WebSite-Watcher HELP

Welcome to WebSite-Watcher

WebSite-Watcher allows you to monitor your favorite websites for updates and changes with minimal time and effort. You no longer need to visit each page manually to check for changes.

When a change is detected, WebSite-Watcher saves the two most recent versions of the page on your hard disk. All changes in the text are automatically highlighted, so you can immediately see what has been modified.

Many features give you precise control over how and when a page is monitored. For example, you can configure WebSite-Watcher to notify you only if a specific keyword appears in the changed content.

WebSite-Watcher runs as a client application on your computer, similar to an email client. All Bookmarks and settings are stored locally on your hard disk. WebSite-Watcher does not require access to our servers to check pages for updates or changes.

Main Features

• Monitor web pages
• Monitor password-protected pages
• Monitor forums for new posts and replies
• Monitor RSS feeds
• Monitor local files
• Monitor PDF, Word, and Excel documents
• Monitor Facebook, Instagram, and X pages
• Highlight changes within a page
• Powerful filter system to ignore unwanted content
• Many additional features to help you stay up to date

Overview

Main Window

The main window of WebSite-Watcher is divided into three areas.

1. Folder Tree
   The folder tree on the left side contains several predefined folders, such as AutoWatch, HotSites, and Trash, as well as user-defined folders that you can create to organize your Bookmarks.
   
   
2. Bookmark List
   The bookmark list displays all Bookmarks in the selected folder. Each Bookmark has its own configuration, which you can open from the context menu.
   
   
3. Internal Browser
   Double-click a Bookmark to open the web page with highlighted changes in the internal browser. When WebSite-Watcher starts, the internal browser is closed. It opens automatically when you open a Bookmark. You can position the internal browser at the bottom or on the right side of the bookmark list.

Main Menu

File

The File menu contains all commands for creating, opening, and maintaining Bookmark databases.

A Bookmark database uses the file extension *.wsw and contains all folders, Bookmarks, and configuration settings. Cache files are stored in the related *_WSW folder.

The menu item Database contains commands to maintain, optimize, or repair a database. Run these commands only if you experience problems with your database, such as crashes or performance issues.

If your database is damaged, running the command Repair database attempts to restore as much data as possible. If you have a working and up-to-date backup file, restore that backup instead.

As an additional option to repair a damaged database, you can use Re-create database from cache folder. This command rebuilds the entire database from the files available in the Cache folder. Use this command only as a last resort if the command "Repair database" fails and no working, up-to-date backup file is available.

Bookmarks

The Bookmarks menu contains all commands for managing Bookmarks.

The commands "Find" and "Find next" allow you to search for text in all Bookmark configurations within the selected folder. To search for text in checked web pages, use the Advanced Search feature.

The command "Replace" allows you to modify text within selected Bookmark configurations.

Check

The Check menu contains all commands to check web pages.

The command Check HotSites selects and checks all Bookmarks in the "HotSites" folder.

The command Check selected bookmarks (extended) provides additional options to define which Bookmarks are checked. For example, you can ignore configured time settings.

Tools

The Tools menu contains several helper tools. For example, you can import or export Bookmarks in various formats, synchronize databases via Cloud-Sync, and search for text in monitored web pages.

Script

WebSite-Watcher includes a simple internal scripting language that allows you to automate tasks and user interactions.

For example, you can check Bookmarks, send a generated Report by email, and repeat the entire procedure after a specified time interval.

Options

The Options menu contains all WebSite-Watcher settings and configuration options.

View

The View menu contains commands to show or hide main window elements, Bookmark statistics, log files, and other interface components.

Help

The Help menu provides access to help topics and the About dialog.

Toolbar Symbols

Main Toolbar

  Open a Bookmark database. Bookmark lists are stored in files with the extension *.wsw. Monitored web pages are stored in the related *_WSW Cache folder.

  Start the assistant to add new Bookmarks

  Add a new Bookmark

  Check all Bookmarks in the selected folder

  Abort the current check

  Show the InfoWin, for example the current check status

  Go to the previous Bookmark

  Go to the next Bookmark

  Go to the next changed or unread Bookmark. Changed Bookmarks are displayed in bold and red.

  Open or close the internal browser

  Open the Advanced Search

  Turn AutoWatch on or off

  Minimize WebSite-Watcher to the system tray

  Exit WebSite-Watcher

Internal Browser

  Navigate back

  Navigate forward

  Stop loading the current page

  Reload the page in the internal browser

  Find text in the internal browser

  Open additional page commands and features

  Edit Bookmark properties

  Automatically create filters to ignore highlighted changes

  Restore the previous version

  Open the next changed Bookmark. Changed Bookmarks are displayed in bold and red.

  Go to the next change within the open page

  Open the online version of the Bookmark

  Open the new version of the Bookmark

  Open the previous version of the Bookmark

  Open the version with highlighted changes

  Open both the version with highlighted changes and the old version

  Maximize the internal browser

  Open the current page in the external browser

Symbols in Bookmark List

Each Bookmark can display one or more of the following icons.

  A Bookmark can be assigned a small flag. The main purpose is to provide a simple visual marker, so you can quickly identify important Bookmarks. Additional functions are based on these flags, for example "Don't auto-delete bookmarks with flags" in the folder properties. You can assign a flag by double-clicking the first column of the Bookmark, or by using the context menu, which provides additional flag colors.

  This icon appears when notes have been entered in the Bookmark properties. Double-click this icon to open the separate Notes dialog without opening the Bookmark properties.

  The Bookmark is marked as a HotSite. All Bookmarks with this flag are listed in the "HotSites" folder.

  The Bookmark is a Master-Bookmark. This means that the Follow-Links feature is enabled in the Bookmark properties.

  The Bookmark is a child of a Master-Bookmark and was added automatically by the Follow-Links feature.

  The Bookmark is queued for checking. is queued for checking.

  An error occurred during the Bookmark check, and the Bookmark was queued for a second check.

  The Bookmark is currently being checked.

  An error occurred during the Bookmark check, and the Bookmark is currently being checked a second time.

Sidebar for Changes

When you open a Bookmark in the Internal Browser of WebSite-Watcher, a changes bar appears on the left side. This bar indicates where changes and keywords are located and allows you to quickly navigate to these positions.

Areas that contain changes are displayed in yellow. The areas before and after the yellow section are displayed in white.

Highlighted changes are located only within the yellow area and are displayed in red.

Highlighted keywords within highlighted changes are displayed in blue. The changes bar does not display keywords that are located outside of highlighted changes.

If a page contains highlighted changes that are hidden or cannot be displayed due to CSS definitions, WebSite-Watcher shows them as small lilac markers. In this case, switch to the Text tab of the internal browser. This view always displays all highlighted changes.

If the changes bar displays "xxx" instead of change markers, WebSite-Watcher cannot determine the exact position of the changes. WebSite-Watcher depends on certain Chromium functions, which may sometimes report incorrect positions.

This behavior also occurs when you use the Check by screenshot method, because in this mode the exact position of changes cannot be determined.

Supported Page and File Types

WebSite-Watcher can monitor many different file types and page types.

• Web pages with text content
  WebSite-Watcher supports both static web pages, such as pages with the file extension .htm or .html, and dynamic web pages, such as pages with the file extension .php.
  
  
• RSS/Atom feeds
  RSS and Atom feeds are converted into a readable web page format, so they can be monitored like normal web pages.
  
  
• Pages behind a Login
  For password-protected pages, you can record a Check-Macro. This Check-Macro is executed automatically when the page is checked for updates.
  
  
• Discussion forums
  Forums are handled as normal web pages with additional optimizations, for example a specialized method to highlight changes.
  
  
• Pages with JavaScript content
  For pages where the content is generated or displayed using JavaScript, WebSite-Watcher uses a separate and more advanced technology to convert the dynamically generated content into static content for comparison.
  
  
• PDF files
  An integrated Plugin automatically converts PDF documents into web pages. PDF files can then be monitored like normal web pages, and WebSite-Watcher can highlight changes in the text.
  
  
• Microsoft Word files
  An integrated Plugin automatically converts Microsoft Word documents into web pages. Word files can then be monitored like normal web pages, and WebSite-Watcher can highlight changes in the text.
  
  
• Microsoft Excel files
  An integrated Plugin automatically converts Microsoft Excel documents into web pages. Excel files can then be monitored like normal web pages, and WebSite-Watcher can highlight changes in the text.
  
  
• Images
  If you monitor an image file directly, WebSite-Watcher can detect and highlight changes within the image.
  
  
• Binary files
  WebSite-Watcher can detect updates of binary files, for example ZIP or EXE files, by comparing the file date, file size, or parts of the content. Binary files are not downloaded completely when they are checked for updates.
  
  
• FTP files and directories
  WebSite-Watcher supports monitoring of FTP files and directories. FTP files can be checked by file date, file size, or by content.
  
  
• Locally saved files
  WebSite-Watcher can monitor files stored on your local hard disk.

Useful Shortcuts

Navigate Through Changed Bookmarks

Useful keyboard shortcuts for opening and working with changed Bookmarks.

Internal Browser

Useful keyboard and mouse shortcuts for working with the internal browser.

Add new bookmarks

Using the Assistant

Click the Assistant button in the main toolbar to add a new Bookmark using the assistant. In a few steps, the assistant helps you select the appropriate configuration based on the page type.

In the first step, decide whether the web page can be accessed directly or whether it is located behind a web-based Login.

• Page can be accessed directly
  A page can be accessed directly if you can open it in your web browser by entering the URL without performing additional actions, such as clicking a button or submitting a form. In this case, enter the page address in the URL field.
  
  
• Page is password protected
  If the page is password protected and requires a web-based Login, you must record a Check-Macro. A Check-Macro contains all required Login steps and is executed automatically when the Bookmark is checked for updates.
  
  
• Page is the result of a search query
  If the page is displayed only after submitting a form, for example after performing a search query, you must record a Check-Macro. WebSite-Watcher records all required steps, such as filling out form fields and clicking buttons. These steps are executed automatically each time the Bookmark is checked for changes.

After you click the "Next" button, WebSite-Watcher checks the page and initializes the Bookmark.

In the next step, select the page type. The selected page type is used as a reference for the remaining assistant steps, so that the assistant can apply the most suitable options and configurations for the Bookmark.

Steps:
1.  Click the Assistant button in the main toolbar.
2.  Enter the URL you want to monitor, or record a Check-Macro for password-protected pages.
3.  Click "Next" to initialize the page.
4.  Select the page type, if it is not detected automatically.
5.  Follow the remaining steps of the assistant.

Add Bookmarks Directly

As an alternative to the assistant, you can add a Bookmark directly by clicking the Add button in the main toolbar, or by pressing the "Ins" key.

Enter the page address in the URL field and click the "Check" button to initialize the Bookmark. All other settings use default values.

If you leave the Bookmark name empty, WebSite-Watcher automatically assigns the page title as the Bookmark name.

Steps:
1.  Click the Add button in the main toolbar, or press the "Ins" key.
2.  Enter the page address in the URL field.
3.  Click the "Check" button.

Add bookmarks from Browser

WebSite-Watcher provides browser integration, which allows you to add new Bookmarks directly from your web browser.

Add from Web Browser

WebSite-Watcher can display a button in the title bar of major browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

If WebSite-Watcher is running, a small button appears in the title bar of your browser.

Click this button to open a menu that allows you to add the currently open page to WebSite-Watcher or Local Website Archive.

Add from Internal Browser

You can also add new Bookmarks by dragging and dropping a tab from the internal browser to a folder in the folder tree.

Import Bookmarks

Bookmarks can be imported from different sources using the Tools menu.

• Import bookmarks from Excel or CSV
  See the chapter Import from Excel / CSV.
  
  
• Import bookmarks from a text file
  WebSite-Watcher can import URLs from a text file. A description of the supported formats is available in the chapter Import from Text file.
  
  
• Import RSS feeds from an OPML file
  RSS and Atom feeds can be imported from an OPML file. The OPML file can be stored locally on your disk or available on a website.

Steps:
1.  Click "Tools" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Import / Export".
3.  Select the source from which you want to import Bookmarks.

Import URLs from Text File

 WebSite-Watcher can import URLs from text files in one of the following formats.

One URL per Line

Each URL must be placed on a separate line, for example:

https://www.website-watcher.com
https://www.aignes.com/support.htm
https://www.aignes.com/videos.htm

One Name + URL per Line

Each line contains a name and a URL, separated by a tab character, for example:

WebSite-Watcher{tab}https://www.website-watcher.com
WSW Support{tab}https://www.aignes.com/support.htm
Videos{tab}https://www.aignes.com/videos.htm

The text file must be stored in ASCII or UTF8 format.

Steps:
1.  Click "Tools" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Import / Export".
3.  Select "Import all/new bookmarks from Text file".
4.  Select the location and the format of the text file.
5.  Click OK.

Import from Excel and CSV

Bookmarks, including bookmark properties, can be imported from the first sheet of an Excel workbook or from a CSV file. Supported file extensions are xls, xlsx, and csv.

The first row must contain the field names to be imported. Each subsequent row must contain the values for one Bookmark, with one Bookmark per row.

The following screenshot shows a typical Excel sheet:

You only need to include the fields that you want to import. The smallest possible sheet contains a single column with the URL field.

Supported fields:

Export to Excel / CSV

WebSite-Watcher can export Bookmarks to an Excel or CSV file using the same fields described above. This allows you to export Bookmarks to Excel, modify them there, and re-import them into WebSite-Watcher.

Some additional fields are available only during export, for example last_check_date or last_change_date.

Check bookmarks

Check pages manually

Bookmarks can be checked in several ways:

1.  Manually, using menu commands or keyboard shortcuts

2.  Automatically, using the AutoWatch feature

3.  Using the integrated scripting language

4.  Using command line parameters

When you start a check, the Bookmarks are added to a check queue, and a gray globe icon appears in the first column of the Bookmark list. While a Bookmark is being checked, a blue globe icon is displayed. When the check is finished, the globe icon is removed.

The following methods describe how to check Bookmarks manually.

Check All Bookmarks in the Selected Folder

1.  Select the folder that you want to check.

2.  Click the "Check" button or press F9.

You can also press Ctrl+Shift and click a folder to start the check immediately.

Check All Bookmarks

1.  Select the folder "All Bookmarks".

2.  Click the "Check" button or press F9.

Check Selected Bookmarks

1.  Select the Bookmarks that you want to check.

2.  Right-click the selection

3.  Choose "Check Bookmarks", or press Ctrl+K.

Check All HotSites

Press Ctrl+Shift+H to select the folder "HotSites" and check all Bookmarks in that folder.

Check pages automatically (AutoWatch)

As an alternative to manual checks, WebSite-Watcher provides an automated checking method called AutoWatch. AutoWatch monitors Bookmarks automatically based on predefined time settings.

How to Use AutoWatch

1.  Enable AutoWatch for the desired Bookmarks.

2.  Start AutoWatch mode.

Enable AutoWatch for a Bookmark

• Bookmark Properties
  Open the Bookmark properties by right-clicking a Bookmark and selecting "Properties". Select the AutoWatch tab. In this section, you can enable AutoWatch and optionally define additional time restrictions that control when and how often the Bookmark is checked. To apply these settings to multiple Bookmarks, select the desired Bookmarks, right-click the selection, and choose "Set properties in all selected bookmarks...".
  
  
• Drag and Drop
  Drag and drop Bookmarks into the AutoWatch folder to enable AutoWatch using the predefined time settings. This action does not move the Bookmarks into the AutoWatch folder. It only enables the AutoWatch feature.
  
  
• Predefined Configuration
  You can define a default AutoWatch configuration for new Bookmarks in the program configuration using the button "Assign bookmark properties". This can also be configured per folder in the folder properties.

All Bookmarks with AutoWatch enabled are listed in the AutoWatch folder.

Start AutoWatch Mode

Click the AutoWatch button in the main toolbar to start AutoWatch mode.

Bookmarks are only monitored automatically when this button is enabled.

Check disabled Bookmarks

A Bookmark can be disabled in the Bookmark properties. A disabled Bookmark is not checked during a normal check run. A Bookmark check can also be skipped if time restrictions are configured, for example the setting "Check every 7 days".

The feature "Check selected bookmarks (extended)" allows you to bypass these restrictions and force a check.

Steps:
1.  Select the Bookmarks that you want to check.
2.  Click "Check + Check selected bookmarks (extended)", or press Ctrl+F9.
3.  Click OK.

Status and Error Messages

The status column in the Bookmark list shows the result of the last check. If an error occurred, the status is displayed in blue.

Successful Check

• OK
  If "OK" is displayed, the check was successful. "OK" can also appear in combination with additional information.

Successful Check with Additional Information

If "OK" is displayed together with one or more of the following messages, the page was checked successfully.

• Initialized
  When a Bookmark is checked for the first time, it is initialized. WebSite-Watcher downloads the page and collects all data required to detect updates during future checks.
  
  
• Warning: Frameset
  The checked page contains a Frameset. WebSite-Watcher must download all Frame(s) defined in that Frameset. This is only a warning. It indicates that checking only the relevant Frame, if possible, would be more efficient. This warning can be disabled in the Bookmark properties.
  
  
• Redirection
  A redirection occurs when a URL automatically forwards to another address. The URL displayed in the browser changes accordingly. If such a redirection occurs during a check, this message is displayed.
  
  
• Warning download size
  Typical web pages range from 10 KB to 100 KB, sometimes more. If WebSite-Watcher downloads a page with a very large size, for example 1 MB or more, the page may actually redirect to a binary file that is processed as a normal web page. If the downloaded data exceeds a predefined size configured in the program settings, this warning is displayed. This is only a warning and does not abort the check.
  
  
• Skipped
  The Bookmark was not checked due to time restrictions defined in the Bookmark properties. You can use "Check Bookmarks (extended)" to check such Bookmarks.
  
  
• Disabled
  The Bookmark has been disabled in the Bookmark properties. You can use "Check Bookmarks (extended)" to check disabled Bookmarks.

Check with Errors

If one or more of the following messages are displayed in the status column, the page could not be checked successfully.

• Warning: whole content filtered (please verify your filter settings)
  WebSite-Watcher compares the filtered text content of the new version with the filtered text content of the previous version. If the entire content is filtered out, there is nothing to compare, and updates cannot be detected. In this case, this message is displayed. Open the Bookmark properties and review or adjust your filter settings. Use the "Test filter" feature to view the filtered content used for comparison. Related topic: What are filter settings (Overview)
  
  
• Redirection via HTML commands not followed
  HTML redirections are supported but are not enabled by default. If this message is displayed, you can change the Bookmark URL to the redirected address or enable HTML redirections in the Bookmark properties. In some cases, HTML redirections are required, for example when a permanent URL redirects to a URL containing a daily date or session ID. 
  
  
• Page not available?
  The page was not available at the time of the check. The question mark indicates that it is unclear whether the error is temporary. You must verify whether the page is temporarily unavailable or permanently removed.
  
  
• Access forbidden?
  This message usually indicates that the page is protected by server authentication and requires a username and password. Enter the credentials in the Bookmark properties. See also the chapter Server Authentication. 
  
  
• Timeout
  The page could not be checked within the defined Timeout period. This may occur if the page is temporarily unavailable or if it is very large and cannot be transferred within the configured time limit. The Timeout value can be changed in the program configuration or individually in the Bookmark properties.
  
  
• Error downloading page
  The page is available but could not be downloaded completely, or the download was interrupted. This is usually a temporary server issue and may be resolved by checking the Bookmark again later.
  
  
• Error: Page or file not found
  The page was not available for an unknown reason, for example due to server issues or problems with your internet service provider.

Exclude Bookmarks from checking

Exclude Bookmarks from Checking

Bookmarks can be "disabled". Disabled Bookmarks remain in the Bookmark list but are not checked.

• Exclude from checking permanently
  To disable Bookmarks and exclude them permanently from checking, open the Advanced section in the Bookmark properties and enable the option "Disable bookmark (Don't check)" under Options.
  
  
• Exclude from checking temporarily
  To exclude Bookmarks temporarily from checking, for example for the next 7 days, right-click a Bookmark selection, then choose "Extras" and "Disable check". Enter the period during which the Bookmark should not be checked.

Re-Enable Disabled Bookmarks

• Permanently excluded Bookmarks
  Permanently excluded Bookmarks can be re-enabled in the Bookmark properties by clearing the option "Disable bookmark (Don't check)".
  
  
• Temporarily excluded Bookmarks
  Temporarily excluded Bookmarks can be re-enabled in the same way they were disabled. Right-click a Bookmark selection, choose "Extras" and "Disable check", enter "0 minutes", and click OK.

Open changed bookmarks

How are changed bookmarks displayed

Changed Bookmarks are displayed in red and bold. They can optionally be sorted automatically to the top of the Bookmark list. When you open a changed Bookmark, its status is set to "read". The Bookmark is then displayed in black using the normal font style.

Folders that contain changed Bookmarks are also displayed in red and bold. The number of changed Bookmarks is shown in parentheses after the folder name.

How to open (changed) bookmarks

Open the Next Changed Bookmark

• Press F12 to open the next unread Bookmark.
• Click the button to open the next unread Bookmark.
• Double-click a Bookmark to open the selected Bookmark.

Navigation Within an Opened Bookmark

• Press Ctrl+F12 to jump to the next highlighted change.
• Click the button to jump to the next highlighted change.
• Press the Space key to scroll down in the opened page.
• You can also use standard navigation keys, for example Page Up, Page Down, and the arrow keys.

Internal Browser

When you start WebSite-Watcher, the internal browser is closed by default. It opens automatically as soon as you open a Bookmark.

The internal browser is an embedded Chromium browser. You can open checked Bookmarks as well as online web pages.

WebSite-Watcher always uses the first browser tab to display changed Bookmarks. Links can be opened in additional browser tabs.

Open Pages in New Browser Tabs

Pages are opened in new browser tabs in the following cases:

• Hold the Shift key while clicking a link.
• Use the context menu by right-clicking a link.
• Hold the Shift key while clicking one of the following buttons:
  
• Press Ctrl+T to open a new empty browser tab.

New browser tabs can optionally be opened in the foreground or in the background. This behavior can be configured in the program configuration on the "Internal Browser" tab. It can also be changed quickly by right-clicking a browser tab.

If you press Ctrl+Shift while clicking a link, the new tab opens in the foreground when the option "Open new tabs in background" is enabled, and in the background when the option is disabled.

Close Opened Browser Tabs

Opened browser tabs can be closed in the following ways:

• Right-click a browser tab.
• Press Ctrl+W.
• Press Ctrl+Shift+W to close all read browser tabs.

Open in External Web Browser

Click the button to open the currently displayed page in your default web browser.

If you hold Ctrl+Alt while clicking a link or one of the following buttons, the page is also opened in your default external web browser:

Filter: Ignore or Watch specific parts of a page

What are filter settings (Overview)

What Are Filter Settings (Overview)

To detect updates, WebSite-Watcher compares the text content of the new version of a page with the text content of the old version. If the content differs, WebSite-Watcher reports an update.

If a page contains frequently changing elements, for example a daily date or advertisements, an update would be reported with each check. Filters can ignore specific parts of a page to prevent false update notifications.

If a filter is defined, WebSite-Watcher compares the filtered text content of the new version with the filtered text content of the old version to detect updates.

Filter definitions are stored in the Bookmark properties. The button "Test filter" is available in various places and opens a dialog that displays the filtered text content of the new version and the filtered text content of the old version.

Filter Types

WebSite-Watcher includes different types of filters that can be used to ignore or watch page content.

1. Automatic Filters
   The Automatic Filters feature is a self-learning filter system. It provides an easy way to automatically create Ignore filters based on highlighted changes. Use this feature only when you receive a false positive, for example one caused by a changing date or a visitor counter. Do not use it when the page contains other relevant highlighted changes.
   
   
2. Ignore Filters
   Ignore filters are created manually. They ignore specified parts of a page, for example text with changing numbers, a daily date, or everything from the beginning of the page up to a defined text.
   
   
3. Watch Filters
   Watch filters are created manually. They monitor only specified parts of a page and ignore all other content. For example, a Watch filter can be used to monitor only the software version number on a download page.
   
   
4. Special Filters
   WebSite-Watcher also provides built-in filter options that can be enabled or disabled. For example, you can sort all words on a page before comparison.

In most cases, it is recommended to define a set of Ignore filters, either by using the Automatic Filter system or by creating them manually, for example with the Filter-Assistant.

How to Create Ignore or Watch Filters

Filters can be created automatically, by using an Assistant, or manually.

1. Using the Automatic Filters System
   Automatic Filters can be created directly in the internal browser by clicking the toolbar button. This button is also available in the "Page" submenu of the browser toolbar.
   
