fields, now to save the customer record you have to click "Submit" button. Then you will see a Thank you page which confirms that customer data is saved.
That's It! now click the "Stop Recording" button and then click "Finish" button.
Step 3
After you click "Finish" button, the browser will close and HDL has captured all the items and shows the items in the spreadsheet as shown below. If the Form Item is a List Box or Radio Option HDL will show it as a Combo Box with all the predefined values as can be seen for Region and Countries Items. If it is a Check Box Item it will be shown as check box item in spreadsheet.
Optionally, If you want, you can also add forms items, in case they have not been captured or add keystroke, Data, Time Delay, Link columns. To add columns just click the Right mouse button in the column where you want to insert the new column. However, in this tour we will not add any items since we don't require any.
Now populate this spreadsheet by directly writing into the spreadsheet or importing data from any CSV file or Excel Sheet or copy and paste the data from any other sheet. Let us enter some sample data in the spreadsheet as shown below.
After you have entered the data click the Load Button. Then, you will get a Load Data Window and HDL built in browser will automatically navigate to the first page in which you started recording as shown below.
Note: If the Form page does not directly open and shows an error, Then it must be because the website requires you to logon first. To logon type the URL of logon page and enter the username and password and then navigate to the Form page and then Click Start loading button once the Form in which you want to load the data is visible.
To Start Filling this form with the data which we entered in the spreadsheet click the Start Loading Button in the Toolbar. When you click this button HDL will show a dialog as shown below.
In this dialog you can choose the speed with which data should be loaded into Web page and also specify Error Control. That is, what should be done if a field is not found in the page and so on.. for details about this dialog please refer to other sections of the help.
Now for the sake of this demo don't change anything and just click "OK" button and watch the playback.
After loading is over HDL will mark the rows with Green for those rows which were loaded successfully and Red Color for those rows which got errors and were not loaded successfully. So that next time you can skip successful rows and load only unsuccessful rows.
After loading is over you can close the Load Data window and save the spreadsheet for future use. The files will be saved with "*.hdl" extension
If again afterwards you want to load the data in the same Form. Just open the saved file and populate the spreadsheet with new data if require and click the Start Loading button.
This tour just shows you a simple way to load data in HTML forms. In fact, you can also use Macros (keystrokes) along with HTML Forms items to load the data in complex HTML Forms. To see how this works see the Demo 2 by clicking Demo Button in the toolbar.
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