query inside a webpage with Python

[noamjob]

Hi,
I want to perform a search with Python in this site:
http://www.draftexpress.com/search.php

I want to search for a player who's first name is "james".
The problem: The page with the result's url is:
http://www.draftexpress.com/search.php#results

Obviously, when opening this page directly, I don't get the page with the results for "james"...

I need to perform this kind of search automatically in other sites like that, so I don't want any local solution, if there is.

I need to make my program somehow make this query and I don't know how. Do anyone have a suggestion? (A code example would be great).

Help me please...

[Murtan]

This is the essential parts of the 'source' for the basic search form extracted from the web page you indicated:

<form action="/search.php#results" method="post">
<strong>Basic Search </strong>
<strong>First Name:</strong><br> <input name="fFIRSTNAME" type="text" size="10" maxlength="25" value="">
<strong>Last Name:</strong><br> <input name="fLASTNAME" type="text" size="10" maxlength="25" value="">
</form>

The <form> tells you that the form data is sent to the server via post, and the <input>'s give the field names 'fFIRSTNAME' and 'fLASTNAME'

You then 'encode' the form data and post it to the server.

There's a pretty good article on how to do that here:

http://www.voidspace.org.uk/python/articles/urllib2.shtml

[rmhapp]

Found this very old post, but it kinda ties in to what I'm looking to do.

I'd like to have a Google Spreadsheet query the site www.moodb.com/search.asp using a barcode when it is automatically entered.

I'm using an Android app called GetBlue that enters any barcode in to the spreadsheet once scanned. I'd like that barcode entered in to the search field on the moodb.com site next to UPC.

Think that is doable?