   
2. Using the Filter-Assistant
   The Filter-Assistant can be started directly in the internal browser by holding the Alt key while selecting the text that you want to filter. It can also be started in the Bookmark properties by clicking the "Filter-Assistant" button. The Filter-Assistant lets you create Ignore or Watch filters interactively. The main steps are to select the text that you want to filter and then classify the selected text, for example as permanent text or as text with changing numbers.
   
   
3. Create Filters Manually
   As an alternative to the Automatic Filters system and the Filter-Assistant, you can create Ignore or Watch filters manually using simple wildcard definitions or regular expressions.

Cosmetic Filter

Cosmetic Filters provide another way to simplify a page before WebSite-Watcher applies Ignore or Watch filters.

Cosmetic Filters completely remove unwanted content from a page and generate a modified page, which is then processed by WebSite-Watcher.

Automatic Filters

The Automatic Filters feature is a self-learning filter system. It provides an easy way to automatically create Ignore filters based on highlighted changes.

When to use the Automatic Filters System

Use the Automatic Filters system only when you receive a false positive, for example caused by:

• A changing date or time
• A changing visitor counter
• Automatically updated comment or trackback counters

Examples of suitable changes:

Today is May 29th, 2026 - 13:41:56 am

You are visitor number 8,736

Comments (7), Trackback (3)

Do not use the Automatic Filters system when the page contains relevant highlighted content, for example:

02-May-2026: WebSite-Watcher 26.1 has been released.
This is a major update and includes 15 new features,
many improvements to the user interface, and many performance optimizations.

How to create Automatic Filters

Automatic Filters can be created directly in the internal browser by clicking the Automatic Filters button. This button is available in the "Page" submenu of the browser toolbar, or directly in the toolbar if configured.

Alternatively, open the Filter-Assistant in the Bookmark properties, select the Automatic Filters tab, and click the button "Create Automatic Filters".

The Learning Process

After clicking the Automatic Filters button, WebSite-Watcher displays a dialog showing:

• The number of learned changes
• The number of learned filters

In some cases, a filter is created immediately after activating the Automatic Filters feature. In other cases, changes are only learned first, and a filter is created after several learning processes.

Whether and when a filter can be created depends on the type of change. In certain situations, WebSite-Watcher cannot create Automatic Filters automatically.

When Automatic Filters cannot be created

If WebSite-Watcher cannot create a filter automatically, you must use the Filter-Assistant to define a filter manually.

Manually defined filters have higher priority and are executed before Automatic Filters.

Automatically created filters are deleted automatically when they are no longer needed. There is no need to maintain these filters manually.

Filter-Assistant

Filter-Assistant

The Filter-Assistant lets you create Ignore and Watch filters interactively. The main steps are to select the text that you want to filter and then classify the selected text, for example as permanent text or as text with changing numbers.

The Filter-Assistant can be started in the Bookmark properties by clicking the "Filter-Assistant" button.

It can also be started directly in the internal browser. Select the text that you want to filter, open the context menu, and choose "Create new filter".

Filter Types

Two types of filters can be created with the Filter-Assistant:

• Ignore Filters
  An Ignore filter ignores specified parts of a page, for example text with changing numbers, a daily date, or everything from the beginning of the page up to a defined text.
  
  
• Watch Filters
  A Watch filter monitors specified parts of a page and ignores all other content. For example, it can be used to monitor only the software version number on a download page.

Creating a Filter in the Internal Browser

Step 1: Select the Text to Filter

Example: "Downloads today: 3,333"

The selected text should be as unique as possible. Unique text can be identified more reliably by the filter system.

If you select only "3,333", WebSite-Watcher may find and filter all numbers with separators. The combination of the text "Downloads today:" and the number makes the selection unique and allows it to be identified and filtered precisely.

After selecting the text, click the "Page" button and then click "Create new filter" to start the Filter-Assistant. If you hold the Alt key while selecting the text, the Filter-Assistant starts automatically.

Step 2: Select the Filter Type

Example: Ignore selected text with changing numbers.

After the Filter-Assistant opens, select the filter type that you want to create. You can switch between the Ignore and Watch filter views and choose the filter type by clicking one of the buttons.

Based on the selected filter type, the assistant guides you through the remaining steps.

Step 3: Classify the selected text

The next step is to classify the selected text, in this example as text with changing numbers.

After classification, WebSite-Watcher displays all matching results for verification before the filter is created.

There may be:

• No results, if WebSite-Watcher cannot find the selected text
• One result, if the selection is unique
• Multiple results, if WebSite-Watcher finds additional compatible matches

If no result is found, select a more unique text.

The Order of Filters Is Important

Filters are executed from top to bottom. The filter in the first line is executed before the filter in the second line.

Content removed by a filter is no longer available for subsequent filters.

Example:

You have defined the following Ignore filters:

Watcher
WebSite-Watcher

The first filter removes all occurrences of "Watcher". The second filter cannot find a match because "Watcher" has already been removed.

The correct order is:

WebSite-Watcher
Watcher

In this order, the first filter removes "WebSite-Watcher". The second filter then removes any remaining occurrences of "Watcher".

Options

• Convert Links to Text
  If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher converts all links to plain text. This may slightly change the layout, but it makes it easier to select text within links.

Outdated Filters

Outdated Ignore filters are detected and deleted automatically after some time if they no longer match any content. There is no need to delete outdated Ignore filters manually. This behavior can be disabled in the Tweaks section, although this is not recommended.

Outdated Watch filters are not deleted automatically and must be maintained manually.

Test Filter Settings

Use the "Test filter" feature to verify your filter definitions. It compares the filtered text content of the new page with the filtered text content of the old page.

Create filters manually

Create Filters Manually

As an alternative to the Automatic Filters system and the Filter-Assistant, you can create Ignore and Watch filters manually.

Enter one filter expression per line. All filter definitions are case-insensitive and are internally converted to lowercase.

The button New Ignore Filter or New Watch Filter opens a dialog where you can enter and validate a new filter expression. The button Test selected line validates the filter expression in the active line. The button Test filter tests all filter definitions by comparing the filtered text content of the new page with the filtered text content of the old page.

Each line can contain one of the following elements:

• Static text phrase
  Use this type to ignore specific phrases on a page.
  
  
• Text with a wildcard
  A wildcard filter is typically used to ignore areas of a page with a defined start and end text.
  
  
• Regular expression
  Regular expressions allow you to define complex filter expressions. They must be placed in special function names, for example "regex(...)".

Wildcard Filter

WebSite-Watcher supports three types of wildcard filters. Only one wildcard is allowed per filter expression.

• *EndText
  Filters everything from the beginning of the page to the first occurrence of "EndText".
  Example: *Daily News
  
  
• StartText*EndText
  Filters all text areas that begin with "StartText" and end with "EndText".
  Example: Downloads:*Publisher
  
  
• StartText*
  Filters everything from the last occurrence of "StartText" to the end of the page.
  Example: Users online*

Regular Expressions

WebSite-Watcher supports PERL5-compatible regular expressions for complex filter definitions. Regular expressions must be placed in one of the following functions:

• regex( ... )
  Filters all matches of the defined regular expression.
  Example: regex(\d+ downloads)
  
  
• FirstRegex( ... )
  Filters only the first occurrence of the defined regular expression.
  Example: FirstRegex(\d+ downloads)
  
  
• StartToRegex( ... )
  Filters everything from the beginning of the page to the first occurrence of the defined regular expression.
  Example: StartToRegex(\d+ visitors)
  
  
• RegexToRegex( ... , ... )
  Filters everything between two regular expressions.
  Example: RegexToRegex(Downloads\: \d+,License\:)
  
  
• RegexToEnd( ... )
  Filters everything from the last occurrence of the defined regular expression to the end of the page.
  Example: RegexToEnd(\d+ users online)
  
  
• RegexCmp( ... )
  Finds a defined regular expression, extracts all digits from the result, and compares them with a predefined number. This can be used, for example, to extract and compare prices, and trigger a match only if a value is higher than a specified threshold.
  Example: RegexCmp(\d+(\[,\.\]\d+)* Euro;,; > 1000)

CSS-Based Filters

Page content can also be ignored or watched by CSS class names or IDs.

• css( ... )
  Ignores or watches all text content formatted with the defined CSS class or ID. The concrete syntax and behavior are described below.

Syntax of CSS Filters

WebSite-Watcher supports different types of CSS filters. The main syntax is css(NAME). This type is also created and used by the Filter-Assistant.

The Order of Filters Is Important

Filters are executed from top to bottom. The filter in the first line is executed before the filter in the second line.

Content removed by a filter is no longer available for subsequent filters.

Example:

You have defined the following Ignore filters:

Watcher
WebSite-Watcher

The first filter removes all occurrences of "Watcher". The second filter cannot find a match because "Watcher" has already been removed.

The correct order is:

WebSite-Watcher
Watcher

In this order, the first filter removes "WebSite-Watcher". The second filter then removes any remaining occurrences of "Watcher".

Outdated Filters

Outdated Ignore filters are detected and deleted automatically after some time if they no longer match any content. There is no need to delete Ignore filters manually. This behavior can be disabled in the Tweaks section, although this is not recommended.

Outdated Watch filters are not deleted automatically and must be maintained manually.

Test Your Filter Settings

Use the "Test filter" feature to verify your filter definitions.

1. Open the Bookmark properties.
2. Click the "Filter-Assistant" button or the text "Manual text filter".
3. Enter the filter definitions.

See also:

• Wildcards
• Regular Expressions

Special Filters

Special Filters

WebSite-Watcher provides built-in filter options that can be enabled or disabled. These filters apply to the entire page, not only to specific parts like Ignore or Watch filters.

• Ignore All HTML Tags
  This filter is enabled by default. It returns only the readable text content of a page and ignores all HTML tags. Disable this filter only in special cases, for example if you want to monitor changes in the page source code.
  
  
• Ignore Upper/Lowercase
  This filter is enabled by default and ignores changes in capitalization. Disable this filter if you want to be notified about changes in uppercase or lowercase letters.
  
  
• Ignore Entries in Dropdown and List Boxes
  If this filter is enabled, WebSite-Watcher ignores all entries in dropdown boxes and list boxes. Disable this filter if you want to monitor these entries. New or changed entries cannot be highlighted. Technical detail: All content between the HTML tags <option> and </option> is ignored.
  
  
• Sort Page Content
  This filter sorts all words or sentences on a page. It is intended for special situations. For example, if you monitor search results where the order of items changes frequently, WebSite-Watcher would normally report an update on each check. With this filter enabled, the content is sorted before comparison, and no update is reported if only the order of items has changed.
  
  
• Ignore Removed Elements (notification only for new/changed content)
  If this option is enabled, you are notified only when content has been added or modified. Removed content does not trigger an update notification.
  
  
• Watch All Changes in Link Addresses
  Use this filter if you want to detect changes in link addresses. Link addresses are normally ignored by the filter "Ignore All HTML Tags". When this filter is enabled, extracted link addresses are automatically inserted at the end of the page for comparison.
  
  
• Watch All Changes in Image Addresses
  Use this filter if you want to detect changes in image addresses. Image addresses are normally ignored by the filter "Ignore All HTML Tags". When this filter is enabled, extracted image addresses are automatically inserted at the end of the page for comparison.
  
  
• Minimum Number of New or Changed Words
  By default, WebSite-Watcher reports an update if at least one change is detected. With this option, you can define the minimum number of new or changed words required to trigger an update notification. The window "Test filter versions" displays the number of new or changed words. If this option is configured, removed content is ignored and only new or changed words are considered when detecting updates.

Cosmetic Filters

Cosmetic Filters allow you to completely remove unwanted content from a page. They are applied before the page is processed by WebSite-Watcher. The result can be a much smaller page that contains only the content you want to monitor.

This feature can also be used to remove floating elements that hide other content, for example cookie banners or login panels.

Include and Remove Filters

To modify page content, you must create Include filters and Remove filters.

• Remove filters remove all matched elements.
• Include filters keep only the matched elements and remove everything else.

These filters are based on the CSS definitions used on the page. WebSite-Watcher provides a simple 3-step assistant to simplify the creation process:

1. Select text
   Search for and click an item for which you want to create a filter. WebSite-Watcher identifies the related CSS definitions.
   
   
2. Select CSS definition
   Select and test the detected CSS definitions. The selected definition should include the complete content that you want to remove or include.
   
   
3. Create the filter
   Choose whether to create a Remove filter or an Include filter. Test the filter carefully, then click "Add filter" to create it.

This feature removes content from the page. Always test the selected CSS filters carefully to ensure that no important content is removed.

2-Step Execution

Cosmetic Filters are executed in two steps:

1.  WebSite-Watcher executes all Include filters.

2.  WebSite-Watcher executes all Remove filters.

This allows you to define the parts of the page that you want to monitor and then remove unwanted content from those parts.

Syntax of Cosmetic Filters

Remove filters can be entered directly. Include filters must be placed in parentheses.

There are three main types of rules:

• #name
  Matches all elements with id="name".
  Example: #header-menu
  Matches: <div id="header-menu">...</div>
  
  
• .name
  Matches all elements with class="name".
  Example: .top-bar
  Matches: <div class="top-bar">...</div>
  
  
• .name*
  Matches all elements with a class attribute that contains "name", for example class="name name2". Please note that you can use either the asterisk (*) or the question mark (?), but not both together.
  Example: .dropdown*
  Matches: <div class="left dropdown">...</div>
  
  
• #abc?xyz
  .abc?xyz
  In class attributes and ID attributes, the question mark (?) can be used as a wildcard. Please note that you can use either the asterisk (*) or the question mark (?), but not both together.
  Example: .menu?t
  Matches: <div class="menuleft">...</div> and <div class="menuright">...</div>

Any line that starts with an exclamation mark is treated as a comment.

Examples

Example of Remove Filters:

#left-menu
!this is a comment, the next filter will remove the cookie banner
.consentbanner
.menu?t

Example of Include Filters:

(#breaking-news)
(.top-stories)

See also:

• Ignore Cookie Banner

Screenshot Filters

If you monitor a page using the Screenshot method, you can configure the following filters:

• Crop the area of the page that you want to monitor.
• Define one or more Ignore filters to exclude specific parts of the Screenshot.
• Specify how many pixels must change to trigger an update notification.

See also:

• Check technologies
• Check by screenshot

Page type dependent settings

RSS and Atom feeds

WebSite-Watcher automatically detects and converts RSS and Atom feeds into a readable format. You can then use the same features that are available for web pages, for example to monitor RSS feeds for specific keywords.

By default, no special configuration is required. If WebSite-Watcher cannot automatically identify an RSS or Atom feed, open the Bookmark properties and change the file type setting from "Auto detect" to "rss".

Facebook, X, Instagram pages

Facebook, X, and Instagram pages can be automatically converted to RSS feeds, which makes these pages much easier to monitor.

The Bookmark properties display the option "Convert page to RSS", which is automatically enabled for new Facebook, X, and Instagram Bookmarks.

Login to your account required

For these pages, you must log in to your account once. This process stores a cookie with your Login credentials, which is then used to monitor these pages.

Steps:
1.  Right-click a Facebook, X, or Instagram Bookmark in the main window of WebSite-Watcher.
2.  Select "Browser". This opens a browser window with the selected page.
3.  Log in to your account.
4.  Close the browser window.

Notes:

• Checking these pages can take 15 seconds or more. There is no way to improve performance.
• WebSite-Watcher only reports new articles, not changes to existing articles.
• WebSite-Watcher can only convert articles that are currently visible on the page. If you do not check Facebook, X, or Instagram pages frequently, the RSS feed may not include all postings. However, you will still be notified that new postings are available.

Table based forums

Table-Based Forums

WebSite-Watcher supports two different methods to monitor web-based forums:

1.  Forum-Plugins

2.  Forum-Templates

Forum-Plugins

Predefined Plugins are available for major forums with a default layout, such as phpBB. A suitable Plugin can be selected in the Bookmark properties or via the browser information bar.

When you select a Forum-Plugin, WebSite-Watcher performs compatibility checks to ensure that the Plugin can be used with the selected Bookmark.

Forum-Templates

WebSite-Watcher supports Forum-Templates for table-based forums, especially for topic lists.

Forum-Templates only work if a discussion forum uses the TABLE HTML tag to display the topic list. If a forum uses other HTML tags to simulate a table layout, for example the DIV tag, the Forum-Template system cannot be used.

A topic list must contain the following elements:

1. A table header
   The header tells WebSite-Watcher where the topic list begins, for example:
   Topics | Replies | Author | Views | Last Post
   
   
2. A "Last Posting" time for each topic
   Each thread or topic must display a last posting time, for example "09:13 AM". It does not work if the forum shows relative times, such as "13 minutes ago", instead of a fixed time.
   
   
3. A table footer
   The footer tells WebSite-Watcher where the topic list ends. The footer may contain changing text or numbers, for example "Mark forum read" or "Page 1 of 13".

If a forum meets all these requirements, you can use the Forum Assistant to create the Forum-Template and the required filter definitions. No further configuration is required.

See also:

• Forum

PDF files

Monitor PDF Files With a Plugin

With the included PDF-Plugin, WebSite-Watcher can extract and convert the text content of PDF files into an HTML page. The PDF file can then be checked and handled like a normal web page, and WebSite-Watcher can highlight changes in the extracted text.

The PDF-Plugin is assigned automatically when you add a new PDF document to the Bookmark list.

Monitor PDF Files Without a Plugin

If no Plugin is used to monitor PDF files, they are handled as binary files. Depending on the server response, one or a combination of the following checking methods is used:

• Check the PDF document by file date.
• Check the PDF document by file size.
• Check parts of the file content.

In this case, it is not possible to highlight text changes or to use the filter system to ignore unwanted content.

Word and Excel Documents

Use the Default Plugin

With the included Plugin, WebSite-Watcher can convert Word and Excel documents into an HTML page. The document can then be checked and handled like a normal web page, and WebSite-Watcher can highlight changes in the extracted text.

The Plugin is assigned automatically when you add a new Word or Excel document to the Bookmark list.

Use Microsoft Office to Convert Documents

By default, WebSite-Watcher uses internal conversion routines to convert Word and Excel files into web pages.

If Microsoft Office 2003 or higher is installed on your system, you can use Microsoft Office to convert these files. This usually provides better conversion quality, especially for Word documents. Separate Plugins are available to use Microsoft Office for the conversion.

Monitor Word and Excel Files Without a Plugin

If no Plugin is used to monitor Word or Excel documents, they are handled as binary files. Depending on the server response, one or a combination of the following checking methods is used:

• Check the Word or Excel document by file date.
• Check the Word or Excel document by file size.
• Check parts of the file content.

In this case, it is not possible to highlight text changes or to use the filter system to ignore unwanted content.

FTP Files and Directories

FTP files and directories

FTP files and directories can be monitored by entering the FTP address in the URL field of a Bookmark. The FTP and FTPS protocols are supported. FTP addresses must start with ftp:// and FTPS addresses must start with ftps://.

If you want to check a single file, you must enter the complete address, including the full path and file name. WebSite-Watcher checks the file by file date and file size. No content is transferred.

If you want to monitor an entire folder, the last character of the URL must be a slash "/" and must not include a file name.

How to check the content of a (text) file

With the checking method "automatic", a file is checked by file date and file size. If you want to check the file by content, for example a text file, you must change the checking method from "automatic" to "by content". The file is then downloaded and handled like a web page.

Password protected FTP files / directories

By default, WebSite-Watcher performs an anonymous FTP Login. If the FTP server is password protected, you must enter the user name and password in the Bookmark properties under "Advanced" and "Server Authentication".

Images

If the address of an image file is entered in the URL field of a Bookmark, the image is checked by content, and WebSite-Watcher can highlight changes within the image. No special settings are required in this case.

Binary files

WebSite-Watcher can monitor binary files, for example ZIP or EXE files, without downloading them. Depending on the server response, one or a combination of the following checking methods is used:

• Check by file date
• Check by file size
• Check parts of the file content

Normally, no special settings are required for binary files. If WebSite-Watcher cannot automatically identify a binary file, for example when a script redirects to a binary file, you must change the file type from "auto detect" to "binary".

Local files and folders

WebSite-Watcher can monitor local files and folders by entering the absolute path in the URL field of a Bookmark, for example "c:\docs\judo.doc" or "d:\docs\".

Monitor a directory with subdirectories

If you want to check a folder including all files and subfolders, you must use the Follow-Links feature. It is recommended to start with a link depth of 1 and increase this value if required.

Directories and the modified date

If a file in a directory is changed, the modified date of that directory is also updated. This may result in false update notifications. You can avoid this as follows:

1. Create an appropriate filter
   Create a suitable filter by using the Filter-Assistant, or
   
   
2. Use the folder creation date instead of the modified date
   As an alternative to the default behavior, you can display the creation date instead of the modified date by adding the following line to the Tweaks section of the program configuration:
   CheckLocalFolderUseCreationDate=1

Check by screenshot

If a page contains content that cannot be monitored with the available options, for example content displayed using Java, you can use the feature "Check by screenshot".

This checking method opens the page in a hidden browser window, creates a screenshot, and saves it as a PNG file. The saved screenshot is then used to detect updates. WebSite-Watcher can also highlight changes in the saved screenshot.

You can optionally define a custom window size and specify the region that you want to capture.

Many features do not work with this method, for example the keyword feature. However, this method provides an additional way to monitor content that cannot be checked by other technologies.

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the tab "Check".
3.  Select the technology "Screenshot".

Password protected pages

Login via Server Authentication

Server Authentication is a method used to protect pages from public access. You can recognize this type of Login when a small dialog box appears and prompts you to enter a username and password, for example:

If this dialog appears, you must enter the username and password in the Bookmark properties (Advanced + Server Authentication).

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Login" on the left side.
4.  Under "Login via Server Authentication", enter the username and password.

If the fields for the username and password are part of a web page, it is a web-based Login. In this case, you must record a Check-Macro.

Web based logins / Check-Macros

Web-based logins are logins where the fields for the username and password are part of a web page. This differs from Server Authentication, where a small dialog window appears and prompts you to enter the username and password.

WebSite-Watcher supports a feature called Check-Macros, which can automate steps and operations on a page. For example, you can record the steps required to log in to a page, navigate to the page that you want to monitor, and perform a Logout afterward. When the Bookmark is checked, these recorded steps are executed automatically.

Check-Macros can also be used to automate search queries, for example by entering a search term and clicking a search button.

Please note that it is not possible to automate all types of logins and login steps. This depends on the technology used on the page.

See topic Check Macros for more information.

Password protected FTP files

By default, WebSite-Watcher performs an anonymous FTP Login.

If an FTP server is password protected, you must enter the username and password in the Bookmark properties (Advanced + Server Authentication).

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Login" on the left side.
4.  Under "Login via Server Authentication", enter the username and password.

Highlight changes

Highlight methods

When an update is detected, WebSite-Watcher highlights all text changes on the page. WebSite-Watcher supports different methods for highlighting text:

• Standard
  The Standard method is a general-purpose method that works with most types of pages. It is designed to ignore changes in the page structure, for example when content is moved to another position, and works very well for news pages. This is the recommended default method. The other methods are optimized for specific situations or page types.
  
  
• Exact
  The Exact method uses a more detailed analysis to detect changes. It may work better on pages where only small details are updated, for example individual numbers within a table. Depending on the page structure, this method may produce more precise results than the Standard method
  
  
• Table based (highlight whole, changed rows)
  Use this method if you want to highlight entire table rows when the content of at least one cell has changed. To prevent a row from being highlighted when only numeric columns have changed, select the option "Cells with a changed number don't highlight the whole line"..

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Highlight changes" on the left side.
4.  Enter the highlight configuration.

Highlight changed images in a page

WebSite-Watcher can optionally draw borders around changed images.

How are changed images detected?

Whether WebSite-Watcher can draw a border around changed images depends on the image configuration. WebSite-Watcher supports three different configurations to download and display images:

1. Download images (recommended)
   If an update is detected, WebSite-Watcher downloads all images to your hard disk. With this option, WebSite-Watcher compares the image content to determine whether an image has changed. This is the most reliable method for highlighting changed images with borders.
   
   
2. Display online images (not recommended)
   With this setting, WebSite-Watcher downloads only the web page. Images are loaded from the server when you open the page in your browser. In this mode, WebSite-Watcher uses the image file name to detect new or changed images.
   
   
3. Display gray boxes instead of images (not supported)
   This is the fastest method for checking and opening pages, but images are replaced by gray boxes. With this option, changed images cannot be highlighted.

Please note that a web page is marked as updated only when a text change is detected, and not when only an image has changed.

Monitor single image directly

If you want to monitor a specific image, enter the image address in the URL field of a Bookmark.

1.. Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Images" on the left side.
4.  Enable the option "Download images".
5.  Select "Highlight changes" on the left side.
6.  Enable the option "Highlight images".

See also:

• Image configuration

Report / Export

Overview / Templates

The Report/Export feature allows you to create custom reports in HTML, XML, or any other text format.

With report Templates, you can create individual reports. A report Template is an HTML file, for HTML reports, or a text file, for text exports, that contains predefined data fields. These data fields are replaced with actual values when the report is generated.

Reports are always created in UTF-8 format.

Steps to create a report:

Steps:
1.  Select "Report/Export" from the Tools menu.
2.  Select the Bookmarks that should be included in the report.
3.  Select a report Template.
4.  Select the output file where the report will be created.
5.  Click the button "Start report".

Structure of report Templates

Structure of an HTML report Template, without folders:

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>your title</title>
</head>
<body>
Your header text

{wsw_begin_url}
 <a href="{wsw_url_url}" target="_top">{wsw_url_name}</a><br>
{wsw_url_text}<br>
 date: {wsw_url_date_changed}<br>
{wsw_end_url}

<br>
<br>
report date: {wsw_report_date}<br>
</body>
</html>

Structure of an HTML report Template, with folders:

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>your title</title>
</head>
<body>
Your header text

{wsw_begin_folder}
 Folder: <b>{wsw_folder_name}</b><br><br>
{wsw_begin_url}
   <a href="{wsw_url_url}" target="_top">{wsw_url_name}</a><br>
  {wsw_url_text}<br>
   date: {wsw_url_date_changed}<br>
{wsw_end_url}
{wsw_end_folder}

<br>
<br>
report date: {wsw_report_date}<br>
</body>
</html>

Datafields for bookmarks

All Bookmark fields are enclosed in { and } and are replaced with actual values when the report is generated.

Start/end of a bookmark block

Bookmark fields

The following fields can be placed between {wsw_begin_url} and {wsw_end_url}:

Datafields for folder

The following fields are required only for reports that include folders.

Start/end of a folder block

Folder fields

The following fields can be placed between {wsw_begin_folder} and {wsw_begin_url}.

Example:

{wsw_begin_folder}
 Folder: {wsw_folder_name}<br>
{wsw_begin_url}
   URL datafields...
{wsw_end_url}
{wsw_end_folder}

General datafields/options

General data fields

The following fields must not be used between {wsw_begin_folder} and {wsw_end_folder}, and not between {wsw_begin_url} and {wsw_end_url}.

Options

The following fields can be used to modify report properties. Insert one or more of these fields at the beginning of a report template.

Example: Simple URL list in HTML format

The following template exports Bookmarks as a simple list. For each Bookmark, the first 200 characters of the highlighted changes are displayed, followed by a link to the file with highlighted changes.

<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<title>WebSite-Watcher Report</title>
</head>
<body>

{wsw_begin_url}
 <a href="{wsw_url_path_filename_chg1}"><b>{wsw_url_name}</b></a><br>
 <blockquote>
{wsw_url_highlighted_changes(200)}<br>
 <i>date: {wsw_url_date_changed}
 <a href="{wsw_url_path_filename_chg1}">{wsw_url_path_filename_chg1}</a></i>
 </blockquote>
 <br>
{wsw_end_url}

<br>

report date: {wsw_report_date}<br>
</body>
</html>

Example: Export to CSV format

The following example exports the Bookmark name and the URL to a CSV file. A CSV header line is written at the beginning of the file.

"Name","Url"{wsw_begin_url}
"{wsw_url_name}","{wsw_url_url}"{wsw_end_url}

Wildcards and Regular Expressions

Overview

Wildcards and Regular Expressions are supported by various features in WebSite-Watcher, especially by the filter system to ignore or watch specified page content.

WebSite-Watcher supports three methods to filter or search for text:

1. Concrete words and phrases
2. Wildcards
3. Regular Expressions

All three methods are case insensitive, "HELLO" is treated the same as "hello".

Wildcards

WebSite-Watcher supports the following three types of wildcard filters. Only one wildcard character is allowed per filter expression.

• *EndText
  This form filters everything from the beginning of the page up to the first occurrence of "EndText".
  For example: *Daily News
  
  
• StartText*EndText
  This form filters all text areas that begin with "StartText" and end with "EndText".
  For example: Downloads:*Publisher
  
  
• StartText*
  This form filters everything from the last occurrence of "StartText" to the end of the page.
  For example: Users online*

All defined wildcard filters are case insensitive and are internally converted to lowercase.

Regular Expressions

With Regular Expressions, you can define complex search and filter expressions. All Regular Expressions are case insensitive by default.

Regex functions

Regular Expressions must be placed in one of the following functions:

• regex( ... )
  Filters the specified Regular Expression.
  For example: regex(\d+ downloads)
  
  
• FirstRegex( ... )
  Filters only the first occurrence of the specified Regular Expression.
  For example: FirstRegex(\d+ downloads)
  
  
• StartToRegex( ... )
  Filters everything from the beginning of the page up to the first occurrence of the specified Regular Expression.
  For example: StartToRegex(\d+ visitors)
  
  
• RegexToRegex( ... , ... )
  Filters everything between two Regular Expressions.
  For example: RegexToRegex(Downloads\: \d+,License\:)
  
  
• RegexToEnd( ... )
  Filters everything from the last occurrence of the specified Regular Expression to the end of the page.
  For example: RegexToEnd(\d+ users online)
  
  
• RegexCmp( ... )
  Finds a specified Regular Expression, extracts all digits from the result, and compares them with a predefined number. This can be used, for example, to extract and compare prices. A match can be accepted only if the extracted value is greater than 1000.
  For example: RegexCmp(\d+(\[,\.]\d+)* Euro; , ; > 1000)
  The RegexCmp function can be used in the Keywords functionality, Ignore filters, and Watch filters. A detailed description is provided below.

Tokens of Regular Expressions

Below is a list of commonly used Regular Expression tokens.

RegexCmp(...)

The RegexCmp function finds a specified Regular Expression, extracts all digits from the result, and compares them with a predefined number. If the comparison returns true, the match is accepted.

This function requires three parameters separated by the ';' character. The exact syntax is:

regexcmp(regular expression; decimal point character; operator number)

Parameters:

• regular expression
  This Regular Expression extracts specific numbers from a page. The result can contain text and numbers, for example a match such as "Price: 49,00 Euro". The RegexCmp function extracts all digits from the result and compares the extracted number.
  
  
• decimal point character
  Defines whether a dot or a comma is used as the decimal point character in the page. Valid values are "." and "," without quotes.
  
  
• operator number
  Valid operators:
    = ... equal
    < ... less than
    <= ... less or equal than
    > ... greater than
    >= ... greater or equal than
    <> ... not equal
  The number defines the comparison value and can optionally contain a decimal point character, for example 49,95 or 49.95. Thousands separators are not allowed.

Example:

regexcmp(\d+([,\.]\d+)* Euro;,; > 49.95)

• The first parameter searches for the Regular Expression "\d+(\[,\.]\d+)* Euro" and extracts all digits from the result, including the decimal point character, for example 1449,95.
• The second parameter defines the decimal point character, in this example ",".
• The third parameter checks whether the extracted price is greater than 49.95.
• If the extracted price is less than or equal to 49.95, the match is ignored. If it is greater than 49.95, the match is accepted.

Typical examples

• regex(bo*)
  Finds "b", "bo", "boo", "booooo"
  
  
• regex(bx+)
  Finds "bxxxxxxxx", "bxx", "bx" but not "b"
  
  
• regex(\d+)
  Finds all numbers.
  
  
• regex(\d+ visitors)
  Finds "3 visitors" or "243234 visitors" or "2763816 visitors"
  
  
• regex(\d+ of \d+ messages)
  Finds "2 of 1200 messages" or "1 of 10 messages"
  
  
• RegexToEnd(\d+ of \d+ messages)
  Filters everything from the last occurrence of "2 of 1200 messages" or "1 of 10 messages" to the end of the page.
  
  
• regex(MyText.{0,20})
  Finds "MyText" and the next 20 characters after "MyText".
  
  
• regex(\d\d.\d\d.\d\d\d\d)
  Finds date strings with the format 99.99.9999 or 99-99-9999 (because the dot matches any character)
  
  
• regex(\d\d\.\d\d\.\d\d\d\d)
  Finds date strings with the format 99.99.9999
  
  
• regex(([_a-zA-Z\d\-\.]+@[_a-zA-Z\d\-]+(\.[_a-zA-Z\d\-]+)+))
  Finds email addresses.
  
  
• regexcmp(\d+([,\.]\d+)* Euro;,; > 49.95)
  Finds prices in the format "9.999,99 Euro" and accepts only results where the price is higher than 49,95 Euro.

Bookmark files (database)

Where are bookmarks stored

Bookmark files

Bookmarks are stored in database files with the extension *.wsw. Downloaded Cache files are stored in the related subfolder *_WSW.

If your Bookmark file is named bookmarks.wsw, all downloaded files are stored in the related subfolder bookmarks_WSW.

Bookmark folder

Bookmark databases can be stored in any folder. The default location is:

c:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\aignes\WebSite-Watcher\bookmarks\

To view the exact folder of the currently opened Bookmark file, select "File + Database + Move bookmark file". This dialog displays the folder path, the Bookmark filename, and the Cache folder.

Move bookmark files to another location

You can use the feature "Move bookmark file" to move a Bookmark database to a new location.

Steps:
1.  Click "File" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Database", then "Move bookmark file".
3.  Enter the new location.
4.  Click "OK".

This moves all Bookmarks, configurations, and downloaded Cache files to the new location. Depending on the number of Bookmarks, this operation may take several minutes.

Export/Import bookmarks between bookmark files

WebSite-Watcher provides an integrated Import/Export feature to exchange individual Bookmarks between Bookmark databases. This feature exports and imports Bookmarks with all configurations and Cache files, but without the folder structure.

The feature is available in the "Tools" menu under "Import / Export":

• Import Bookmarks from ZIP file
• Export Bookmarks to ZIP file

To keep two Bookmark databases synchronized, use the Synchronization feature.

Synchronize / Cloud Sync

The "Synchronize" feature synchronizes the currently opened Bookmark database with a local Cloud folder or a user-defined local folder on your PC or network.

If you want to synchronize your database via a Cloud service, you must install the client of the Cloud service you use, or alternatively the tool "rclone", which synchronizes a predefined local folder with the Cloud. All data stored in the Cloud is encrypted.

When is this feature required?

Use this feature if you work with WebSite-Watcher on more than one system, for example on a desktop PC and a notebook. You can synchronize both systems through the Cloud to keep the same Bookmark database on each device.

Options

• Sync downloaded images
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher synchronizes all images that were downloaded and saved in the local Cache folder. Depending on your configuration, this can significantly increase the size of the synchronized data.
  
  
• Only for unread Bookmarks
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher synchronizes downloaded images only for unread Bookmarks. Unread Bookmarks are displayed correctly on synchronized PCs, while read Bookmarks are displayed without downloaded images. As soon as a Bookmark check detects an update, WebSite-Watcher automatically downloads missing images. This option can significantly reduce the size of the synchronized data.

Rclone

WebSite-Watcher can use the tool "rclone" to synchronize data with the Cloud. If rclone is installed on your PC, enter the path to rclone.exe and the preferred "Remote". In this case, no additional Cloud client is required.

"Remote" is the profile name of a Cloud service that you configured in rclone. If synchronization with rclone does not work correctly, you can temporarily enable Debug-Mode to view results and error messages from rclone.

More information and documentation about rclone are available at:

https://rclone.org

If you are not familiar with rclone, it is a recommended tool, especially in combination with the Cloud-Sync feature in WebSite-Watcher. Rclone supports many Cloud services, can add additional encryption to your data, and provides reliable synchronization of Bookmarks between PCs.

Transfer everything from one PC to another PC

Transfer Files Manually

Bookmarks are stored in database files with the extension *.wsw. Downloaded Cache files are stored in the related subfolder *_WSW. If your Bookmark file is named "bookmarks.wsw", all downloaded files are stored in the related subfolder "bookmarks_WSW".

To transfer all Bookmarks between two PCs, copy the *.wsw file and the related *_WSW Cache folder to the second PC using a file manager.

On the second PC, open the transferred Bookmark file using "File + Open".

Transfer via Backup/Restore

WebSite-Watcher provides an internal Backup/Restore feature that can be used to copy or transfer program configurations and Bookmark databases between PCs.

Steps to copy Bookmarks and program configurations from PC1 to PC2:

If you no longer need WebSite-Watcher on PC1, deactivate the license using "Help + Deactivate license".

Transfer via Synchronization

To keep two existing Bookmark databases synchronized, use the Synchronization feature.

Database Errors

Before you apply any of the following steps, it is strongly recommended to create a backup of the damaged database (.wsw file) and the related Cache folder (_WSW folder). This ensures that you can return to the original state if one of these steps fails.

If your Bookmark database is physically damaged, restore or repair it using one of the following procedures.

1. Restore a backup

If you have a working and up-to-date backup of your Bookmark database, restore that backup. This is the most reliable solution. By default, WebSite-Watcher creates an AutoBackup once per day, which can be restored using "Tools + Backup/Restore".

Steps:
1.  Click "Tools" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Backup/Restore".
3.  Select "Restore AutoBackup" and follow the assistant.

2. Run the command "Repair database"

If you do not have a working backup, or if your backup is outdated, run the command "Repair database". This command repairs the database and restores as much data as possible.

After running this command, the next check may produce false update notifications, especially if the special filter "Ignore all HTML tags" is disabled.

Steps:
1.  Click "File" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Database".
3.  Run the command "Repair database".

3. Run the command "Re-Create database from cache folder"

Use this command if "Repair database" fails and no working, up-to-date backup is available. This command re-creates the entire database from files stored in the Cache folder.

After running this command, the next check may produce false update notifications, especially if the special filter "Ignore all HTML tags" is disabled.

Steps:
1.  Click "File" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Database".
3.  Run the command "Re-Create database from cache folder".

After performing any of these procedures, you can run the command "Optimize database", which also performs an integrity check.

Database Repair Tool

If WebSite-Watcher can no longer be started, or if a database cannot be opened due to corruption or crashes, use the application "dbtool.exe", which is located in the WebSite-Watcher installation folder.

With this tool, you can execute the procedures described above at a lower system level.

Additional tools and features

Check Macros

WebSite-Watcher supports a technique called Check-Macros to automate steps and operations on a web page. For example, you can record the steps required to perform a Login, navigate to the page you want to monitor, and perform a Logout afterwards. When the Bookmark is checked, these recorded steps are executed automatically.

Check-Macros can also be used to automate search queries, for example by entering a search term and clicking a search button.

Please note that it is not possible to automate all types of Logins and steps. This depends on the technology used by the web page.

Technologies

WebSite-Watcher supports different technologies to record and execute Check-Macros. Start with one method. If it does not work correctly, try the next available method.

Internet Explorer Macros are available for legacy reasons and work only with pages that still support Internet Explorer. This method is not recommended for new Macros and might be removed in a future version.

Method 1: Record Macros interactively

By default, Macros are recorded interactively. WebSite-Watcher captures and saves each step you perform while recording the Macro. This works with many page elements. If certain steps cannot be recorded, you can send keystrokes to the page as an alternative.

Steps:
1.  Create a new Bookmark.
2.  Open the Bookmark properties and click the "Check-Macro" button.
3.  When the macro window opens, enter the Start-URL.
4.  Click the button to start recording.
5.  Navigate to the page you want to monitor.
6.  Perform a Logout if required, and select the appropriate option to indicate that you are performing a Logout.
7.  Click "Save Check-Macro" at the bottom of the window to stop recording and return to the Bookmark properties.
8.  Click the "Check Now" button to test the Bookmark.

Method 2: Send keystrokes to the webpage

As an alternative to interactive recording, you can send keystrokes to the page to automate user actions, such as selecting elements, clicking links, or filling out forms.

Steps:
1.  Create a new Bookmark.
2.  Open the Bookmark properties and click the "Check-Macro" button.
3.  When the macro window opens, enter the Start-URL.
4.  Click the button to start recording.
5.  After the page has loaded, click "Save Check-Macro" at the bottom of the window to stop recording.
6.  Manually enter commands to send keystrokes to the webpage.

Demos and Videos

At https://www.aignes.com/videos.htm you can find videos that demonstrate how to record and use Check-Macros.

Check Macros Commands

Check-Macros support additional commands that can be added manually to the macro source. All fields are supported by Chromium-based Macros and Edge-based Macros.

As an alternative to recording a macro, you can, for example, use these commands to send keystrokes to a webpage when a page is checked.

Macro lines that do not begin with a supported command are treated as comments, for example, lines that start with ; or //.

Example 1

Macro that performs a search query, then selects the first link that contains the text "grid", and presses space to open the link.

CMacroVersion=1
URL: https://www.domain.com/search
WAIT: seconds=3
SendText: weather today
SendKey: enter
SelectItem: *grid*
SendKey: Space

Example 2

Macro that performs a login and a logout.

EdgeMacroVersion=1
Incognito: 1
URL: https://www.domain.com/login.php
;-- press 2 x TAB to jump to the username input field
SendKey: tab
SendKey: tab
;-- enter username and password
SendText: myusername
SendKey: tab
SendText: mypassword
SendKey: tab
;-- press Login button
SendKey: space
WAIT: seconds=3
;-- perform LOGOUT
LOGOUT:
SelectItem: logout
SendKey: enter

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search feature allows you to search for text within the page content.

The button "Display in Main Window" transfers the search results to the "Search" folder in the main window, selects that folder, and closes the Advanced Search dialog.

Steps:
1.  Open "Advanced Search" using the toolbar button or press F7.
2.  Enter the search terms.
3.  Click the "Search" button.

See also:

• Regular Expressions

Backup / Restore

The integrated Backup/Restore feature allows you to back up and restore your program configuration and the currently opened bookmark file, including all downloaded web pages, to a single backup file. The file extension of backup files is ".wswpac".

Steps:
1.  Select "Tools" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Backup / Restore...".
3.  Follow the steps in the assistant.

Download Manager

WebSite-Watcher includes an integrated download manager that can be used to automatically download RSS feed enclosures. Supported download protocols are HTTP and HTTPS.

How to Download Files

1. Download RSS feed enclosures
   RSS feed enclosures can be downloaded automatically when an RSS feed changes. This option can be enabled in the bookmark properties in the "Advanced" section.  By default, WebSite-Watcher downloads mp3 and wav files. These file extensions can be changed or extended in the program configuration in the "Advanced" section.
   
   
2. Add a URL manually
   A download URL can also be added manually by starting the download manager and clicking the "Add Download" button. In WebSite-Watcher, open the download manager via the "Tools" menu.
   
   
3. Download within Plugins
   The Plugin system supports the command AddToDownloadManager to add a download URL to the download manager. This allows you to extract a specific URL from a page and download it using the download manager.

Where Are Downloaded Files Stored?

By default, WebSite-Watcher saves downloaded files to the following folder:

c:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\aignes\WebSite-Watcher\config\downloads\

Automatically Delete Files After X Days

The download manager keeps downloaded files for a predefined number of days. After that period, the files are automatically removed from the list and deleted from your hard disk. Right-click a file, or a selection of files, to copy or move the selected files to another folder.

You can also automatically copy downloaded files to another location based on configured rules. Configure these rules in the Download Manager settings.

Downloaded files are deleted only from the default download folder. If files were copied or moved to another location, either manually or automatically using the "Copy To" feature, those copies remain unchanged.

Run multiple instances

If you install the desktop edition of WebSite-Watcher, only one instance of WebSite-Watcher can run at a time.

To run a second instance on the same PC, you must install an additional copy of WebSite-Watcher as Portable Edition in a separate folder on your hard disk, for example c:\wsw2. This second installation can then be started and used at the same time as the desktop edition. For each additional instance, install another Portable Edition in a separate folder.

The "Portable Edition" option can be selected during installation in the setup assistant.

You do not need an additional license key when installing extra copies of WebSite-Watcher. Use the same license key that you used for the desktop edition.

Browser Engines

By default, WebSite-Watcher embeds the Chromium browser. It is used to display changed bookmarks and in other areas, for example in the filter assistant. The Chromium browser can consume a noticeable amount of memory and system resources.

If you run WebSite-Watcher 24/7 on a server, or if you do not use the internal browser to view changed bookmarks, the Chromium browser is not required. As an alternative, WebSite-Watcher provides a lightweight text view that displays page content in a simplified format. This text view is not based on Chromium and uses significantly fewer system resources and less memory. It is used only in the main application interface. The check technology "Browser: Chromium" continues to use the Chromium engine for page checks.

WebSite-Watcher supports the following browser engines:

• Chromium-Browser
  Recommended if you open and read changed bookmarks within WebSite-Watcher. This is the best choice for most users.
  
  
• Text-View
  Displays page content in a simplified text format. It does not load the Chromium browser components and therefore uses fewer resources and less memory. This option is suitable if you run WebSite-Watcher 24/7 on a server and do not use the internal browser to read bookmarks.

Which Engine Should I Use?

Use the Chromium-Browser:

• if you regularly read changed bookmarks in the WebSite-Watcher user interface

Use the Text-View:

• if you run WebSite-Watcher 24/7 on a server
• if you rarely or never use the internal browser to view pages and instead read changed bookmarks in your system's default browser or by email

Command Line

A command line parameter is available to disable the Chromium browser engine.

This parameter can be used when you start WebSite-Watcher from the command line for automated monitoring.

Command line

Usage

wswatch.exe [Options] filename

Options

Examples

wswatch.exe "c:\wsw\magazines.wsw"

wswatch.exe /c /q /NoBrowser "c:\wsw\magazines.wsw"

Date variables

If a URL contains a daily date, you can use a date variable. The variable is replaced with the current date when the Bookmark is checked.

Example of a URL with a date variable:

https://www.domain.com/file<$date$,'yyyy-mm-dd',0>.htm

Resulting URL:

https://www.domain.com/file2026-03-15.htm

Usage

<$date$,format,DayDifference>
<$date$,format,DayDifference,MonthNames>

If the date format contains the variable "mmm" or "mmmm" for month names, WebSite-Watcher uses English month names by default.

If you require localized month names, define them using the MonthNames parameter. Specify exactly 12 names separated by a colon, for example:

jan:feb:mae:apr:mai:jun:jul:aug:sep:okt:nov:dez

Date format

Day Difference

The DayDifference parameter allows you to add or subtract a specified number of days to or from the current date.

• 0 ... Current date
• 1 ... Tomorrow
• -1 ... Yesterday
• -2 ... The day before yesterday

If you append the character "h", "m", or "s" to the parameter, the value is added to hours, minutes, or seconds.

• 1h ... plus one hour
• -100m ... minus 100 minutes
• 5s ... plus 5 seconds

Examples:

https://www.domain.com/file<$date$,'yyyy-mm-dd',0>.htm
https://www.domain.com/changes<$date$,'yy-mm',0>.txt
https://www.domain.com/events-<$date$,'mmm-dd',1>.html
https://www.domain.com/news_<$date$,'mmmmyyyy',0,jan:feb:mae:apr:mai:jun:jul:aug:sep:okt:nov:dez>.html

Cookies

Depending on the feature you use, WebSite-Watcher uses different databases to store Cookies.

WebSite-Watcher uses four separate Cookie databases:

1. View pages in browser tabs
   WebSite-Watcher uses an embedded Chromium browser to display Bookmarks and online pages. Cookies created while displaying pages in the internal browser are not used when checking Bookmarks. The check process uses isolated Cookie databases. Changes made in a browser tab do not affect Bookmark checks.
   
   
2. Check technology "Default"
   When you check Bookmarks using the technology "Default", WebSite-Watcher uses a separate Cookie database dedicated to this check technology. To manage Cookies for a Bookmark, right-click the Bookmark in the main window and select "Browser".
   
   
3. Check technology "Browser: Chromium", Chromium-Macros, and "Screenshot: Chromium"
   When you check Bookmarks using one of these technologies, WebSite-Watcher uses a separate Cookie database dedicated to these technologies. To manage Cookies for a Bookmark, right-click the Bookmark in the main window and select "Browser".
   
   
4. Check technology "Browser: Edge", Edge-Macros, and "Screenshot: Edge"
   When you check Bookmarks using one of these technologies, WebSite-Watcher uses a separate Cookie database dedicated to these technologies. To manage Cookies for a Bookmark, right-click the Bookmark in the main window and select "Browser".
   
   
5. Check technology "Internet Explorer/Browser" and Internet Explorer Macros
   When you check Bookmarks using one of these technologies, WebSite-Watcher uses the Internet Explorer Cookie database. To manage Cookies for a Bookmark, right-click the Bookmark in the main window and select "Browser".

These Cookie databases operate independently. Cookies are not shared between technologies.

See also:

• Ignore Cookie Banner

Silent Install/Uninstall

The WebSite-Watcher setup program supports optional command line parameters for silent installations.

Silent Install

Syntax:

wswsetup.exe /SILENT /DIR="x:\dirname"

Parameters:

• /SILENT
  Runs the setup in silent mode. No user interaction is required. Only the installation progress window and any error messages are displayed.
  
  
• /DIR="x:\dirname"
  Specifies the installation directory, which is normally shown on the "Select Destination Location" assistant page. A fully qualified path must be specified.

Silent Uninstall

Syntax:

unins000.exe /SILENT /REMOVEDATA

Parameters:

• /SILENT
  Runs the uninstaller in silent mode. The user is not prompted for confirmation, and no message is displayed when the uninstall process is complete. Critical error messages are still displayed.
  
  
• /REMOVEDATA
  Removes the WebSite-Watcher configuration and the bookmark database, if it is stored in the default bookmark folder.

Advanced setup options

The topic Advanced setup options explains how to automatically install the license and predefine specific program configurations.

Advanced setup options

The features described below are only available in the registered Business Edition and are not available in the Trial version or the Free/Personal Editions.

This topic explains how to automatically install the license key and how to predefine specific program configurations. This can be useful when installing and maintaining WebSite-Watcher on multiple PCs or workstations.

Automatic installation (for all users of a computer)

Before installing WebSite-Watcher, create an INI file named wswconfig.ini and save it in the same folder as wswsetup.exe. During installation, the file wswconfig.ini is copied to the setup folder.

All options defined in wswconfig.ini are imported each time WebSite-Watcher starts. Users cannot overwrite these options in the program configuration.

Manual installation (for a single user of a computer)

Alternatively, copy the file wswconfig.ini manually to the user's config folder. When WebSite-Watcher starts, this file is imported once. The file is only imported if no wswconfig.ini file exists in the setup folder.

The exact path of this file is:

c:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\aignes\WebSite-Watcher\config\wswconfig.ini

wswconfig.ini

The file wswconfig.ini can contain the following sections and fields:

[License]

Enter the license key for WebSite-Watcher in the next line. Line breaks are allowed. An example is provided at the end of this topic. A Business Edition license key is required for all following options.

[License_LWA]

Enter the license key for Local Website Archive in the next line, if required. Line breaks are allowed.

[General]

[Proxy]

[Connection]

[Dialup]

[Email]

[Sounds]

Example

The following example applies these options:

1.  Automatically use the specified license

2.  Hide the welcome window

3.  Do not check for new WebSite-Watcher versions

4.  Use the program with the German user interface

[general]
CheckForNewVersion=2
ShowWelcomeWindow=0
Language=german.lng

[license]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Install on Removable Drive / USB-Stick

Run the WebSite-Watcher setup and select "Install as portable application onto your USB stick" in the setup assistant. You can then use WebSite-Watcher on any computer without installing it on that computer.

All configurations and Bookmarks are saved in the installation directory. WebSite-Watcher does not leave any traces on the host computer.

What you should know about the portable version:

• License key
  If you run the portable version of WebSite-Watcher from a USB stick, no trial period is available, and a valid license key is required. If you install the portable version on a hard disk, you can run it in trial mode.
  
  
• Cookies
  The check technologies "Internet Explorer/Browser" and "Internet Explorer Macros" use the Internet Explorer Cookie system of the host computer. If you do not want to use Cookies from the host computer, do not use these two technologies. All other check technologies, Internal, Browser, and Screenshot, use separate Cookie databases.

App (Andorid / iOS)

WebSite-Watcher App

The WebSite-Watcher App can be used to read changed Bookmarks on your Smartphone.

WebSite-Watcher for Windows must be running. It uses the configured WebDAV server, or alternatively your personal Dropbox account, to send changed Bookmarks or status messages, for example if emails could not be sent, to the App.

Requirements

• WebSite-Watcher for Windows
• WebSite-Watcher App (Free or Pro Edition)
• WebDAV server or Dropbox account

Setup required on your PC

Steps:
1.  In WebSite-Watcher, open the program configuration.
2.  Click the button "WSW App".
3.  Enter the WebDAV configuration, or connect WebSite-Watcher to your Dropbox account.

Setup required on your Phone

Steps:
1.  Open the module "WSW for Windows".
2.  Click the button "Connect to Cloud".
3.  Select whether you want to use a WebDAV server or your personal Dropbox account.
4.  Enter the WebDAV configuration, or connect WebSite-Watcher to your Dropbox account.

Upload Bookmarks and Cache files

WebSite-Watcher periodically sends a list of updated Bookmarks to the cloud, so you can see on your Smartphone which Bookmarks have changed. To view highlighted changes on your Smartphone, you must also upload the Bookmark Cache files. Enable Phone Mode to upload these files. Phone Mode is optional and disabled by default. The topic Upload Cache Files provides detailed information about which data is sent to the cloud and how Cache files are uploaded.

See also:

• WSW App

Upload Cache Files

Changed Bookmarks can be sent to the WebSite-Watcher App (Android / iOS) via any WebDAV-supported cloud or file hosting service, or alternatively your personal Dropbox account. Sending data to the App only works when the Windows version of WebSite-Watcher is running. This feature is primarily intended for use with AutoWatch or with a Script that periodically monitors Bookmarks.

Below you can find information about which data is sent to your WebDAV server or to your Dropbox account.

Data uploaded to the Cloud

The following data is uploaded to the Cloud:

• The Bookmark and status feed (always)
  The Bookmark feed mainly contains the name, URL, and change date of the last 30 updated Bookmarks. No page content with highlighted changes is included in this feed. The status feed contains information about the last 5 errors, for example if an email could not be sent. This feed is uploaded every 10 minutes. Its size is approximately 20 KB.
  
  
• The Bookmark Cache files (optional)
  The Bookmark Cache files contain the checked pages with highlighted changes, which you typically see when you open a red, changed Bookmark. The file size depends on the page and is approximately 50 to 150 KB per Bookmark. Similar to the Bookmark feed, WebSite-Watcher keeps the last 30 Cache files in the Cloud. Cache files are only uploaded when Phone-Mode is enabled.

By default, uploading Cache files is disabled. WebSite-Watcher uploads only the Bookmark and status feed. With this limited information, you can see which Bookmarks have been updated, but you cannot open a changed Bookmark with highlighted changes in the App. To view highlighted changes in the App, the optional Cache files are required. Long-pressing a Bookmark always opens the online version of the page.

Uploading Cache files / Phone-Mode

To view changed Bookmarks with highlighted changes in the WebSite-Watcher App, you must upload the Cache files to the Cloud by enabling Phone-Mode.

Phone-Mode is a special mode that uploads Cache files with highlighted changes to the Cloud while it is enabled. Phone-Mode can be enabled in the Tools menu of WebSite-Watcher or via the WebSite-Watcher App.

Add to phone bookmarks

This feature allows you to add URLs from WebSite-Watcher for Windows to the Bookmark list on your Smartphone.

The feature adds URLs to a temporary list. This list stores the last 20 URLs. In the WebSite-Watcher App, you can then add new URLs from this list to your Bookmarks.

WebSite-Watcher for Windows

Add Bookmarks from the WebSite-Watcher main window to the temporary list:

Steps:
1.  Right-click a Bookmark.
2.  Select "Extras".
3.  Click "Add to Phone Bookmarks".

You can also use the WebSite-Watcher button in your web browser to add URLs directly from the browser to the temporary list.

WebSite-Watcher App

Steps:
1.  Add a new Bookmark.
2.  Click "Windows".
3.  Select the URLs from the temporary list.
4.. Click the "Add" button.

How to...

Display images instead of gray boxes

By default, WebSite-Watcher replaces all images on a page with local gray boxes. This is the fastest way to check and open Bookmarks.

As an alternative to the gray boxes, you can download and display the original images of a page. The image configuration can be changed globally in the program configuration or individually for each Bookmark.

Options to download images

WebSite-Watcher supports the following options to download and display images:

1. Display gray boxes instead of images (fastest)
   If this option is enabled, all images are replaced with a local gray image. This is the fastest way to check and open Bookmarks. No images are downloaded or displayed.
   
   
2. Do not display images
   Replaces all images with a transparent image, so no image is shown on the page. Use this option if images overlap other areas of the page. It is as fast as option 1.
   
   
3. Display online images
   If this option is enabled, all image addresses are converted to absolute addresses. No images are downloaded during a check. When you open a Bookmark, the images are downloaded from the server and displayed in your browser.
   
   
4. Download images
   If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher downloads images as soon as an update is detected. All images are saved to your hard disk.

More options:

• Re-download already saved images
  If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher always downloads all images instead of only new images. Enable this option if a web page always uses the same file name for changed images.
  
  
• Show embedded videos
  WebSite-Watcher can optionally display certain types of embedded videos if the option for absolute image addresses or downloading images is enabled. This only works if the technology used to display embedded videos is supported by WebSite-Watcher.
  
  
• Don't show images within filtered content
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher does not download or display images within filtered content. This option only works in combination with Ignore filters, not with Watch filters.

Global image configuration

Steps:
1.  Click Options in the main menu.
2.  Open "Program configuration".
3.  Select the "Bookmarks" tab.
4.  Click the "Download/Display Images..." button.
5.  Enter the image configuration.

Individual image configuration per Bookmark

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Images" on the left side.
4.  Enter the image configuration.

Monitor pages for specified words (keywords)

To receive an update notification only when specified keywords are found within new or changed page content, use the "Keyword Monitoring" feature in the Bookmark properties.

To highlight specified keywords, use the "Highlight keywords" feature. Both features work independently. If you want to highlight the same keywords that you use for update notifications, you must enter the keywords twice or enable the option "Use same keywords as above".

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Keywords" tab.
3.  Enter the keywords in "Highlight keywords" and/or "Keyword Monitoring". Enter one word, phrase, or Regex per line.

Keywords are only highlighted in the version with highlighted changes, not in the new or old version of a page.

If you use the "Keyword Monitoring" feature, the new version is only saved when at least one of the entered keywords is found within the changed content.

Regular expressions must be defined with regex() or regexcmp(), for example: regex(WebSite.Watcher)

Different keywords can be highlighted with different colors. Add #COLORNAME to the right of the keyword. Supported color names are: red, green, olive, lime, teal, blue, aqua, magenta, orange.

Example:

website #blue
watcher #red

See also:

• Keywords

Check pages that require JavaScript

By default, WebSite-Watcher filters all JavaScript content from a page and processes only the static, textual content.

For pages that can only be displayed with JavaScript enabled, WebSite-Watcher supports the check technology "Browser".

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Check" tab.
3.  Select the technology "Browser", and change the browser engine if necessary.

This technology opens the page in a hidden browser window and converts the dynamic JavaScript content into static, textual content that can be processed by WebSite-Watcher. WebSite-Watcher supports the browser engines Chromium, Edge, and Internet Explorer.

• Delay after page has loaded (in seconds):
  Use this option for pages that change their content dynamically after the page has loaded. For example, some pages require a few seconds until the final content is displayed.

Monitor entire site (Follow Links)

By default, you must create a separate Bookmark for each page you want to monitor.

If you want to monitor an entire site instead of individual pages, use the Follow Links feature. This feature automatically inserts all links found on a page as new Bookmarks. Various options allow you to specify how many links or which links are inserted as new Bookmarks, for example by defining the link depth.

Follow Links requires a Master-Bookmark, which serves as the root for all automatically inserted child Bookmarks. Master-Bookmarks display the image before the Bookmark name and are usually sorted before all other Bookmarks.

For all child Bookmarks, the Follow Links configuration is disabled. Changes to the Follow Links configuration can only be made in Master-Bookmarks.

Steps:
1.  Create a new folder. It is recommended to place each Master-Bookmark in a separate folder.
2.  Create a new Bookmark and enter the URL.
3.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
4.  Select "Follow Links" on the left side.
5.  Enable the "Follow-Links" option and enter the configuration.

Send emails when changes are detected

If changes on a page are detected, WebSite-Watcher can send an email to one or more recipients. The setup of this feature consists of two steps:

1. SMTP server setup
2. Enable the Send email feature for specific Bookmarks

SMTP Server Setup

Before you can send emails, enter the mail server configuration.

Steps:
1.  Open the program configuration.
2.  Select the "Check" tab.
3.  Click the "Email" button.
4.  Enter the server configuration.

• Smtp Server
  SMTP server for outgoing emails.
  
  
• Smtp after Pop
  Depending on the server configuration, a POP3 Login may be required before emails can be sent. This is also called SMTP-after-POP or POP-before-SMTP authentication. If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher performs only a Login and Logout to the POP3 server. No emails are downloaded.
  
  
• Pop Server
  Required only if you use the Smtp-after-Pop feature.
  
  
• Connection
  WebSite-Watcher supports different methods for server authentication:
  • Regular: Standard Login without SSL or TLS.
  • Full SSL: Uses SSL or TLS starting with the first contact to the server. Servers with full SSL or TLS usually do not use the standard TCP port 25.
  • Auto SSL: Uses SSL or TLS only if it is supported by the remote server.

Template

The Template section contains basic email settings, such as the name and email address of the sender or recipient. To enter more than one email address in the Recipient field, separate the addresses with a comma or a space.

The Subject and Body fields can contain variables that are replaced with actual values when emails are sent.

Variables in the email subject:

Variables in the message body:

Maximum email Size:

If you send emails with embedded images, you can limit the maximum size of the emails. WebSite-Watcher removes images from the email as long as the size is larger than the configured maximum value.

Enable the "Send email" feature in the Bookmark properties

To send an email for a Bookmark, enable the "Send Mail" feature in the Bookmark properties.

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Actions" tab.
3.  Select "Send email" on the left side.
4.  Enable the Send email feature.

If a Recipient field is entered here, it overrides the recipient defined in the program configuration. If you enter more than one email address, separate them with a comma or a space. The Subject field supports the same variables as in the program configuration.

• Send full page
  Sends the complete page with all CSS definitions and downloaded images. The goal is to make the email look similar to the page in your Internet Explorer or other browser. Many email clients or webmail services do not support all formatting commands, so the layout may appear incorrect. In this case, choose one of the other sending options.
  
  
• Send simple version
  This option removes the layout of the page and sends a simplified version. It is similar to the TEXT tab of the internal browser. Use this option if your email client has problems displaying the full layout or formatting of the page.
  
  
• Send only changes
  Extracts and sends only the highlighted text of the page. This option provides the best compatibility with various email clients and reduces the size of the emails.
  
  
• Attach screenshot
  Attaches a Screenshot with the highlighted changes. This option can be used together with "Send only changes" and may be useful if the page layout is required to understand the highlighted changes. The size of the Screenshot is limited, so not all changes may be visible.
  
  
• Email Template
  Allows you to assign a customized email Template. If assigned, the Template configuration overrides the global email configuration and can be used to send emails with an alternative "From" address or an alternative Body.
  
  
• Send before other emails
  Inserts the email at the top of the outbox. These emails have higher priority and are sent before emails without this option enabled. Use this option only for individual critical Bookmarks, not for most or all Bookmarks.

Scraper: Extract content

The features described below are only available in the Business Edition and are not available in the Free or Personal Edition.

The Bookmark action "Scraper" can extract content and structured data from monitored pages and save it to a file on your hard disk. Supported output formats are XML, CSV, or a tab-delimited file.

Typical data that can be extracted includes product prices, product information, news articles, or the highlighted changes from the last detected update.

Templates

To extract data from a page, you must define a Template. A Template contains fields that describe the content to be extracted. These fields can be selected interactively using the selection assistant. When the Bookmark action is executed, the Template is used to extract the content and save it in a structured format on your hard disk.

Templates can be defined individually per Bookmark or as shared Templates that are stored on your hard disk and used by multiple Bookmarks.

Fields

The following types of content can be extracted:

• Single fields
  Fields can be located anywhere on the page. You can specify whether all matches or only the first X matches should be extracted. A typical example is extracting a product name and price.
  
  
• Group of fields
  You can define a recurring page area that contains specific fields. WebSite-Watcher then extracts all groups, including the defined fields for each group. A typical example is a table row, where the group is the row and the fields are the cells in that row. WebSite-Watcher can then extract all rows and their cells.
  Another example is a topic thread in a forum, where a group represents a complete posting. Each posting contains the user name and the posted text. WebSite-Watcher can extract all postings with user names and text.
  
  
• Highlighted changes
  Extracts the content that is displayed in the "Changes" tab of the internal browser. You can choose between HTML format and TEXT format. If you select the TEXT format, all changes are marked with [change] and [/change].

Select CSS definition per field

Use the following steps to select a CSS definition for a field:

1. Click the button "..." on the right side of the CSS field. This opens a window where you can select the most suitable CSS definition.
2. Select the content to be extracted in the left panel. All possible CSS definitions are displayed in the middle panel.
3. Select a CSS definition in the middle panel. The right panel shows all matches.
4. If the correct CSS definition is found, click "OK".

As an alternative to selecting the content in the left panel, you can use the "Select" button in the toolbar. This opens another view of the page. This method may be more convenient in some cases, but it may not work with all page layouts.

Output formats

The extracted data can be saved in the following formats:

XML

Standard XML structure with defined field names and values.

CSV (full)

This format contains the following fields:

• item: Defines the association between rows
• type: Type of extracted data, field, group, or changes
• group: Defined group name, if the extracted element is a group
• field: Defined field name
• value: Extracted data

The following characters are encoded:

• \ as \\
• New line as \n
• " as \"

Tab-delimited (full)

This format contains the following fields:

• item - Defines the association between rows
• type - Type of extracted data, field, group, or changes
• group - Defined group name, if the extracted element is a group
• field - Defined field name
• value - Extracted data

The following characters are encoded:

• \ as \\
• Tab as \t
• New line as \n

CSV (simple), Tab-delimited (simple)

The simple format can only be used if the Template contains a single element, for example a single field or one group of fields. Characters are encoded as listed above.

Output file

Defines where the file is saved on your hard disk.

Variables in the file name:

Ignore updates

The "Ignore updates" feature allows you to:

1. Prevent an update notification when a page contains a predefined text, blacklist mode, or
2. Allow an update notification only when a page contains a predefined text, whitelist mode.

Typical example: Page displays a specific error message

If a page regularly displays a specific error message, you can prevent false update notifications when this message appears. Typical examples include "Too many users online, please try again later" or "Could not connect to database".

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Ignore Updates" on the left side.
4.  Enter the text for which WebSite-Watcher should prevent an update notification, one phrase per line.

If a blacklisted word is found on the page, WebSite-Watcher ignores the update. The Bookmark is not listed in the error folder, and no notification is triggered after X errors in a row.

If WebSite-Watcher should list the Bookmark in the error folder and trigger a notification after the configured number of errors in a row, use the program Tweak HandleIgnoreUpdateAsError=1.

Limit connections to a specific server/URL

If a server does not allow simultaneous connections, you can reduce the number of connections to that server or to a specific URL.

Steps:
1.  Open the program configuration.
2.  Select the "Check" tab.
3.  Click the "Connection..." button.
4.  Select the "Advanced Connection Rules" tab.
5.  Click the "New" button.
6.  Enter the domain name, for example aignes.com, and specify the connection limits to be applied.

Make a Bookmark a Hotsite

What are HotSites

HotSites are Bookmarks with the HotSite flag enabled. All HotSites are listed in the virtual folder "HotSites", regardless of the folder in which they are actually stored.

This allows you to display your favorite Bookmarks in a single folder.

How to make a Bookmark a HotSite

There are several ways to mark a Bookmark as a HotSite:

• Enable the "HotSite" check box in the Bookmark properties.
• Select a Bookmark and double-click the HotSite column.
• Drag and drop a Bookmark into the "HotSites" folder.

Change properties in multiple bookmarks

WebSite-Watcher provides different ways to change specific properties in multiple Bookmarks in a single procedure.

1. Change properties in selected Bookmarks

Steps:
1.  In the main window, select the Bookmarks you want to modify.
2.  Right-click the selection.
3.  Select "Set properties in all selected bookmarks...".

This opens a window where you can configure specific Bookmark properties. To change a particular setting, enable the "Assign" check box and configure the related feature.

Disable an already configured option

To disable an already configured feature, enable the "Assign" check box and then disable the related feature, as shown in the following example:

2. Update similar Bookmarks

If you change a configuration directly in the Bookmark properties and want to apply these changes to other Bookmarks, enable the option "Update similar bookmarks" before clicking the "OK" button.

This opens a window where you can select the target Bookmarks and the options to copy from the currently opened Bookmark.

Monitor the full HTML code of a page

By default, WebSite-Watcher filters all HTML tags and uses only the actual, readable text content of a page. To monitor a page with all HTML tags, disable the "Ignore all HTML tags" filter in the Bookmark properties.

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Click the "Filter-Assistant" button.
3.  Select the "Special filter" tab.
4.  Clear the "Ignore all HTML tags" check box.

If you want to view the source code of the page, instead of the rendered page, when opening the Bookmark, change the "file type" option from "auto detect" to "text".

5.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
6.  Select "Check options (1)" on the left side.
7.  Change the "file type" option from "auto detect" to "text".

Ignore Cookie Banner

Automatically accept cookies

For Chromium-based and Edge-based check technologies, WebSite-Watcher can automatically accept Cookies and close cookie banners on many web pages. This automatic feature is optional. It can be enabled or disabled in the program configuration and works on many web pages. If a cookie banner cannot be removed automatically, you can use one of the following alternative solutions.

Preferred alternative solution

If a checked Bookmark displays a cookie consent banner that cannot be accepted automatically, in most cases, you can use the following steps:

Steps:
1.  Right-click the Bookmark.
2.  Select "Browser". This loads the page in a browser window.
3.  Accept the cookies.
4.  Close the window.

After the next detected update, the cookie message should no longer be displayed. To test these steps immediately, right-click the Bookmark and select "Extras + Re-Initialize bookmark".

This is the preferred method for handling cookie consent banners and should be used whenever possible.

Alternative: Cosmetic Filters

If the steps above do not work correctly, or the cookie banner reappears after a short time, you can use Cosmetic Filters to remove it from the page.

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Click "Cosmetic filter".
3.  Click the Assistant icon.
4.  Select "Cookie Banner". This attempts to automatically determine the appropriate cosmetic filter.

Create Cosmetic Filter manually

If no cosmetic filters are found using the steps above, create the cosmetic filter manually.

Typical steps:

Steps:
1.  Click "Create new filter".
2.  Enter a short word or phrase that is part of the cookie consent text, for example cookie.
3.  Locate the correct occurrence of the entered word or phrase.
4.  Click "Next". This searches for related CSS definitions.
5.  Select a CSS definition that includes all text of the cookie banner.
6..  Click "OK".
7.  Test the filter. If the cookie banner is removed, click "Add filter".

Pre-define Bookmark properties

Ways to pre-define Bookmark properties

1.  Globally in program configuration

Settings for new Bookmarks can be pre-defined globally in the program configuration. These pre-definitions apply to all databases and are assigned when you create new Bookmarks.

Steps:
1.  Click "Options" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Program configuration".
3.  Select the "Bookmarks" tab.
4.  Click the "Assign bookmark properties" button.
5.  Enter the properties to be pre-defined for new Bookmarks.

2.  Per folder

You can also pre-define Bookmark properties for new or existing Bookmarks per folder. These pre-defined properties are stored per Bookmark database.

Steps:
1.  Right-click a folder.
2.  Select "Properties".
3.  Select the "Assign bookmark properties" tab.
4.  Define when and which Bookmark properties should be assigned.

3.  Rule based for certain URLs

A third method uses a rule-based system that allows you to pre-define properties for Bookmarks with specific URLs. For example, you can use the checking method "Browser: Chromium" for all URLs with the domain "aignes.com". These pre-defined properties are stored per Bookmark database and can be assigned to new or existing Bookmarks.

Define these rules as precisely as possible. If a matching pre-definition is found and the option "Continue processing with other pre-definitions" is disabled, no additional rules are applied to the Bookmark. Otherwise, multiple pre-definitions can be assigned to a single Bookmark.

Steps:
1.  Click "Options" in the main menu.
2.  Select "Global bookmark pre-predefinitions".
3.  Enter the rules and the properties for new or existing Bookmarks.

Order in which pre-defined Bookmark properties are assigned

1. Pre-definitions from the program configuration, new Bookmarks only.
2. Pre-definitions from folder properties.
3. Rule-based pre-definitions from "Global bookmark pre-predefinitions" in the Options menu.
   Define these rules as precisely as possible. If a matching pre-definition is found and the option "Continue processing with other pre-definitions" is disabled, no additional rules are applied to the Bookmark. Otherwise, multiple pre-definitions can be assigned to a single Bookmark.

If pre-definitions are available in steps 1, 2, and 3, they are all applied. Properties from step 2 override properties from step 1, and properties from step 3 override properties from steps 1 and 2.

Using Local Website Archive

WebSite-Watcher stores the last two versions of a web page. If you want to archive a page permanently for future reference, you can use the tool Local Website Archive (LWA). Local Website Archive can be used as a WebSite-Watcher add-on or as a standalone solution to archive web pages from your browser.

There are different ways in which WebSite-Watcher and Local Website Archive can work together.

1. Archive pages manually

Similar to archiving pages from your Internet Explorer, Chrome, Edge, or Firefox browser, you can archive web pages from the internal WebSite-Watcher browser to Local Website Archive.

2. Archive pages automatically

Updated pages can be archived automatically to Local Website Archive using the Bookmark actions. After an update has been detected, you can archive either the page with highlighted changes or the new version of the page.

3. Open archived pages

If you use the automatic method described in section 2, you can open archived pages from the following locations:

• Bookmark properties
• Bookmark context menu
• Clicking the "Version" button in the browser toolbar
• A shortcut that can be configured in Options + Shortcuts

This opens a separate window that displays all archived pages of the selected or opened Bookmark.

What to do when...

A page cannot be displayed

If a page cannot be displayed correctly, you can try the check technology Browser. With this technology, WebSite-Watcher creates a hidden browser window and checks the page in that window.

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Check" tab.
3.  Select the "Browser" technology, and change the browser engine if necessary.

If this method does not work, you can try the Screenshot technology.

Steps:
1.  Open the Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Check" tab.
3.  Select the "Screenshot" technology, and change the browser engine if necessary.

All bookmarks report an error

If a check run reports an error for all Bookmarks, one of the following reasons may be causing the problem:

Proxy settings are not correct

If you need a Proxy to connect to the internet, verify that the Proxy configuration is entered correctly in WebSite-Watcher.

Steps:
1.  Open the program configuration.
2.  Select the "Check" tab.
3.  Click the "Proxy" button.
4.  Enter your Proxy configuration.

WebSite-Watcher is blocked by a firewall

If you are using a firewall or another Internet security suite, WebSite-Watcher may be blocked by that software. In this case, configure your firewall to allow WebSite-Watcher to access the internet. This issue cannot be resolved within WebSite-Watcher.

A check has status "Whole content filtered (verify your filter settings)"

If a check shows the status message "Warning: whole content filtered (please verify your filter settings)", there may be an issue with your filter definitions, and WebSite-Watcher is unable to detect updates.

WebSite-Watcher compares the filtered text content of the new version with the filtered text content of the previous version of a page. If the entire content is filtered out, there is nothing to compare, and updates cannot be detected. In this case, the warning message is displayed.

Open the Bookmark properties and review or adjust your filter definitions to resolve this behavior. Use the "Test filter" function to view the filtered content that is used to detect updates.

See also:

• What are filter settings (Overview)

A web page contains only cryptic characters

If a web page displays only unreadable or cryptic characters, the page probably does not contain a character set definition, and WebSite-Watcher converts language-specific characters incorrectly to Unicode.

To resolve this issue, define the character set manually.

Steps:
1.  Open Bookmark properties.
2.  Select the "Advanced" tab.
3.  Select "Check options (1)" on the left side.
4.  Click "Character set".
5.  Select the correct character set from the submenu.
6.  Re-check the Bookmark.

User Interface

Program configuration

General

Tray Icon

The Tray Icon section lets you define whether and when WebSite-Watcher should be displayed in the Windows notification area.

• Always show icon in Windows notification area
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher is always displayed in the system tray, regardless of whether the application is minimized.
  
  
• Move to Windows notification area when minimizing
  WebSite-Watcher is moved to the system tray when you click the minimize button in the window title bar.
  
  
• Move to Windows notification area when closing
  WebSite-Watcher is moved to the system tray when you click the close button in the window title bar. In this case, you can close WebSite-Watcher only by using the menu command File + Exit or TrayIcon + Exit.

Regardless of the Tray Icon configuration, WebSite-Watcher can always be moved to the system tray by pressing F8 or by clicking the toolbar button .

Browser Integration

Show button in browser title bar

If WebSite-Watcher is running, a WebSite-Watcher button is displayed in the browser title bar. Clicking this button adds the currently open page to WebSite-Watcher. It works with all major browsers such as Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. The horizontal position of this button can be adjusted using a Tweak.

See also:

• Add bookmarks directly from your Browser

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

• Automatically sort changed bookmarks first
  If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher sorts all changed Bookmarks to the top of the list, regardless of the current sort direction.
  
  
• Hide bookmarks in "Changed bookmarks" folder after opening
  A Bookmark is automatically removed from the "Changed Bookmarks" folder as soon as you open it.
  
  
• Opening the next unread bookmark also jumps to the next folder
  When you open the next unread Bookmark, WebSite-Watcher automatically jumps to the next folder if the current folder no longer contains changed Bookmarks.

Download/Display images

WebSite-Watcher supports different methods to download or display images. Images can be replaced with local gray boxes, which is the fastest method. Images can also be downloaded from the internet when the page is opened, using absolute image addresses. Alternatively, images can be downloaded immediately and stored on your local hard disk.

See also:

• Images
• Display images instead of gray boxes
• Highlight images

Predefined settings for new bookmarks

Here you can define properties that are assigned to new Bookmarks. These predefined properties can be overridden for each folder via the folder properties.

Check

Bookmark Check

• Notification when a page is initialized for the first time
  During the first check, a page is initialized. Only subsequent checks can detect updates. If this option is enabled, you will receive an update notification when the page is initialized during the first check. No bookmark actions, for example "Send email", are performed in this case.
  
  
• Notification after XX errors in a row
  If a Bookmark reaches the specified number of consecutive errors, you will receive an update notification. As soon as you open the page, the error counter is reset to zero. No bookmark actions, for example "Send email", are performed in this case.
  
  
• If an error occurs, repeat the bookmark check a second time
  If a Bookmark check fails with an error, the Bookmark is reinserted into the check queue for a second attempt.

AutoWatch

WebSite-Watcher supports an automated checking method called AutoWatch, which monitors Bookmarks automatically at predefined time intervals. You can enable this mode by clicking the AutoWatch button in the toolbar.

• Start AutoWatch when starting WebSite-Watcher
  If this option is enabled, AutoWatch starts automatically when WebSite-Watcher is launched.
  
  
• Delay before first check
  Enter the countdown in seconds before the first check is executed. After the first check, WebSite-Watcher calculates the next countdown automatically based on the time configuration of each Bookmark.

Automatic AutoWatch Interval

The "Automatic AutoWatch Interval" allows WebSite-Watcher to use optimized time configurations automatically, based on the previous update frequency.

Active pages are checked more frequently, while pages that remain unchanged for months are checked less frequently. This option is intended for Bookmarks where it is not critical to receive an update notification immediately.

If a Bookmark check does not detect changes, the time interval can increase up to the specified maximum. If changes are detected, the time interval is reset to the specified minimum, and a new adjustment cycle begins.

Automatic time configuration and Keywords:

If Keywords are specified in the Bookmark properties, see Keyword Monitoring, the time interval is also reset to the specified minimum when the page has changed but no Keywords were found.

See also:

• Check pages automatically (with AutoWatch)

Browser

• Use internal browser
  By default, WebSite-Watcher opens Bookmarks in the internal browser, which is based on Chromium. If you disable this option, WebSite-Watcher opens Bookmarks in the external default browser instead.
  
  
• Close browser tabs when closing the internal browser
  If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher closes all open browser tabs when you close the internal browser. When you reopen the internal browser, an empty page is displayed.

Tabbed Browsing

• Use Tabbed Browsing
  Tabbed browsing allows you to display pages in multiple tabs. If you click a link while pressing the Shift key, the link is opened in a new browser tab. If this option is disabled, links are opened in your default web browser instead of a new tab in the internal browser.
  
  
• Tab #1: Open links in new tabs
  If this option is enabled, clicking a link in the first browser tab automatically opens the link in a new tab. Otherwise, online pages can also be opened in the first browser tab.
  
  
• Restore last visited browser tabs
  If the internal browser is closed while tabs are still open, WebSite-Watcher can reopen these tabs automatically.

Ad-Blocker Whitelist

WebSite-Watcher includes a DNS-based ad blocker, which is enabled by default. If a server detects an ad blocker and does not display the web page, you can add the domain to the whitelist and disable the ad blocker for that domain.

Enter one domain per line, without protocol, www, or path.

Example:

aignes.com
website-watcher.com

See also:

• Browser Engine

AutoBackup

If the option "AutoBackup" is enabled, WebSite-Watcher backs up your Bookmark database to the configured AutoBackup folder. Only the Bookmark database is saved. Cache files and program configurations are not included.

You can restore these AutoBackups by selecting "Tools + Backup/Restore", then choosing "Restore AutoBackup" and following the assistant. This process restores your Bookmark database and recreates all required Cache files.

Appearance

General

• Show grid lines
  Displays grid lines in the Bookmark list.
  
  
• Start minimized
  Starts WebSite-Watcher in a minimized state. Alternatively, you can use the command line parameter /MINIMIZE to start WebSite-Watcher minimized.

Date format

Defines how the date is displayed in the columns "Last checked" and "Last changed". For the current day, you can define a separate date and time format, for example to display only the time without the date.

Date format:

Examples:

dd-mmm-yyyy hh:nn    31-Jan-2024 14:30
hh:nn am/pm          02:30 pm

Fonts

Allows you to change the font used in the folder tree and the Bookmark list.

Changed Bookmarks

Allows you to change the text color and the bold setting for changed Bookmarks.

If you disable the bold setting, selected changed Bookmarks cannot be clearly identified, because the text color of selected Bookmarks is always the same. Disabling the bold setting is recommended only if you view changed Bookmarks in the "Changed Bookmarks" folder.

Messages

In this section, you can specify when WebSite-Watcher displays messages or warnings.

Folder

Show folders

Specify which special folders are displayed.

Trash

• Empty Trash after NN days
  Specify how long deleted Bookmarks remain in the Trash. After this period, deleted Bookmarks and Cache files are permanently removed.

Virtual Folder

• Display bookmark count for each virtual folder
  Enable this option to display the number of Bookmarks and the number of updates for each virtual folder in the main window.

This option can reduce performance if you have many Bookmarks and many virtual folders.

You will usually not notice a slowdown if you have approximately 1,000 Bookmarks and 10 virtual folders. However, performance can decrease significantly if you have, for example, more than 10,000 Bookmarks and 100 virtual folders with a complex configuration.

Update-Ticker

WebSite-Watcher can display a small floating Information Window (InfoWin) when:

1.  Changed Bookmarks are detected.
2.  WebSite-Watcher is not the foreground window.

A double-click on this window brings WebSite-Watcher to the foreground.

Sounds

All sounds must be available in WAV format.

• Updates
  Is played when a page has changed.
  
  
• End of check run
  Is played when a check run has finished.
  
  
• Allow default sounds
  Plays the default sounds, for example when a message box is displayed or when initialized Bookmarks are opened.

External Browser

Specify the browser that is used as the external browser.

RSS Feed Enclosures

WebSite-Watcher includes an internal Download Manager that can be used to automatically download RSS feed enclosures (Podcasts).

By default, WebSite-Watcher uses this Download Manager for MP3 or WAV enclosures. To add additional file extensions, separate them with a comma.

Example:

mp3,wav,exe,msi,zip,rar,7z

Colors

Last change marker

WebSite-Watcher can display a marker at the position of the last change on a page. Here you can define the text and the color of this marker. For each Bookmark, the option "Show last change marker" can be enabled in the Bookmark properties.

Removed elements

Define the color used to highlight removed elements. For each Bookmark, the option "Show removed elements" can be enabled in the Bookmark properties.

Local Website Archive

WebSite-Watcher stores the last two versions of a web page. If you want to archive checked pages permanently for future reference, you can use the additional tool "Local Website Archive".

By default, "Local Website Archive" is installed automatically with WebSite-Watcher. If you want to use a separate installation of Local Website Archive instead of the version included with WebSite-Watcher, you must enter the full path and file name of "wsarc.exe", for example: c:\mytools\lwa\wsarc.exe.

The option "Use separate installation" is mainly available for legacy reasons. Starting with WebSite-Watcher 2023, Local Website Archive is automatically installed and updated together with WebSite-Watcher.

Homepage of Local Website Archive: https://www.aignes.com/lwa.htm

See also:

• Using Local Website Archive

User Agent

By default, WebSite-Watcher identifies itself as Chrome.

If you want WebSite-Watcher to be identified as a different browser or crawler, you can define a custom browser identification.

Check for new version

WebSite-Watcher can check for new versions online. This feature is available only in the registered version.

Images

Download/Display images

By default, WebSite-Watcher replaces all images on a page with local gray boxes. This is the fastest way to check and open Bookmarks. As an alternative to the gray boxes, you can download and display the original images of a page.

For each Bookmark, the global image configuration can be overridden in the Bookmark properties.

See chapter Display images instead of gray boxes for more information.

Show embedded videos

WebSite-Watcher can optionally display certain types of embedded videos if the option for absolute image addresses or downloading images is enabled. This works only if the technology used to display embedded videos is supported by WebSite-Watcher.

Don't show images within filtered content

If enabled, WebSite-Watcher does not download or display images within filtered content. This option works only in combination with Ignore filters, not with Watch filters.

Proxy

If you connect to the internet through a Proxy, enter the Proxy configuration in this section.

To access certain sites without using a Proxy, enter the domain names of those sites, one entry per line.

Example:

www.aignes.com
website-watcher.com
345.32.123.21

If an entered line starts with a dot, no Proxy is used for all subdomains:

• domain.com ... does not use a Proxy for domain.com
• .domain.com ... does not use a Proxy for news.domain.com, download.domain.com, etc., but uses a Proxy for domain.com

FTP Proxy

WebSite-Watcher supports different Login types for FTP Proxy servers. You can specify them with numbers from 0 to 8. To determine the correct number for your FTP Proxy, click the button "Detect Login Type automatically".

FTP over HTTP

Use the FTP-over-HTTP method only if you must connect through a Proxy that does not support the FTP protocol.

A typical example where FTP-over-HTTP is required is a proxy solution. The FTP-over-HTTP method sends an HTTP-like request, for example GET "ftp://ftp.something.com", to the proxy. The proxy connects to the FTP server and retrieves a file listing. It then converts this file listing into a web page and returns it to your browser or to WebSite-Watcher.

Disadvantages and limitations:

• No direct support for password-protected FTP servers or directories. The only way to monitor a password-protected directory is the insecure URL format: ftp://USERNAME:PASSWORD@ftp.something.com/
  This format is not supported by all proxies, so you must test whether it works in your environment.
• It is not possible to monitor a single file through a directory entry. Only a complete directory listing can be monitored, all files in the directory are listed.
• A Proxy change or Proxy update can cause a false positive.

Tip: Use the FTP-over-HTTP method only if direct FTP access is not possible.

Proxy Rotation

If two or more Proxy servers are entered, the Proxy rotation feature changes the Proxy with each check run. This makes it more difficult for a web server to detect WebSite-Watcher as a bot.

This feature is available only in the Business Edition.

Proxy List

The Proxy List section allows you to define additional HTTP Proxy servers that can be selected per Bookmark, see also chapter Check Options. This makes it possible to monitor different Bookmarks with different proxies. A custom Proxy works only for Bookmarks that use the internal checking technology.

E-mail

When a page has changed, WebSite-Watcher can automatically send emails to one or more recipients. In this section, enter your mail server configuration.

Server

• SMTP Server
  SMTP server for outgoing emails.
  
  
• SMTP after POP
  Depending on the server configuration, a POP3 Login may be required before you can send emails, this is also called SMTP-after-POP or POP-before-SMTP authentication. If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher performs only a Login and Logout to the POP3 server, no emails are downloaded.
  
  
• POP Server
  Required only if you use the SMTP-after-POP feature.
  
  
• Connection
  • Regular - Standard Login without SSL/TLS
  • Full SSL - Uses SSL/TLS starting with the first contact to the server. Servers using full SSL/TLS mode usually do not use the standard TCP port 25.
  • Auto SSL - Uses SSL/TLS only if it is supported by the remote server.

Template

The Template section contains basic email settings, such as the name and email address of the sender or recipient. To enter more than one email address in the Recipient field, separate them with a comma or a space.

Variables:

The Subject and Body fields can contain variables that are replaced with actual values when emails are sent. Supported variables are described in the topic Send emails when changes are detected.

Options

• Use absolute image URLs in HTML mails
  If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher uses absolute URLs for images in HTML mails, regardless of whether images are downloaded to your hard disk when checking Bookmarks. This option is enabled by default and can significantly reduce the size of HTML mails. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram Bookmarks also benefit from this option.
  
  
• Maximum email size
  If you send emails with embedded images, you can limit the maximum size of the emails. WebSite-Watcher removes images from the email as long as the size is larger than the configured maximum value.
  
  
• Variable {counter}
  Incrementing counter that can be used in the email subject. This counter increases by 1 with each email sent. In your mailbox, you can quickly see if a message is missing because of a skipped number.

Advanced

By default, WebSite-Watcher performs a Bookmark check run and sends queued emails afterward. This means that checking Bookmarks and sending emails do not compete for the same resources.

With the advanced sending rules, queued emails can be sent independently of Bookmark check runs. This provides more flexibility, and emails can be sent earlier if you have many Bookmarks and a check run takes a long time.

• Mails per SMTP Login
  If at least one email exists in the outbox, WebSite-Watcher logs in to the SMTP server and sends the queued emails, but not more than the configured maximum number. If emails remain in the outbox, WebSite-Watcher waits for the configured time between SMTP Logins, performs a new Login, and sends the next group of emails. This process is repeated until all emails are sent.
  
  
• Time between SMTP Logins
  Defines the time in seconds between SMTP Logins.

Blacklist

The blacklist can be used to suppress sending emails if the page contains predefined blacklisted text, for example "could not connect to database".

Enter one phrase per line. Entries are case-insensitive. Wildcards or regular expressions are not supported.

Example:

database error
site under maintenance

WSW App

The WebSite-Watcher App can be used to read changed Bookmarks on your Smartphone.

WebSite-Watcher can use any WebDAV-supported cloud or file hosting service, or alternatively your personal Dropbox account, to send changed Bookmarks or status messages, for example if emails could not be sent, to the App.

See also:

• App (Android / iOS)

WebDAV

WebSite-Watcher can use any WebDAV-supported cloud or file hosting service to synchronize data between the Windows version and the App.

WebSite-Watcher saves all required files in the folder "wswapp", which you can store anywhere on your server.

On your WebDAV server:

• Create the folder "wswapp". This folder can be created in the root folder or in any subfolder.
  
  Examples:
  /wswapp
  /sync/wswapp
  /Username/wswapp
  
  This is the only folder used by WebSite-Watcher. Do not save any other files in that folder, they are deleted automatically by WebSite-Watcher. If you enter a WebDAV URL without "wswapp" in WebSite-Watcher, WebSite-Watcher asks whether this folder should be created automatically.

In WebSite-Watcher:

1. Open the program configuration.
   
   
2. Click the button "WSW App".
   
   
3. Select "WebDAV".
   
   
4. Enter the WebDAV URL, including the folder created in step 1.
   
   Examples:
   https://webdav.server.com/wswapp
   https://www.server.com/webdav/sync/wswapp
   http://192.168.1.101:8181/Username/wswapp
   
   
5. Enter the Login credentials.
   
   
6. Click "OK".
   WebSite-Watcher performs an initial test to verify that the entered configuration is correct and can be used for synchronization.

Pushover

WebSite-Watcher can be configured to send Pushover messages for certain actions, for example when emails could not be sent. Pushover messages are similar to SMS, but without costs per message. Pushover messages can be received on a wide range of devices, for example iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows. If you run WebSite-Watcher 24/7 on a server and you are a Pushover user, this is a fast way to receive notifications on your phone when a problem occurs.

To use this feature, you need your own Pushover account. More information about Pushover is available at pushover.net.

Pushover configuration

To set up Pushover in WebSite-Watcher, enter the following three fields. All required data can be found in your Pushover account.

• User Key
  The User Key found in your Pushover account. It is a string with approximately 30 characters.
  
  
• API-Token
  The API-Token found in your Pushover account. It is a string with approximately 30 characters.
  
  
• Device
  This setting is optional and can be used if you want to send notifications only to specific devices. If this field is empty, WebSite-Watcher sends notifications to all your Pushover devices.

After entering these fields, send a test message to verify that the configuration is correct.

Cookie-Banner

For Chromium-based and Edge-based check technologies, WebSite-Watcher can automatically accept cookies and close cookie banners on many web pages.

This feature works with the following technologies:

• Browser: Chromium
• Browser: Edge
• Chromium Check-Macros
• Edge Check-Macros
• Check by Screenshot: Chromium
• Check by Screenshot: Edge

Exclusion list

If this feature does not work on pages from a specific domain, you can exclude those domains by adding them to the exclusion list. Enter one domain per line.

Example:

domain1.com
domain2.info

Alternative solution

If WebSite-Watcher cannot automatically accept cookies and close the cookie banner, apply these steps to accept cookies:

1.  Right-click the bookmark in the main window.
2.  Select "Browser".
3.  Accept cookies.
4.  Close the browser window.

See also:

• Ignore Cookie Banner

Ransomware Detection

Ransomware is a type of malicious program that encrypts many of your documents, such as text documents, photos, and videos, makes them inaccessible, and demands payment to provide a decryption key or a program to remove the Ransomware from the infected computer. If you are sitting in front of your PC, you will usually notice an infection quickly because a payment request to decrypt your files is typically displayed. If you run WebSite-Watcher 24/7 on a server or a separate PC, you may not immediately notice that something is wrong.

With the "Ransomware Detection" feature, WebSite-Watcher regularly checks whether a specific reference file has been changed or deleted. If this happens, you can receive a notification. This feature works only while WebSite-Watcher is running.

How does it work

When WebSite-Watcher starts, a unique RTF file is created on your hard disk. As long as WebSite-Watcher is running, this file is monitored for changes. If this file is changed or deleted, the following actions occur:

• WebSite-Watcher stops all running tasks, for example checking Bookmarks or sending emails.
• WebSite-Watcher locks and protects as many important files in the WSW folder as possible to reduce the risk of encryption. These files remain locked as long as WebSite-Watcher is running, for example Bookmark databases, configuration files, and AutoBackups.
• A window is displayed on top of all other applications.
• Optional alert by email. The message is sent immediately without being saved in an Outbox on your hard disk.
• Optional alert via Pushover. The push message is sent immediately without being saved in an Outbox on your hard disk.
• If you use the WebSite-Watcher App and check the special Bookmark WSW-for-Windows, you also receive a notification that your PC was infected with Ransomware.

How to test this feature

The "Ransomware Detection" configuration includes a button named "Test this feature...". When you click this button, the reference file is deleted after you close the program configuration. An alert should appear after a few seconds.

How secure is it

There is no guarantee that WebSite-Watcher can detect all types of Ransomware infections using this technique. WebSite-Watcher can detect an infection only if the reference file is changed, for example encrypted, or deleted, and only while WebSite-Watcher is running. WebSite-Watcher cannot stop the encryption of documents on your hard disk or prevent infection with Ransomware. If the RTF reference file is not encrypted or deleted, or if WebSite-Watcher is not running, the infection cannot be detected.

Connections

General check configuration

• Max. total connections
  Number of simultaneous update checks.
  
  
• Max. HTTPS connections per server
  Maximum number of simultaneous connections to a specific server using the HTTPS protocol.
  
  
• Max. FTP connections per server
  Maximum number of simultaneous connections to a specific server using the FTP protocol.
  
  
• Timeout
  If the check of a single Bookmark takes longer than the specified number of seconds, the check is aborted. This value can be overridden for each Bookmark.
  
  
• Warning download size (per file)
  If the downloaded size of a page exceeds the specified value, WebSite-Watcher displays a warning message in the status column. This is only an informational message and does not abort the check.

Advanced Connection Rules

The advanced connection rules offer the possibility to limit the number of simultaneous connections to specific servers or URLs. If the URL field is enclosed in quotation marks, it is treated as a top-level domain, for example "domain.com".

"Pause between checks" can be used if a server allows, for example, only two requests per minute. The search feature in forums often has such a limitation to prevent automated attacks.

Rules displayed in blue are fixed rules that are automatically created by WebSite-Watcher. You can increase the limits for these fixed rules via Tweaks, but you cannot remove them.

Advanced connection rules and Check-Macros:

URLs within macros are not recognized. This functionality is based on the Bookmark fields "URL" and "Alternative URL". If an alternative URL is entered, this field is used, otherwise the URL field is used.

HTTP-Header

• Accept-Language
  Lets you configure the Accept-Language entry in the HTTP header, the default value is en.
  For more information about this header, search the web for "HTTP Accept-Language".

Dialup

If you use a dial-up connection to access the internet, enter the dial-up configuration in this section.

• Name
  "Name" is the name of the configured dial-up or VPN connection on your PC. This field must be entered manually and must exactly match the configured connection name.

WebSite-Watcher uses rasdial.exe to connect and disconnect. "rasdial.exe" is part of Windows and can be tested in the Command Prompt using the following commands:

Dial-up:

rasdial.exe entryname username password

Disconnect:

rasdial.exe entryname /DISCONNECT

Use rasdial.exe /? for additional help.

Tweaks

The Tweaks section allows you to fine-tune WebSite-Watcher and to enable special features or Workarounds.

The Tweaks section uses an INI file format, but without sections, which are names enclosed in "[" and "]". Simply create one or more entries without specifying a section. Each tweak can be used only once. Changes in the Tweaks section require a restart of WebSite-Watcher to take effect.

Available Tweaks

• BrowserButtonMoveLeft=nnn
  
  With this setting, you can move the WebSite-Watcher button, which can be displayed in the browser title bar, horizontally. nnn is the horizontal value in pixels. A positive value moves the button to the left, a negative value moves it to the right. This is useful to avoid overlapping when other programs also display buttons in the browser toolbar.
  
  
• UnfocusedColorRGB=
  Defines the color, in RGB format, of selected but unfocused folders and Bookmarks.
  Example: UnfocusedColorRGB=ff0000 displays unfocused selections in red.
  
  
• UseProxyIfUrlExists=
  If a URL is entered, WebSite-Watcher tries to access this URL before the first check run. If it is reachable, WebSite-Watcher uses the defined Proxy settings from the general options. Otherwise, WebSite-Watcher uses a direct internet connection. If you place a "+" before the URL, without quotation marks, it is validated before each check. Otherwise, the URL is checked only once until you restart WebSite-Watcher. You can use only a URL that can be monitored with the internal check technology. URLs that require the check technology "Browser" do not work with this tweak. This setting is used for the HTTP and HTTPS protocols.
  
  Examples:
  UseProxyIfUrlExists=https://www.DOMAIN.com
  UseProxyIfUrlExists=+https://www.DOMAIN.com
  
  
• PerformCheckOnlyIfUrlExists=URL;ValidText
  WebSite-Watcher checks the specified URL before a Bookmark check run is performed. The page must contain the specified "ValidText" to confirm that it is available. If the specified text is not found, the Bookmark check run is not performed. This feature is useful if you use different internet connections, for example at different locations, and want to ensure that WebSite-Watcher can connect to the internet. If you place a "+" before the URL, without quotation marks, it is validated before each check run. Otherwise, the URL is checked only once after starting WebSite-Watcher. You can use only a URL that can be monitored with the internal check technology. URLs that require the check technology "Browser" do not work with this tweak.
  
  Examples:
  PerformCheckOnlyIfUrlExists=https://www.google.com;Advanced Search
  PerformCheckOnlyIfUrlExists=+https://www.google.com;Advanced Search
  
  This example downloads the page www.google.com and starts a Bookmark check only if the page contains the phrase "Advanced Search".
  
  
• BookmarkDblClickOpens=web|new
  Alternative double-click operation for Bookmarks to open the online or the new version of a page. Valid values are "web" and "new".
  
  
• OpenUrlInsteadOfAlternativeUrl=1
  If an "Alternative URL" is entered, WebSite-Watcher opens the Bookmark URL instead of the "Alternative URL" when you open the online version of the Bookmark.
  
  
• CheckSortedBookmarkList=name
  Sorts the Bookmarks by name before adding them to the checking queue.
  
  
• BrowserActiveTabColorRGB=
  Defines the color of the active browser tab, in RGB format.
  Example: BrowserActiveTabColorRGB=f0f0f0
  
  
• CreateHighlightedChangesInBackground=1
  By default, WebSite-Watcher calculates and generates the file with highlighted changes when you open a Bookmark. If this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher creates the file with highlighted changes immediately while a Bookmark is checked. This speeds up opening changed Bookmarks, but the check run consumes more memory and system resources. It is not recommended to use this tweak if you frequently re-check changed or unread Bookmarks without opening them after each check.
  
  
• FolderCheckAndShowRecursive=1
  Enhances the command "Check Folder and Subfolders" in the folder context menu and automatically shows Bookmarks in subfolders.
  
  
• FollowLinksShowDepth=1
  Displays the link depth on the right side of the Follow-Links symbols .
  
  
• SuppressInitializedInfoBar=1
  Suppresses the yellow browser information bar that is displayed when you open an initialized Bookmark.
  
  
• BookmarkPropertiesDefaultButton=check
  Sets the "Check Now" button in the Bookmark properties as the default button. This button is used when you close the Bookmark properties with the Enter key.
  
  
• CheckLocalFolderUseCreationDate=1
  If local directories are checked for changes, WebSite-Watcher uses the modification date for folders. Folders are displayed as changed when files inside these folders are changed. If this option is set, the folder creation date is used instead.
  
  
• ReopenTabsAfterCrash=0
  If WebSite-Watcher crashes, the next start displays a dialog to reopen the last opened browser tabs. This tweak suppresses that dialog and does not reopen the browser tabs.
  
  
• AutoWatchGuard=1
  Checks every 5 minutes whether AutoWatch is running. If AutoWatch is disabled, it is started automatically. Useful if you sometimes disable AutoWatch and forget to enable it again.
  
  
• MinAutoWatchSecondsAfterHibernation=
  If an AutoWatch countdown is active when the system enters hibernation, WebSite-Watcher waits at least 15 seconds before starting the next AutoWatch check after the system resumes. This gives Windows time to reestablish network connections. Default value is 15 seconds.
  Example: MinAutoWatchSecondsAfterHibernation=60
  
  
• PauseCheckIfWindowExists=
  Pauses AutoWatch or a running Bookmark check if one of the defined windows is in the foreground. You can use this feature when working with a specific program or playing a game and do not want to check Bookmarks during that time. Use the Windows Task Manager to determine the window title.
  Define one or more window titles separated by the ";" character. WebSite-Watcher checks whether one of the defined strings is part of the title of the foreground window to trigger a pause. All definitions are case-insensitive.
  Example: PauseCheckIfWindowExists=notepad;My Game;Video Player
  
  
• SendMailOnlyNewRssArticles=0
  By default, the Bookmark action "Send Mail" sends only new articles of an RSS feed. If this tweak is set, all articles of an RSS feed, as shown when opening the Bookmark, are included in the emails.
  
  
• SendMailRemoveWswTags=0
  By default, WebSite-Watcher removes help tags for highlighting changes from emails to keep email size as small as possible. With this tweak, no tags are removed. This can be useful if you want to post-process emails and extract changes using these tags, for example wswchange1, wswchange2, and so on.
  
  
• ConvertRssTitleLength=
  Defines the length of article titles when WebSite-Watcher converts Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages to RSS feeds. Valid values are between 30 and 200. Default value is 40.
  
  
• HighlightChangesExactHigh=1
  Improves the accuracy of the highlight method "Excact". This tweak uses a more precise algorithm to highlight different words in similar paragraphs. This method requires more resources and may be slower. Use it only if the default behavior of the "Excact" method is not accurate enough. When this tweak is enabled, WebSite-Watcher cannot strike out filtered content.
  
  
• UptimeControlFile=
  Writes a control file once per minute and can be used to verify that WebSite-Watcher is running, Business Edition only.
  Example: UptimeControlFile=c:\path\file.dat
  
  
• AutoDeleteOutdatedIgnoreFilters=0
  By default, WebSite-Watcher automatically detects and removes outdated ignore filters. With this tweak, you can disable this mechanism. Over time, this may result in very long ignore filter lists if you use the filter assistant to create new filters interactively. It is not recommended to disable this system unless you want to maintain filter definitions manually. Keep in mind that many defined filters require more resources and time to process, even if they are outdated.
  
  
• HandleIgnoreUpdateAsError=1
  Refers to the Ignore updates feature in the Bookmark properties. If blacklisted text is found on a page, WebSite-Watcher ignores the update and does not list the Bookmark in the Error folder or trigger a notification after the configured number of errors in a row. If WebSite-Watcher should list the Bookmark in the Error folder and trigger a notification after the configured number of errors, use this tweak.
  
  
• HandleWarningWholeContentFilteredAsError=1
  If a check reports the message "Warning: whole content filtered (please verify your filter settings)", it is handled as a warning by default. If you enable this tweak, this status message is handled as an error, the Bookmark is listed in the Error folder, and the Bookmark option "Notifications/Actions on Error" is performed.
  
  
• QuickInsertFromWebBrowserContextMenu=1
  If you insert a Bookmark via the web browser context menu, WebSite-Watcher normally shows a dialog for name, URL, and folder selection. If this tweak is set, Bookmarks are inserted into the root folder of the open Bookmark list without displaying the dialog. If a Bookmark already exists, the URL is not inserted.
  
  
• UseStaticTrayIconHint=1
  Displays the static text "WebSite-Watcher" as the tray icon hint, tooltip, instead of dynamically generated information about the current check or update status.
  
  
• crTwitterPauseSec=
  Advanced connection rule for Twitter Bookmarks. Defines the number of seconds between checks. Valid values are 0 to 600.
  
  
• crInstagramConnections=
  Advanced connection rule for Instagram Bookmarks. Defines the number of simultaneous connections. Valid values are 1 to 3.
  
  
• crInstagramPauseSec=
  Advanced connection rule for Instagram Bookmarks. Defines the number of seconds between checks. Valid values are 0 to 600. Takes effect only if the number of simultaneous connections is set to 1.
  
  
• crFacebookConnections=
  Advanced connection rule for Facebook Bookmarks. Defines the number of simultaneous connections. Valid values are 1 to 3.
  
  
• crFacebookPauseSec=
  Advanced connection rule for Facebook Bookmarks. Defines the number of seconds between checks. Valid values are 0 to 600. Takes effect only if the number of simultaneous connections is set to 1.
  
  
• BlindUser=1
  Optimizes the user interface for blind users.

Example:

BrowserButtonMoveLeft=100
BookmarkSort=-date_changed

Bookmark properties

General

General

• Name and URL
  The URL field is required. If a URL contains a changing daily date, you can use date variables to handle this. See chapter Date variables for more information. If the Name field is empty, the page title is automatically assigned during the next Bookmark check.
  
  
• Alternative Check-URL
  If an address is entered, WebSite-Watcher monitors this URL instead of the address entered in the URL field.
  
  
• Check-Macro
  If you want to monitor a password-protected page that is located behind a Login page, you must use a Check-Macro. Check-Macros can also be used for pages that require multiple steps to reach a specific page, for example search queries. See chapter Check Macros for more information.
  
  
• Convert page to RSS
  This option is available only for certain pages, for example Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages. If enabled, WebSite-Watcher converts the page to an RSS feed, which makes it easier to monitor these pages. WebSite-Watcher reports only new articles, not changes in existing articles. See also Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pages.

See also:

• Using the Assistant
• Add bookmarks manually
• Facebook/Twitter/Instagram pages
• RSS / Atom feeds
• FTP files and directories
• Binary files
• PDF files
• Images

Cosmetic Filters

Cosmetic filters completely remove unwanted content from a page and create a new page, which is then processed by WebSite-Watcher. Ignore and Watch filters are applied to the page created by the cosmetic filters.

See also:

• Cosmetic Filters

Filter for detecting changed content

To detect updates, WebSite-Watcher compares the text content of the new version of a page with the text content of the previous version. If the contents differ, WebSite-Watcher reports an update. If a page contains frequently changing parts, for example a daily date or advertisements, an update would be reported with each check. A filter can ignore specific parts of a page to prevent false update notifications.

If a filter is defined, WebSite-Watcher compares the filtered text content of the new version with the filtered text content of the previous version to detect updates.

Filters can be created automatically with the Automatic Filter system, or manually, for example by using the Filter-Assistant. By default, the filter "Ignore all HTML-Tags" is enabled and returns only the readable text content of a page. Disable this filter only under special circumstances, for example if you want to monitor changes in the page source code.

The feature "Test filter" allows you to verify your filter settings by comparing the filtered content of the new version with the filtered content of the previous version of the page.

See also:

• What are filter settings (Overview)
• Automatic Filters
• Filter Assistant
• Create Ignore / Watch filter manually
• Special Filter
• Filter with Wildcards
• Working with Regular Expressions
• Cosmetic Filter

Update similar bookmarks

If you change a configuration directly in the Bookmark properties and want to apply these changes to other Bookmarks, enable the option "Update similar bookmarks" before clicking "OK". A window is displayed that lets you select the target Bookmarks and the options to copy from the currently opened Bookmark. See also Change properties in multiple bookmarks.

Keywords

Highlight keywords

This feature allows you to highlight specified keywords in a page. Whole keywords must be placed in quotation marks, for example "watch". All entered keywords are case-insensitive.

Keywords are highlighted only in the version with highlighted changes, not in the new or old version of a page.

Regular Expressions must be placed between "regex(" and ")" without quotation marks.

For example: regex(WebSite.Watcher) finds "WebSite-Watcher", "WebSite Watcher", "WebSite_Watcher", and similar variations.

Restriction: Keywords can be highlighted only if no HTML-Tags are placed within the word. For example, the text "<b>H</b>ello" contains HTML-Tags, so the keyword "Hello" cannot be highlighted. If WebSite-Watcher cannot highlight all entered keywords, a warning is displayed at the beginning of the page.

Different keywords can be highlighted with different colors. Add #COLORNAME to the right side of the keyword. Supported color names are: red, green, olive, lime, teal, blue, aqua, magenta, orange.

Example:

website #blue
watcher #red

Keyword Monitoring

The Update-on-keywords feature reports an update only if at least one of the entered keywords is found in new or changed content. If none of the entered keywords is found on a page, WebSite-Watcher does not save the checked page to your hard disk. When you open the Bookmark, you always see the latest version that contained at least one of the entered keywords.

Enter one keyword per line. All entered keywords are case-insensitive.

• Parts of a word
  By default, WebSite-Watcher searches for keywords anywhere in new and changed text content, including when they are part of a word. If you enter the keyword watch, you also get a positive result when the word WebSite-Watcher is present.
  
  
• Whole words
  If WebSite-Watcher should find only whole words, place them in quotation marks. The keyword "watch" does not produce a positive result when the page contains WebSite-Watcher, but "watch" is found in the text you can watch a page for.
  
  
• Combination of words
  Words on a single line can be combined with a logical AND, which means that all words must be found in new or changed content. Combine keywords by placing " + " between them, space-plus-space. Whole keywords are supported by placing them in quotation marks.
  Examples:
  keyword1 + keyword2
  "keyword1" + keyword2 + "keyword3"
  "website" + "watcher"
  
  
• Regular Expressions
  Keywords can also be defined using Regular Expressions. Regular Expressions must be placed between "regex(" and ")" without quotation marks.
  For example: regex(WebSite.Watcher) finds "WebSite-Watcher", "WebSite Watcher", "WebSite_Watcher", and similar variations.
  A special function, regexcmp(...), allows you to compare prices with a specified number.

Save page even if no keywords found:

This option is turned off by default. WebSite-Watcher does not save the page when no keywords are found, so you always see the last version in which keywords were found. This behavior is intended for pages where keywords are searched in new content.

Enable this option if a specific keyword always appears or disappears at the same location, for example the keyword "in stock" on a shop page.

Defined Filters:

WebSite-Watcher does not search for keywords in content that is filtered by Ignore filters. Defined Watch filters are not used when searching for keywords.

Plugins:

With the integrated Plugin system you can define complex keyword queries with logical operators. More details are available in topic Wsw_CheckKeywords. If keywords and a Plugin are defined, both mechanisms are executed. WebSite-Watcher reports an update if at least one of these features finds a keyword.

See also:

• Monitor pages for keywords
• Regular Expressions

AutoWatch

WebSite-Watcher supports an automated checking method called AutoWatch, which monitors Bookmarks automatically based on predefined time settings. You can enable this mode with the AutoWatch button in the toolbar.

Here you can define whether and how often a Bookmark is checked when WebSite-Watcher is running in AutoWatch mode.

Automatic check interval

The option "Automatic check interval" allows WebSite-Watcher to use optimized check intervals automatically, based on previous updates.

Frequently updated pages are checked more often, while pages that remain unchanged for months are checked less often. This option is intended for Bookmarks where it is not critical to receive an update notification immediately.

The minimum and maximum intervals can be defined in the program configuration.

See also:

• Check pages automatically (AutoWatch)

Check

Notifications/Actions on

With the Notifications/Actions option, you can define when an update notification and Bookmark actions, for example "Send email", are performed. The default value is "Notifications-On-Changes", which means that you receive update notifications only when a page has changed.

See also "Notification when a page is initialized for the first time" and the global error handling settings in the program configuration.

Technology to check webpages

• Internal
  This is the default method for checking pages. Use alternative methods only if this method fails.
  
  
• Browser
  Use this method if WebSite-Watcher cannot check a page with the internal check technology, for example when a page can only be displayed using JavaScript.
  
  By default, WebSite-Watcher filters all JavaScript content from a page and works only with the static text content. This method opens the page in a hidden browser window and converts the dynamic JavaScript content into static text that can be processed by WebSite-Watcher. Supported browser engines are Chromium, Edge, and Internet Explorer.
  
  
• Screenshot
  If a page contains content that cannot be monitored with the other methods, for example content displayed using JavaScript, you can create a Screenshot of the page and compare it to detect changes. See chapter Check by screenshot for more information. Supported browser engines are Chromium and Edge.

Advanced Options

• Delay after page has loaded, in seconds
  Use this option for pages that change their content dynamically after the page has loaded, for example when the final content is displayed a few seconds later.
  
  
• Scroll down pages
  Defines how many times the page is scrolled down during a check. Use this option if a page loads additional content dynamically while scrolling.
  
  
• Simulate user interaction
  Activate this option if a page requires user interaction, for example keyboard input or mouse movement, to load correctly. Enable this option only if necessary, as the page takes longer to load.
  
  
• Alternative method to get page content
  You can try one of these methods if WebSite-Watcher cannot retrieve the content from the browser to monitor a page.
  
  Print/PDF: The browser prints the page content to a PDF file, and WebSite-Watcher converts this PDF file into an HTML page.
  Collect: This method analyzes all transferred documents and combines them into a single page. This method can be useful if WebSite-Watcher cannot resolve IFRAMES or other embedded elements.

See also:

• Check pages that require JavaScript
• A page cannot be displayed
• Check by screenshot

Actions

When an update is detected, WebSite-Watcher can optionally perform additional tasks.

Play sound

Enter a sound file in WAV format that is played when an update is detected.

Open page

When a page is updated, you can open it automatically in the internal or an external browser. This feature is intended for individual pages, not for all pages in a list.

Send email

The "Send email" feature allows you to send emails to one or more recipients. WebSite-Watcher sends a separate email for each changed Bookmark.

• Send full page
  Sends the complete page including CSS definitions and downloaded images. The goal is to make the email look similar to the page in your web browser. Many email clients or webmail services do not support all formatting features, so the layout may not be displayed correctly. In this case, select one of the other sending options.
  
  
• Send simple version
  Strips the layout and sends a simplified version of the page. This is similar to the TEXT tab of the internal browser. Use this option if your email client has problems displaying the full layout or formatting.
  
  
• Send only changes
  Extracts and sends only the highlighted text of the page. This option provides the best compatibility with most email clients and reduces the size of the emails.
  
  
• Attach screenshot
  Attaches a Screenshot with the highlighted changes. This option can be combined with "Send only changes" and may be useful if the page layout is required to understand the highlighted changes. The size of the Screenshot is limited, so not all changes may be visible.
  
  
• Email Template
  Allows you to assign a customized email Template. If assigned, the Template overrides the global email configuration and can be used to define an alternative "From" address or message body.
  
  
• Send before other emails
  Inserts the email at the top of the outbox, so it has higher priority and is sent before emails without this option enabled. Use this option only for individual, critical Bookmarks.

See also:

• Send emails when changes are detected

Export page

The export feature saves the updated page, new version without highlighted changes, to a specified file name.

Variables in the file name:

Format:

Scraper

This Bookmark action is available only in the Business Edition and does not work in the Free or Personal Edition.

The Scraper action extracts content and structured data from a monitored page and saves it to a file on your hard disk. Supported output formats are XML, CSV, or a tab-delimited file.

To extract data from a page, create a Template that contains one or more fields. You can create private Templates defined per Bookmark or shared Templates. Shared Templates are saved as separate files and can be used for multiple Bookmarks.

Variables in the file name:

See also:

• Scraper: Extract content

Run program

This action starts a program and passes the following variables as parameters:

If more than one program must be executed, create a DOS batch file and start the programs from that batch file.

Local Website Archive

This action exports a page to Local Website Archive. Local Website Archive must be installed separately and can archive web pages and documents permanently for future reference. More information about Local Website Archive is available at https://www.aignes.com/lwa.htm.

See also:

• Using Local Website Archive

Pushover

This action sends a Pushover message to your Pushover client. To use this feature, you need your own Pushover account. More information is available at pushover.net.

The size of a Pushover message is limited, so not all changes may be visible.

Mark as Read

If you do not open Bookmarks within WebSite-Watcher, for example if you read changed Bookmarks only in your email client, enable the Mark-as-Read action. Otherwise, the old version is not replaced with the new version, and you continue to see all differences between the unchanged old version and the current version from the web.

Starting with WebSite-Watcher 2017, the Mark-as-Read action is no longer required for the actions "Send email" and "Open bookmark".

Script

Allows you to execute specific commands when a Bookmark is updated. Scripts are line-oriented, which means each command must be placed on a separate line.

The following commands are supported:

Options

Jump to the first change / keyword

• Jump to the first highlighted change
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher automatically jumps to the first highlighted change when a Bookmark is opened.
  
  
• Jump to the first keyword, within highlighted changes
  If keywords are defined, WebSite-Watcher can automatically jump to the first keyword within the highlighted changes when the page is opened.
  
  
• Offset before first change
  When WebSite-Watcher jumps to the first highlighted change, the change is displayed at the top edge of the internal browser window. With this option, WebSite-Watcher scrolls back the specified number of pixels. This can make reading the first highlighted change more comfortable, but it may slightly increase the scrolling time. The default value is 0.
  
  
• Prevent horizontal scrolling
  If WebSite-Watcher jumps to the first change or keyword and the page width is larger than the width of the browser window, horizontal scrolling may occur. Enabling this option prevents horizontal scrolling. This works only if the change is completely or partially visible. If a change is completely outside the visible browser window, horizontal scrolling is always required to display it.

Show elements

• Show removed elements at the bottom of the page
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher displays removed elements at the bottom of the page.
  
  
• Show marker for the last change
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher displays a marker after the last change. The text and color of this marker can be defined in the program configuration.

Options

• Disable bookmark, Do not check
  This option disables a Bookmark and excludes it from checking. Disabled Bookmarks can only be checked using the feature Check selected bookmarks, extended.
  
  
• HotSite
  HotSites are Bookmarks with a specific flag enabled. All HotSites are listed in the virtual folder "HotSites", independent of the folder in which they are stored. This allows you to display your favorite Bookmarks in a single folder. See chapter HotSites for more information.

Open bookmark

Select which version of the page should be opened and whether the Bookmark should be opened in the internal browser or in your external default browser.

For example, open a Bookmark in your external browser if the internal browser causes problems or crashes for that Bookmark.

Time Settings

You can use these options to define time settings for manual Bookmark checks, shortcut F9 or the toolbar Check button .

If no configuration is defined, the Bookmark is checked during every check run.

Highlight changes

Highlight method

Depending on the page type, WebSite-Watcher supports several methods to highlight text changes.

See also:

• Highlight methods

Options

• Highlight new/changed images
  Depending on the image configuration, WebSite-Watcher can place a border around changed images. This option works only if images are downloaded or online images are used for display. Please note that a web page is marked as updated only when a text change is detected, not when only an image has changed.
  
  
• Watch filter: Highlight only matched results
  If you create an ignore filter, WebSite-Watcher strikes out the filtered content. If you create a watch filter, nothing is struck out by default, and WebSite-Watcher highlights all changes on the page. When this option is enabled, WebSite-Watcher highlights only the changes found within the watch filter and strikes out all other content. The behavior is then the same as in the Filter Assistant.

See also:

• How are changed images detected

Colors

Here you can define the color and style of highlighted changes.

Images

The Image section allows you to override the global image configuration for this Bookmark.

See also:

• Display images instead of gray boxes

Plugin

The Plugin system provides a powerful way to change or enhance the functionality of Bookmark checks by writing small "Basic" scripts.

WebSite-Watcher supports Private Plugins, which are created and saved per Bookmark, and Shared Plugins, which are saved in separate files and can be used by multiple Bookmarks.

Plugin-specific data

This section contains fields that can be used by a Plugin. For example, the password field can be used to check password-protected Excel files. A Plugin can read this field using the function Bookmark_GetProperty.

See also:

• Plugin System - Overview
• Shared/Private Plugins
• Event functions

Follow Links

By default, you must create a separate Bookmark for each page that you want to monitor.

If you want to monitor an entire site instead of individual pages, use the Follow Links feature. This feature automatically inserts all links from a page as new Bookmarks. Various options allow you to define how many links or which links are inserted, for example by specifying the link depth.

Follow Links requires a Master-Bookmark that serves as the root for all automatically inserted child Bookmarks. Master Bookmarks display the icon before the Bookmark name and are usually sorted before all other Bookmarks.

For all child Bookmarks, the Follow Links configuration is disabled. Changes to the Follow Links configuration can be made only in Master-Bookmarks.

It is recommended to place each Master-Bookmark in a separate folder.

Options

• Link depth
  The link depth defines how deep WebSite-Watcher follows links. A link depth of 1 means that WebSite-Watcher follows only links on the current page. A link depth of 2 means that WebSite-Watcher also follows links on linked pages, and so on.
  
  
• Copy all bookmark properties when inserting new bookmarks
  By default, only the most important Bookmark properties are copied to automatically inserted Bookmarks. If this option is enabled, almost all Bookmark properties of the source Bookmark are copied to the new Bookmarks.
  
  
• Delete no longer linked pages every X days
  This option automatically detects and deletes pages that are no longer linked from the Bookmark list. Because this process can take some time, you can define how often it should be performed. You can also perform this operation manually by right-clicking a Master-Bookmark in the Bookmark list and selecting the appropriate command from the context menu.

Do not follow links that contain any of these strings

With this option, new Bookmarks are not inserted if a link address contains at least one of the specified strings. Enter one string per line. All strings are case-insensitive and are treated as substrings. Regular Expressions with the function regex(...) and date variables are supported. Wildcards or other regular expression functions besides regex(...) are not supported, for example StartToRegex.

Examples:

.zip
.exe
/adv/
regex(/example\d+/)

Only follow links that contain any of these strings

With this option, new Bookmarks are inserted only if a link address contains at least one of the specified strings. Enter one string per line. All strings are case-insensitive and are treated as substrings. Regular Expressions with the function regex(...) and date variables are supported. Wildcards or other regular expression functions besides regex(...) are not supported, for example StartToRegex.

Examples:

techinfo
forum_data
regex(/article\d+/)

Options (2)

• Name Prefix
  If defined, automatically inserted Bookmarks use the specified text as a prefix in the Bookmark name. Example: [wsw]
  
  
• Do not follow links in ignored content
  With this option, the Follow Links feature uses defined Ignore filters to exclude links that appear in filtered areas of a page. This option works only with Ignore filters, not with Watch filters.

Advanced Options

Check if a URL already exists in WebSite-Watcher
If a URL contains a changing Session-ID, it may be inserted again each time the site is checked. To prevent this behavior, you can define regular expressions to exclude specific parts of a URL when WebSite-Watcher checks whether it already exists. Enter one regular expression per line. The function text "regex(" and ")" is optional.

Examples:

• ?.*
  Filters everything after the question mark.
• &s=.*?&
  Filters the parameter &s= up to the next ampersand, for example &s=hasdqwe79a8sd798&.
• &sid=[a-z|1-9]*
  Filters a session ID consisting of characters a-z and digits.

See also:

• Monitor entire site (Follow Links)
• Regular Expressions

Merge pages

If a page consists of multiple subpages, for example search results, and the URL contains a parameter that defines the page number, WebSite-Watcher can merge these pages into a single page.

Typical examples of supported URLs:

• https://www.domain.com/search.php?s=text&page=3&id=792837492387
• https://www.domain.com/topic.php?start=15&sort=asc

There are two different ways to merge pages

• Merge pages with a permanent start page
  Use this option if you want to monitor, for example, the first five pages of a search result.
  
  
• Merge the last pages that have new content
  Use this option if you want to monitor, for example, new posts in a forum thread that are added to higher page numbers. WebSite-Watcher then automatically monitors the latest pages that contain new postings.

To set up the merge feature, start the assistant and follow the instructions.

Alternative solution via Plugins

You can also write a Plugin to merge pages automatically. This method also works for URLs where the page number is part of the URL or file name and not available as a parameter. See examples Merge search result pages and Merge pages in forum thread.

Ignore updates

Ignore updates via Blacklist/Whitelist

The "Ignore updates" feature supports two different modes:

• Blacklist mode
  This mode prevents an update notification when a page contains a specific predefined text. It can be used when a page regularly displays a certain error message, for example "Too many users online, please try again later" or "Could not connect to database".
  
  
• Whitelist mode
  This mode allows an update notification only when a page contains a specific predefined text. If the predefined whitelisted text is not found on the page, WebSite-Watcher does not report an update.

See also:

• Ignore updates

Required number of characters

If a server occasionally sends an empty page, you can use this option to prevent false update notifications. Enter the minimum number of readable characters that must be present on the page.

IFRAMES

IFRAMES, also known as inline frames or embedded pages, are often used to display advertisements within a web page.

WebSite-Watcher does not check IFRAMES automatically. If a page contains IFRAMES, the internal browser displays an information bar that allows you to enable IFRAME checking or suppress the IFRAME warning.

Login

Login via Server Authentication

Server Authentication is a method used to protect pages from public access. You can recognize this type of login when a small dialog box appears and asks you to enter a username and password, for example:

If this dialog appears, enter the username and password in this section.

Web-based login

If the fields for username and password are part of a web page, it is a web-based login and you must record a Check-Macro.

See also:

• Server Authentication
• Web based logins / Check macros
• Password protected FTP files

Check Options

Options

• Ignore server error codes
  Enable this option if a misconfigured server permanently sends an error code for an existing page, for example "404 file not found".
  
  
• Do not display redirection warnings
  If you monitor a page that redirects to another address, WebSite-Watcher always shows "redirection" in the status column. With this option, you can suppress this status message.
  
  
• Ignore message "Whole content filtered"
  If a check displays the status message "Warning: whole content filtered (please verify your filter settings)", either the page content is empty or your defined filters remove the entire page content, and WebSite-Watcher cannot detect updates. In this case, WebSite-Watcher reports an "Update" so that you are aware of a potential configuration problem and can review the bookmark settings. If you enable this option, WebSite-Watcher does not report an update in this situation. Use this option with caution, because WebSite-Watcher cannot detect updates when no content is available.

Checking Method and file type

• Checking method
  WebSite-Watcher supports several checking methods to monitor a page. The default method is "Automatic", which allows WebSite-Watcher to select the most suitable method automatically, or, depending on the page type, a combination of methods. Only in special cases should you manually select a different checking method.
  • Automatic - Depending on the page type, this method automatically decides which method should be used to check a page. It may also use a combination of the available methods.
  • by content - This method downloads the entire page and compares the filtered content of the new version with the filtered content of the old version. If differences are found, WebSite-Watcher reports an update.
  • by file date - This method uses the file date of a page to detect updates. It depends on the page type whether the server provides this date. This method is typically used for binary files.
  • by file size - This method works similarly to the "by file date" method and uses the file size reported by the server. This method should only be used for binary files.
  
  
• File type
  If WebSite-Watcher cannot detect the file type automatically, you must select the correct file type manually. For example, if WebSite-Watcher cannot identify an RSS feed, you must select the file type "rss". One possible reason is that the server incorrectly identifies an RSS feed as a binary file.
  
  
• Character set
  By default, WebSite-Watcher determines the character set of a page automatically. If neither the page nor the server log contains information about the character set, WebSite-Watcher cannot display the page correctly, and you must select the correct code page manually. See chapter A web page contains only cryptic characters for more information.

Alternative Proxy

If you want to use a separate Proxy to check a bookmark, you can select a configured Proxy from the list. See also chapter Proxy. This setting is only used for the internal checking method. The check technologies "Chromium", "Edge" and "Internet Explorer" always use the proxy configuration of your system.

Check Options (2)

User-Agent / Timeout

• Use custom User-Agent
  By default, WebSite-Watcher identifies itself as Chrome. This identification can be overridden individually for each bookmark.
  
  
• Use custom Timeout value
  Here you can override the default Timeout value defined in the program configuration.

Cookies

The Cookies configuration is only used by the internal checking technology. The technologies "Chromium", "Edge" and "Internet Explorer" use their own Cookie systems.

WebSite-Watcher supports the following methods to handle Cookies:

• Use Cookies
  This is the default method. WebSite-Watcher uses Cookies from an internal Cookie database. To obtain Cookies for a bookmark, right-click the bookmark in the main window of WebSite-Watcher, select "Browser" to load the page and perform logins if required, then close the window.
  
  
• Use separate Cookies
  As an alternative to the Cookie database, WebSite-Watcher can manage Cookies individually for each bookmark. The Cookies are stored in the bookmark properties and are not shared with other bookmarks.
  
  
• Do not use Cookies
  WebSite-Watcher does not use Cookies.

GET / POST

Allows you to send a POST command to the server. This option works only with the internal checking technology. When a POST command is required, it is usually recommended to record a Check-Macro.

By default, WebSite-Watcher uses the GET command to monitor web pages. If a page requires the POST command, for example after submitting a form, you can use the tool MiniBrowser to determine the POST URL and PostData. The PostData field can also contain date variables.

See also:

• Web based logins / Check macros

Ext.

Some extended commands can be used in combination with the internal checking technology.

• Allow redirections via HTML commands
  If a web page is only reachable through HTML redirections, enable this option. WebSite-Watcher downloads the first page, scans the source code for HTML redirections, and then checks the target page.
  
  
• Referrer
  If a page requires a referrer URL, enter the required URL here.

Forum

The topic list of discussion forums can be monitored using predefined forum Plugins or with Forum-Templates.

Forum Plugins are available for well-known forum systems, for example phpBB or vBulletin. If a suitable forum Plugin is available, simply assign it to the bookmark. No further configuration is required in this case.

If a forum is not supported by a forum Plugin, you can create a Forum-Template by selecting the forum header, the last posting time of a thread or topic, and the forum footer. WebSite-Watcher then creates all required settings automatically, and no additional configuration is necessary.

See also:

• Table based forums.

RSS/Atom

This section can be used to define basic RSS and Atom feed configurations.

• RSS style
  WebSite-Watcher supports different layouts to convert RSS feeds into a readable HTML page.
  
  
• Ignore changes in old articles
  By default, WebSite-Watcher reports an update when new or changed postings are found in an RSS feed. If you are only interested in new posts and not in updated articles, enable this option.
  
  
• Keep the most recent X articles
  By default, WebSite-Watcher displays only the RSS feed items currently contained in the RSS feed file. Enabling this option allows you to keep a small archive of older postings within the feed. This feature can also be useful when an RSS feed dynamically adds new articles and removes older ones.
  
  
• Ignore articles older than X days
  By default, WebSite-Watcher displays all articles stored in an RSS feed. If a feed contains many old articles, the resulting HTML file can become very large and slow down WebSite-Watcher. With this option, you can ignore articles older than the specified number of days to keep RSS feeds small and fast.
  
  
• Ignore article text
  If enabled, WebSite-Watcher completely removes the text bodies of articles. Only fields such as title and pubdate are displayed.
  
  
• RSS item identification
  Defines which fields are used to detect new RSS feed postings. By default, WebSite-Watcher uses an automatic system that may fail under certain circumstances, for example when an RSS feed regularly changes the GUID (Globally Unique Identifier) for existing postings. In such cases, you can manually select the fields that should be used to detect new items. In most situations, the automatic system works correctly.
  
  
• Blacklist / Whitelist
  You can define either a Blacklist or a Whitelist for each RSS feed. In Blacklist mode, articles that contain at least one of the specified words are ignored. If a blacklisted word is found, WebSite-Watcher removes the article completely from the list. In Whitelist mode, only articles that contain at least one of the defined words are monitored, all other articles are ignored and removed. Enter one word per line. Wildcards and regular expressions using the syntax regex(...) are supported.

Report

In this section, you can define additional fields for the Report/Export feature.

If the fields "URL" and "Name" are entered here, the Report feature uses these values instead of the main URL and Name fields.

See also:

• Report Overview / Templates

Workarounds

The following options can be used if a downloaded page cannot be displayed correctly:

• Ignore CSS definitions
  If this option is enabled, all CSS definitions in the downloaded page are ignored.
  
  
• Ignore text colors
  If this option is enabled, all text colors in the downloaded page are ignored.
  
  
• Ignore background colors
  If this option is enabled, all background colors in the downloaded page are ignored.
  
  
• Do not ignore NOSCRIPT parts
  By default, WebSite-Watcher does not support Javascript and related NOSCRIPT parts. Errors often occur in NOSCRIPT sections because they are usually not tested. If a page can only be displayed with Javascript, use the check technology Browser.
  
  
• Do not optimize for offline browsing
  Enable this option only if WebSite-Watcher has problems optimizing a page for offline browsing.
  
  

As an alternative to these options, you can also try the check technologies Browser or Screenshot.

See also:

• A page cannot be displayed

HTML

This section contains options to convert a page into a simplified HTML version and to extract parameters from HTML tags that are not readable by default. This makes it possible to monitor content that is only available in parameters of HTML tags, for example the TITLE parameter of the IMG tag.

• Convert to simple HTML version
  This option converts the page into a very simple version. You can use this option if the checked page cannot be displayed correctly or if opening the bookmark causes a crash.
  
  
• Extract DATA parameter from HTML tags
  Extracts text content from various HTML tag parameters and inserts it into the page, for example text from ALT, TITLE, or DATA-CONTENT parameters. This allows you to monitor content that is typically visible only when moving the mouse pointer over certain elements.
  
  
• Extract TITLE parameter from HTML tags
  Extracts text content from the ALT and TITLE parameters of any HTML tag and inserts it into the page.
  
  
• Extract image title
  Extracts text content from the ALT and TITLE parameters of image tags and inserts it into the page.
  
  
• Extract image addresses
  Extracts the URL of image tags and inserts it into the page.
  
  
• Extract links addresses
  Extracts the URL of link tags and inserts it into the page.

Misc.

This section contains various configuration options that do not fit into other sections.

• Filename prefix for download manager
  If you download a file using the download manager, for example via RSS feed enclosures or via a Plugin, you can define a prefix for the downloaded file name. This field is optional. The maximum length is limited to 10 characters.

Tweaks

The Tweaks section allows you to fine-tune bookmark properties, enable special features, or apply specific Workarounds. The Tweaks section uses an INI file format without sections, that is, without names between "[" and "]".

• HttpAcceptLanguage=
  Allows you to configure the Accept-Language HTTP header. For more information about this header, search the web for "HTTP Accept-Language".
  Example: HttpAcceptLanguage=de

Note / Info fields

For each bookmark, you can enter a note and three additional information fields.

These fields can be displayed as separate columns in the bookmark list. You can also quickly edit these fields by double-clicking the note icon in the bookmark list.

Folder properties

Folder properties

General

Bookmark name and user-defined icon.

Options

• Automatically delete bookmarks
  Use this feature if you want to monitor bookmarks only for a specific period of time. You can optionally exclude bookmarks with flags () from automatic deletion.

Assign bookmark properties

In this section, you can define if and when specific properties should be assigned to bookmarks in the selected folder.

Virtual folder

Virtual folder properties

Virtual folders contain only bookmarks that meet specific criteria defined in the Virtual Folder dialog.

Process bookmarks in folders

For each Virtual Folder, you can select which folders should be processed. By default, all folders are processed. Alternatively, you can select specific folders only.

Rules

To list a bookmark in a Virtual Folder, the defined rules must be met.

• Keywords
  A bookmark is listed in a Virtual Folder if an update has been detected and at least one of the specified keywords is found within the new or changed content. If keywords are found, additional actions can also be executed, for example sending an email or permanently archiving the page to Local Website Archive.
  
  In addition to searching in new or changed content, WebSite-Watcher also searches for keywords in the following elements: bookmark name, bookmark URL, the TITLE tag of the page, and the META tag fields "keywords" and "description".
  
  WebSite-Watcher searches for words or phrases only. Wildcards and regular expressions are not supported.
  
  
• Advanced Rules
  A bookmark is listed in a Virtual Folder if the configured rules are met. If only Advanced Rules are configured, without any keywords defined, additional actions from the "Actions" tab cannot be executed.
  
  
• Combination: Keywords + Advanced Rules
  If both keywords and Advanced Rules are defined, both criteria must be met for a bookmark to be listed.

If you add or modify Advanced Rules, the changes are applied immediately and the Virtual Folder is refreshed with matching bookmarks. Changes to the keyword configuration are not applied immediately and are processed only during a bookmark check. To apply keyword changes immediately, right-click a Virtual Folder and run the command "Re-process virtual folders".

Actions

If specified keywords are found within new or changed content, WebSite-Watcher can execute additional actions similar to those available in the bookmark properties. A full description of these actions is available in the topic Bookmark Actions.

Scripting language

Scripting language (Overview)

The built-in scripting language provides a simple way to automate tasks in WebSite-Watcher.

The scripting language is line-oriented, which means that each command must be placed on a separate line. See also the chapter Syntax overview.

Edit scripts

WebSite-Watcher includes a built-in script editor that can be opened from the "Script" menu.

To quickly open a script in the editor, hold down the Shift key while selecting a script from the "Script" menu.

Special scripts

Special scripts are executed automatically at appropriate times. For example, the "Autostart" script runs when WebSite-Watcher starts. You can find and edit these special scripts in the "Edit special script" menu. All other scripts must be started manually from the "Script" menu or via the command line.

• Autostart script
  This script runs automatically when WebSite-Watcher starts.
  
  
• Scripts for toolbar buttons
  WebSite-Watcher can optionally display three toolbar buttons that execute special scripts. You can also assign keyboard shortcuts to these scripts.
  
  
• Scripts executed after each check run
  WebSite-Watcher can optionally execute a script after each check run. Not all commands are allowed in these scripts. The script editor displays a notification if a disallowed command is used.

Commands

Commands to check bookmarks:

• CheckFolder
• CheckBookmarks

General commands:

• AbortScript
• CloseBrowser
• CloudSync
• CreateBackup
• CreateReport
• ImportBookmarks
• MarkAsVisited
• MessageBox
• OpenBookmarkFile
• OpenWithInternalBrowser
• PlaySound and SystemBeep
• QuestionBox
• Quit
• RestartScript
• RunProgram
• SelectFolder
• SendBookmarks
• SendMail
• StartAutoWatch
• WaitDelay / WaitUntilTime
• WindowToTray

Variables and advanced commands:

• Variables
• Label and Goto
• IF statement
• Built-in functions

Global settings and flags:

• Flags to disable defined bookmark properties

Examples

• Check bookmarks
• Simulate AutoWatch
• Create and send a report
• Advanced examples/code snippets

Syntax

Code lines

The syntax of the scripting language is line-oriented. This means that each statement must be written on a single line without line breaks. A single logical line can be wrapped using the characters "(+)". The length of a line is not limited.

Allowed:

MessageBox "This is line number 1\nThis is line number 2"

CreateReport /template="{programdir}examples\report_template_changes.htm" (+)
             /output="c:\report.htm" (+)
             /bookmarks=changed

Not allowed:

MessageBox "This is line number 1
   This is line number 2"

Comments

Comments start with a double slash "//". The rest of the line is ignored. Comments must be placed on a separate line. It is not allowed to combine a comment and a Script command on the same line.

Allowed:

// Check all Hotsites
CheckBookmarks /hotsites

Not allowed:

CheckBookmarks /hotsites // Check all hotsites

Script commands

AbortScript

AbortScript /IfUpdates /IfNoUpdates

Aborts the Script.

Parameters

• /IfUpdates ... Aborts the Script only if the Bookmark list contains updated Bookmarks.
  
  
• /IfNoUpdates ... Aborts the Script only if the Bookmark list does not contain updated Bookmarks.

If no parameter is specified, this command always aborts the Script.

Example:

CheckBookmarks /all
AbortScript /IfNoUpdates

CreateReport /template="{bookmarkdir}changes.htm" (+)
             /output="e:\report.htm" (+)
             /bookmarks=changed

CheckBookmarks

CheckBookmarks /all /autowatch /hotsites

Checks all Bookmarks in the folder "All Bookmarks", "AutoWatch", or "HotSites".

You can use only one of these parameters at a time.

Example:

CheckBookmarks /hotsites

CheckFolder

CheckFolder "foldername" /subfolder

This command checks all Bookmarks in the specified folder.

Subfolders can be defined by separating the folder and subfolder with a backslash, for example "folder\subfolder".

The parameter /subfolder also checks all Bookmarks in subfolders.

Example:

CheckFolder "Programming" /subfolder
CheckFolder "Tools\Internet"

CloseBrowser

CheckFolder "foldername" /subfolder

Closes the internal browser window.

CloudSync

CloudSync /backup /restore

Synchronizes the currently opened database with the configured Sync folder. This command executes the Synchronize / Cloud Sync feature.

Parameters

• /backup ... If specified, a backup is performed instead of a synchronization.
  
  
• /restore ... If specified, a restore operation is performed instead of a synchronization.

Example:

// Synchronize the opened database
CloudSync

CreateBackup

CreateBackup /bookmarks /config /addDate "..."

This command backs up the currently opened Bookmark file and, optionally, the program configuration to a specified backup file. The file extension for backup files is ".wswpac". You can use the variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir}.

{programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). Both variables include a trailing backslash. See also Predefined variables.

• /bookmarks ... Backs up all Bookmarks including downloaded Cache files.
  
  
• /NoCacheFiles ... Works in combination with /bookmarks and excludes all Cache files. The created backup file is significantly smaller and contains only the Bookmark database with all required files and configurations. Cache files are not essential when restoring a backup.
  
  
• /config ... Backs up the program configuration.
  
  
• /addDate ... Adds the current date to the specified backup file name.

Example:

CreateBackup /bookmarks /addDate "e:\cd\bookmarks.wswpac"
CreateBackup /config "e:\cd\wswconfig.wswpac"

CreateReport

CreateReport /template="..." /output="..." /bookmarks=all|changed

Creates a Report using the specified parameters.

• /template="..."
  Defines the Report Template, including the full path and file name.
  
  
• /output="..."
  Defines the target file where the Report will be saved, including the full path and file name.
  
  In the parameters /template and /output, you can use the variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir}, which are replaced with the corresponding directory paths. {programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). Both variables include a trailing backslash. See also Predefined variables.
  
  
• /bookmarks=all|changed|unread|selected
  Specifies which Bookmarks are included in the Report.
  all ... All Bookmarks.
  changed ... All Bookmarks changed during the last check run.
  unread ... All changed or unread Bookmarks that are displayed in red and bold.
  selected ... All Bookmarks currently selected in the main window.
  
  
• /folder="..."
  Creates a Report for the specified folder. Folders and subfolders must be separated by a backslash.
  For example: /folder="Software\WSW"
  
  
• /subfolder
  Includes all subfolders. Can only be used together with the parameter /folder="...".

Example:

CreateReport /template="{bookmarkdir}changes.htm" (+)
             /output="e:\report.htm" (+)
             /bookmarks=changed

ImportBookmarks

ImportBookmarks parameters

Imports all or new Bookmarks from a specified source file into a specified folder.

Parameters

• /Text1 ... Imports URLs from a text file, one URL per line. The file must be stored in ANSI or UTF8 format.
• /Text2 ... Imports URLs from a text file, one entry per line in the format: Name TAB URL. The file must be stored in ANSI or UTF8 format.
• /TextIgnoreDuplicates ... If Bookmarks are imported from a text file, duplicates can optionally be ignored. This option is slower and works only in combination with /Text1 or /Text2.
  
  
• /WSW ... Imports Bookmarks from a WebSite-Watcher export file.
  
  
• /Excel ... Imports Bookmarks from an Excel file. See also topic Import from Excel / CSV
• /CSV ... Imports Bookmarks from a CSV file. See also topic Import from Excel / CSV
• /duplicates=insert ... Inserts all duplicates. Works only in combination with /Excel or /CSV.
• /duplicates=ignore ... Does not import duplicates. Works only in combination with /Excel or /CSV.
• /duplicates=update ... If a Bookmark already exists, it is not inserted again, instead its properties are updated. Works only in combination with /Excel or /CSV.
  
  
• /Chrome ... Imports Bookmarks from Chrome.
  /Firefox ... Imports Bookmarks from Firefox.
• 
  
• /file="..." ... Specifies the file from which the Bookmarks are imported. This parameter works only in combination with the flags /Text1, /Text2, /Excel, /CSV, and /WSW. You can use the variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir}. {programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). Both variables include a trailing backslash. See also Predefined variables.
  
  
• /targetfolder="..." ... Specifies the target folder in WebSite-Watcher where the imported Bookmarks are stored. A backslash can be used to define subfolders, for example "folder\subfolder".

Example:

// Import from Excel file
ImportBookmarks /Excel /file="{programdir}import.xls" /targetfolder="xls" /duplicates=update

// Import from CSV file
ImportBookmarks /CSV /file="{programdir}import.csv" /targetfolder="csv" /duplicates=ignore

// Import from text file
ImportBookmarks /Text1 /file="{programdir}text1.txt" /targetfolder="Import\Text-1"
ImportBookmarks /Text2 /file="{programdir}text2.txt" /targetfolder="Import\Text-2"

// Import from WebSite-Watcher Export file
ImportBookmarks /WSW /file="c:\123\exp.zip" /targetfolder="Import\WSW""

MarkAsVisited

MarkAsVisited "foldername" /subfolder /all

Marks Bookmarks as visited.

You can specify a folder name or use the /all parameter to mark all Bookmarks as visited. Subfolders can be defined by separating the folder and subfolder with a backslash, for example "folder\subfolder".

If you specify a folder name, you can also use the /subfolder parameter to mark Bookmarks in subfolders as visited.

The parameter /all can only be used by itself and cannot be combined with other parameters.

Example:

MarkAsVisited "Tools" /subfolder
MarkAsVisited /all

MessageBox

MessageBox "message" /beep

Displays a message box with the specified text. Use \n to insert line breaks in the message.

The parameter /beep plays a short sound.

Example:

MessageBox "Script finished\nThis is a second line" /beep

OpenBookmarkFile

OpenBookmarkFile "..."

Opens a Bookmark file, including the full path and file name. You can also use the variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir}, which are replaced with the corresponding directory paths. {programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). See also Predefined variables.

Example:

OpenBookmarkFile "{bookmarkdir}tools.wsw"

OpenWithInternalBrowser

OpenWithInternalBrowser "..."

Opens the specified HTML document in the internal browser of WebSite-Watcher. You must specify the full path and file name.

In the file parameter, you can use the variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir}, which are replaced with the corresponding directory paths. {programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). See also Predefined variables.

Example:

OpenWithInternalBrowser "{bookmarkdir}report.htm"

PlaySound + SystemBeep

PlaySound "wavfile"

// or

SystemBeep

PlaySound plays the specified WAV file, including the full path and file name.

SystemBeep plays a short system beep.

Example:

PlaySound "c:\mysound\wow.wav"

QuestionBox

QuestionBox "Message" /ContinueOnYes /ContinueOnNo /beep

Displays a question box with the specified text and the buttons "Yes" and "No". Use \n to insert line breaks in the message.

The parameters /ContinueOnYes or /ContinueOnNo define which button must be clicked to continue the Script. If the required button is not clicked, the Script is aborted. If no parameter is specified, the Script continues regardless of which button is clicked. Information about which button was clicked is available through the function GetQuestionBoxResult (see example below).

The parameter /beep plays a short sound.

Example:

QuestionBox "Start this script?" /ContinueOnYes /beep

QuestionBox "Question\nAbort this script?" /ContinueOnNo /beep

QuestionBox "Click yes or no"
if GetQuestionBoxResult="yes" then MessageBox "yes has been clicked"
if GetQuestionBoxResult="no" then MessageBox "no has been clicked"

Quit

Quit /IfNoUpdates

Aborts the Script and exits WebSite-Watcher.

If the parameter /IfNoUpdates is specified, this command is executed only when no updates are available.

RasDial

RasDial

Establishes an Internet connection if you use a dial-up connection. A dial-up connection must be configured in the program configuration, otherwise this command has no effect.

You can use the RasHangup command to terminate the connection.

Example:

RasDial
CheckFolder "Software"
RasHangup

RasHangup

RasHangup

Terminates the existing Internet connection. A dial-up connection must be configured in the program configuration, otherwise this command has no effect.

You can use the RasDial command to start a connection.

Example:

RasDial
CheckFolder "Software"
RasHangup

RestartScript

RestartScript

Restarts the Script. The Script runs repeatedly in a continuous loop.

A running Script can be aborted using the Abort button in the toolbar. Alternatively, you can use the commands AbortScript or QuestionBox to prompt the user to abort or continue the Script.

RunProgram

RunProgram "..." /parameter="..." /wait

Starts an external program with the specified command line parameters.

If the parameter /wait is specified, the Script is paused until the external program has finished.

The variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir} can be used for the specified program path and for the parameter /parameter. {programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). See also Predefined variables.

Example:

RunProgram "E:\tools\post-process.exe" /parameter="{bookmarkdir}report.htm"

SelectFolder

SelectFolder "foldername"

This command selects the specified folder.

Subfolders can be defined by separating the folder and subfolder with a backslash, for example "folder\subfolder".

Example:

SelectFolder "AutoWatch"
SelectFolder "Tools\Internet"

SendBookmarks

SendBookmarks /bookmarks=changed|unread

Sends emails for the specified Bookmarks, one email per Bookmark. This command uses the same program configuration, including sender, recipient, and variables, as the Bookmark action Send email.

Parameters

• /bookmarks=changed|unread
  Specifies which Bookmarks are sent.
  changed ... All Bookmarks changed during the last check run.
  unread ... All changed or unread Bookmarks that are displayed in red and bold.

Example:

// Send e-mail for all unread bookmarks
SendBookmarks /bookmarks=unread

SendMail

SendMail /recipient="..." /subject="..." /body="..." /attachfile="..."

Sends an email.

Parameters

• /recipient="..."
  Defines one or multiple email addresses. Multiple addresses must be separated by a blank space or a comma.
  
  
• /subject="..."
  Defines the subject of the email.
  
  
• /body="..."
  Defines the body text of the email. You can use \n to insert line breaks.
  
  
• /attachfile="..."
  Adds an attachment to the email, including the full path and file name. You can use the variables {programdir} and {bookmarkdir}. {programdir} is the installation directory of WebSite-Watcher. {bookmarkdir} is the directory of the currently opened Bookmark file (*.wsw). See also Predefined variables.

Example:

SendMail /recipient="support@domain.com, info@domain2.com" (+)
         /subject="WSW-Report" /body="Attached a WSW report" (+)
         /attachfile="{bookmarkdir}report.htm"

StartAutoWatch

StartAutoWatch

Aborts the running Script and starts AutoWatch mode.

StringToFile

StringToFile($file, $value)

Saves the string variable $s to a specified file. The file must be specified with the full path and file name. The value must be a string variable.

To read a string from a file, you can use the built-in function FileToString.

Example:

//Save the current date/time to a file
$s = Now
StringToFile("c:\files\script.dat", $s)

//Read string from file
$Date = FileToString("c:\files\script.dat")
MessageBox "Value is: {$Date}"

WaitDelay + WaitUntilTime

WaitDelay seconds

WaitUntilTime HH:MM

• WaitDelay seconds
  Waits for the specified number of seconds.
  The status bar displays a countdown until the timer ends.
  
  
• WaitUntilTime HH:MM
  Waits until the specified time, hours (0–23) and minutes (0–59), in "hh:mm" format.
  The status bar displays a countdown until the timer ends.

Example:

// Wait 10 seconds
WaitDelay 10
CheckBookmarks /all

// Check at 9am
WaitUntilTime 9:00
CheckBookmarks /all

// Check at 4pm
WaitUntilTime 16:00
CheckBookmarks /all

RestartScript

WindowToTray

WindowToTray

Minimizes the WebSite-Watcher main window to the system tray.

Variables and advanced commands

Variables

Variables start with a single dollar sign ($) followed by the variable name. The name can contain letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), and the underscore character (_). The length of a variable name is not limited. Variable names are case-insensitive, $abc is the same as $ABC. You can assign numbers and strings to a variable. Strings must be enclosed in double quotation marks ("..."). An explicit declaration is not required.

You can assign the following values to a variable:

• Number
• String, enclosed in double quotation marks ("...")
• Another variable
• Result of a built-in function

Example:

$i = 1
$string = "This is a string"
$s = $string
$result = GetQuestionBoxResult

Numeric operations

For numeric calculations, you can use the following operations:

• variable = Operand1 + Operand2
• variable = Operand1 - Operand2
• variable = Operand1 * Operand2
• variable = Operand1 / Operand2

Operand1 and Operand2 can be numbers, other variables, or the result of a built-in function.

String operations

For strings, you can use the following operation:

• variable = Operand1 + Operand2

Operand1 and Operand2 can be strings, other variables, or the result of a built-in function.

Example:

$i = 1
$i2 = $i + 10
$s = "Text1"
$s2 = "Text2"
$s3 = $s1 + $s2

Please note that only one operation per line is allowed.

Variables in MessageBox and other commands

Variables can also be used in the MessageBox command and in the parameters of all other commands. If you place the variable name between { and }, it is automatically replaced with the value of the variable.

Example:

$i = 1
$s = "Text1"
MessageBox "Value of i is {$i} and value of s is {$s}"

$dynamic_filename = GetUniqueID + ".htm"
CreateReport /template="{bookmarkdir}changes.htm" (+)
             /output="e:\{$dynamic_filename}" (+)
             /bookmarks=changed

Predefined variables

Within parameters, you can use the following predefined variables. All variables contain a trailing backslash.

• {programdir}
  Installation directory of WebSite-Watcher
  
  
• {bookmarkdir}
  Directory of the currently opened bookmark file (*.wsw)
  
  
• {appdatadir}
  Application data directory
  
  
• {mydocumentsdir}
  My Documents directory
  
  
• {windowsdir}
  Folder where Windows is installed (for example: C:\Windows\)
  
  
• {winprogramsdir}
  Program Files folder (for example: C:\Program Files\)

Label and Goto

Label <identifier>

// and

Goto <identifier>

Label marks a position in the Script with the specified identifier. It is used as the target for the Goto statement.

Goto jumps to the specified label identifier and continues Script execution at that position.

Example:

Label restartLabel
  CheckBookmarks /all
  WaitDelay 10
Goto restartLabel

IF statement

if <expression> then <command>

If the specified expression returns TRUE, the command after then is executed. Otherwise, the Script continues with the next line.

<expression> can have the following format:

• Operand1 <= Operand2
• Operand1 < Operand2
• Operand1 <> Operand2
• Operand1 = Operand2
• Operand1 > Operand2
• Operand1 >= Operand2

Operand1 and Operand2 can be numbers, strings, variables, or the result of a built-in function.

Example 1:

Jump to the label noUpdate when no updated bookmarks are available.

$updated = GetUpdatedBookmarkCount
if $updated=0 then goto noUpdate

Example 2:

Display a question box and perform different actions, depending on the button that was clicked.

QuestionBox "Click yes or no"
if GetQuestionBoxResult="yes" then goto yes_has_been_clicked
if GetQuestionBoxResult="no" then goto no_has_been_clicked

label yes_has_been_clicked
  // insert commands here
  goto continue

label no_has_been_clicked
  // insert commands here

label continue

Example 3:

Loop with 10 iterations.

$i=1
Label BeginLoop1
  if $i > 10 then goto EndLoop1

  // commands, for example a Messagebox which displays the iteration number
  MessageBox "Iteration #: {$i}"

  $i = $i + 1
  goto BeginLoop1
Label EndLoop1

Built-in functions

The following functions can be used with Variables and IF statements.

• GetSelectedFolder
  Returns the name of the selected folder.
  Example:

$selected = GetSelectedFolder
MessageBox "The selected folder {$selected} will now be checked..."
CheckFolder "{$selected}"

• GetUpdatedBookmarkCount
  Returns the number of updated bookmarks.
  
  
• GetLastCheckUpdatedBookmarkCount
  Returns the number of updated bookmarks from the last check run.
  
  
• GetFolderBookmarkCount(...)
  Returns the number of bookmarks in the specified folder. Folder and subfolders must be separated with a backslash, for example GetFolderBookmarkCount("Software\WSW").
  
  
• GetFolderUpdatedBookmarkCount(...)
  Returns the number of updated bookmarks in the specified folder. Folder and subfolders must be separated with a backslash, for example GetFolderUpdatedBookmarkCount("Software\WSW").
  
  
• GetUniqueID
  Returns a unique string ID, for example 20041212120023123. This value can be used if unique file names are required, for example to generate a report in a new, unique file.
  
  
• GetDateTime(...)
  Returns the current date and time. As a parameter, you can define the date format.
  Format:
  yy - current year with 2 digits
  yyyy - current year with 4 digits
  m - current month with 1 or 2 digits, no leading zero (1-12)
  mm - current month with 2 digits, with leading zero (01-12)
  mmm - name of the current month, 3 characters (jan, feb...)
  mmmm - full name of the current month
  d - current day with 1 or 2 digits, no leading zero (1-31)
  dd - current day with 2 digits, with leading zero (01-31)
  ddd - name of the current day with 3 characters
  dddd - full name of the current day
  hh - hours
  nn - minutes
  ss - seconds
  Example:

$date1 = GetDateTime("yyyy-mm-dd")
$format = "dd-mm-yyyy"
$date2 = GetDateTime($format)

• Now
  Returns the current date as a string. The format is yyyymmddhhnnss.
  
  
• MinutesAgo(...)
  Returns an integer that specifies the number of minutes between the specified parameter and the current date. The parameter must have the format "yyyymmddhhnnss". The result is always a positive value.
  Example:

$time = "20231224234500"
$diff = MinutesAgo($time)

$time = Now
$diff = MinutesAgo($time)

• HoursAgo(...)
  Returns an integer that specifies the number of hours between the specified parameter and the current date. The parameter must have the format "yyyymmddhhnnss". The result is always a positive value.
  Example:

$time = "20231224234500"
$diff = HoursAgo($time)

$time = Now
$diff = HoursAgo($time)

• GetDayOfTheWeek
  Returns the number of the current day of the week, 1 for Monday, 2 for Tuesday, 3 for Wednesday, and so on.
  
  
• GetQuestionBoxResult
  Returns the button clicked in the QuestionBox command. The result is "yes" or "no".
  
  
• Uppercase
  Converts a string to uppercase.
  
  
• Lowercase
  Converts a string to lowercase.
  
  
• StrToInt
  Converts a string to an integer value.
  
  
• IntToStr
  Converts an integer value to a string.
  
  
• FileExists("...")
  Checks whether the specified file exists. The result is "1" or "0".
  Example:

if FileExists("c:\test\export.htm") = "1" then MessageBox "File export.htm exists"

• FileToString("...")
  Reads the content of the specified file. To write the value of a variable to a file, use the function StringToFile.
  Example:

//Save the current date/time to a file
$s = Now
StringToFile("c:\files\script.dat", $s)

//Read string from file
$Date = FileToString("c:\files\script.dat")
MessageBox "Value is: {$Date}"

• GetBookmarkFileName
  Returns the name of the currently opened bookmark file (full path + file name), for example "c:\wsw\bm.wsw".
  Example:

// Store absolute path + filename of the currently opened bookmark file in variable $s
$s = "{bookmarkdir}" + GetBookmarkFilename

// Open the bookmark file "c:\wsw\bm.wsw" if it is not the opened bookmark file
$s1 = "{bookmarkdir}" + GetBookmarkFilename
$s1 = Lowercase($s1)
if $s1 <> "c:\wsw\bm.wsw" then OpenBookmarkFile "c:\wsw\bm.wsw"

• TestConnection(...)
  Tests whether an internet connection exists by accessing the specified URL. If the URL can be accessed, this function returns 1. If the URL reports an error, this function returns 0.
  Example:

if TestConnection("https://www.domain.com") = 0 then AbortScript

Global settings/flags

Flags to disable defined bookmark properties

The following commands can be used to temporarily disable specific bookmark properties while a Script is executed:

Time settings:

• SetBookmarkUseTimeSettings /off

Bookmark actions:

• SetBookmarkActionSendMail /off
• SetBookmarkActionOpenWebsite /off
• SetBookmarkActionRunPrg /off
• SetBookmarkActionExport /off
• SetBookmarkActionScraper /off
• SetBookmarkActionLWA /off

Example:

SetBookmarkActionSendMail /off
SetBookmarkActionLWA /off
CheckBookmarks /all

In this example, all bookmarks are checked without sending emails or exporting changed pages to Local Website Archive.

Example 1: Check bookmarks

The following example checks the bookmarks in three specified folders. All defined bookmark actions are temporarily disabled during the check.

At the beginning, WebSite-Watcher prompts you to confirm whether the Script should be executed.

// Ask if the script should be executed
QuestionBox "Run the script ?" /ContinueOnYes /beep

// disable bookmark actions
SetBookmarkActionSendMail /off
SetBookmarkActionOpenWebsite /off
SetBookmarkActionRunPrg /off
SetBookmarkActionLWA /off
SetBookmarkActionExport /off
SetBookmarkActionScraper /off

// Check the following folders
CheckFolder "Tools\Internet"
CheckFolder "Blogs" /subfolder
CheckFolder "Magazines"

Example 2: Simulate AutoWatch

The following example simulates the AutoWatch feature for all HotSites from two different bookmark files. The delay between checks is one minute.

The Script uses the time settings that are defined for manual checks in the bookmark properties.

The Script can be aborted with the Abort button in the main toolbar. Defined bookmark actions are executed, for example Send email, because they are not disabled in the Script.

// Check all Hotsites from bookmark file tools.wsw
OpenBookmarkFile "f:\wswatch\tools.wsw"
CheckBookmarks /hotsites

// Check all Hotsites from bookmark file magazines.wsw
OpenBookmarkFile "{bookmarkdir}magazines.wsw"
CheckBookmarks /hotsites

// Wait 60 seconds, then restart the script
WaitDelay 60
RestartScript

Example 3: Create and send a report

The following example checks all bookmarks. Afterward, it creates a report and opens it in the internal browser.

Optionally, you can send the report to two different email addresses. The Script prompts for confirmation before sending an email.

// Ask if the script should be executed
QuestionBox "Run the script ?" /ContinueOnYes /beep

// Check all bookmarks
CheckBookmarks /all

// Create a report and open it in the internal browser
CreateReport /template="{programdir}examples\report_template_changes.htm" (+)
             /output="c:\report.htm" (+)
             /bookmarks=changed
OpenWithInternalBrowser "c:\report.htm"

// Ask if an e-mail should be sent
// If the user does not abort the script, then send the e-mail
QuestionBox "Send the report by e-mail?" /ContinueOnYes /beep
SendMail /recipient="support@domain.com,info@domain2.com" (+)
         /subject="WSW-Report" (+)
         /body="Attached a WSW report" (+)
         /attachfile="c:\report.htm"
MessageBox "Done." /beep

Example 4: Run CloudSync

The following example runs CloudSync, but not more than once every 12 hours.

To execute this Script after an AutoWatch check run, insert the following Script into the special Script autowatch_after.wws (Main menu + Script + Edit special scripts + autowatch_after.wws).

//Run CloudSync every 12 hours

//Load last sync date
$Date = FileToString("c:\myfiles\CloudSync.dat")

//Calc difference in hours
$Diff = HoursAgo($Date)
if $Diff < 12 then goto End

  CloudSync

  //Save last sync date
  $Now = Now
  StringToFile("c:\myfiles\CloudSync.dat", $Now)

label End

To run CloudSync only when the database "sync.wsw" is loaded, you can extend the Script as follows:

//Run CloudSync every 12 hours (only if database sync.wsw is opened)
$DB = GetBookmarkFilename
$DB = Lowercase($DB)
if $DB <> "sync.wsw" then goto End

  //Load last sync date
  $Date = FileToString("c:\myfiles\CloudSync.dat")

  //Calc difference in hours
  $Diff = HoursAgo($Date)
  if $Diff < 12 then goto End

  CloudSync

  //Save last sync date
  $Now = Now
  StringToFile("c:\myfiles\CloudSync.dat", $Now)

label End

Advanced Examples / Code snippets

1. Check all bookmarks and display a MessageBox with the number of changed bookmarks

CheckBookmarks /all
$Updated = GetUpdatedBookmarkCount
MessageBox "Bookmarks changed: {$Updated}" /beep

2. Check all bookmarks. If updates are available, create a report with a dynamic, unique filename and send it by email

CheckBookmarks /all
if GetUpdatedBookmarkCount=0 then goto NoUpdates

  $filename = GetUniqueID + ".htm"
  CreateReport /template="{programdir}examples\report_template_changes.htm" /output="c:\{$filename}" /bookmarks=changed
  SendMail /recipient="support@domain.com,info@domain2.com" /subject="WSW-Report" /body="Attached a WSW report" /attachfile="c:\{$filename}"

Label NoUpdates

3. Display a QuestionBox and perform different actions, depending on the button that was clicked

QuestionBox "Click yes or no"
if GetQuestionBoxResult="yes" then goto yes_has_been_clicked
if GetQuestionBoxResult="no" then goto no_has_been_clicked

label yes_has_been_clicked
  // insert commands here
  goto continue

label no_has_been_clicked
  // insert commands here

label continue

4. Loop with 10 iterations

$i=1
Label BeginLoop1
  if $i > 10 then goto EndLoop1

  // commands, for example a Messagebox which displays the iteration number
  MessageBox "Iteration #: {$i}"

  $i = $i + 1
  goto BeginLoop1
Label EndLoop1

5. Open a bookmark file if it is not currently open

// Open the bookmark file "c:\wsw\bm.wsw" if it is not the opened bookmark file
$s1 = "{bookmarkdir}" + GetBookmarkFilename
$s1 = Lowercase($s1)
if $s1 <> "c:\wsw\bm.wsw" then OpenBookmarkFile "c:\wsw\bm.wsw"

6. Check bookmarks at the beginning of every full hour

Label myStart

$sHH = GetDateTime("hh")
$nHH = StrToInt($sHH)
$nHH = $nHH + 1
if $nHH > 23 then $nHH = 0

WaitUntilTime "{$nHH}:00"
CheckBookmarks /all

goto myStart

Plugin System

Overview

The Plugin system allows you to modify or extend the functionality of bookmark checks by writing small scripts.

WebSite-Watcher includes a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) for writing, debugging, and testing these Plugins.

A Plugin script must contain one or more Event functions. During a bookmark check, WebSite-Watcher calls these event functions, if available, at the appropriate times. This allows you to perform custom processing. For example, you can extract a specific price from a web page, compare it with the price from the previous version, and trigger a notification only if the price is lower than USD 100 and lower than the previous price.

WebSite-Watcher supports Private Plugins, which are created and saved per bookmark, and Shared Plugins, which are stored in separate files and can be used by multiple bookmarks.

Shared/Private Plugins

Plugin types

WebSite-Watcher supports two types of Plugins:

• Private Plugins
  Private Plugins are created and stored per bookmark and cannot be shared between bookmarks.
  
  
• Shared Plugins
  Shared Plugins are stored in separate files and can be used by multiple bookmarks.

Both Plugin types use the same programming language and provide the same features. The only difference is how they are stored.

Identification of Shared Plugins

Private Plugins are stored per bookmark. Shared Plugins require an identification mechanism to determine whether they are compatible with a specific bookmark.

For each Shared Plugin, you must define unique identification strings from the HTML source to make the Plugin compatible with specific pages. Enter these identification strings on the "Identification" tab in the Plugin IDE.

Automatic suggestion of Shared Plugins

During a bookmark check, WebSite-Watcher uses the identification strings to determine whether a Shared Plugin is compatible with a page. If a compatible Plugin is found and you open the page in the internal browser, the browser information bar is displayed.

Click the information bar to open the list of compatible Plugins.

Event functions

Event functions

A Plugin Script must contain one or more Event functions that are called by WebSite-Watcher at appropriate times. All Event functions start with "Wsw_".

• Wsw_SelectPlugin
  This function is called when a user selects a Plugin. It can verify that all required conditions are met, for example the availability of an external converter, and cancel the selection if necessary.
  
  
• Wsw_BeforeCheck
  This function is called before a bookmark check starts. You can use it to modify bookmark properties before the check begins.
  
  
• Wsw_MergePages
  This function is called during a bookmark check and allows you to merge multiple pages into a single page.
  
  
• Wsw_PreProcessPage
  This function is called immediately after a page is downloaded and before any other processing begins. You can use it to modify the page source or convert it to another format.
  
  
• Wsw_CompareVersions
  This function is called to compare the online version of a page with the locally saved version. You can compare the page content, or selected parts of it, and determine whether a bookmark should report an update, for example if a specific price in the online version is lower than in the locally saved version.
  
  
• Wsw_CheckKeywords
  This function is called when WebSite-Watcher searches for keywords. It can be used to perform advanced keyword searches with additional logic.
  
  
• Wsw_ActionsOnUpdate
  This function is called to perform actions after a detected update, after initialization, or after an error.
  
  
• Wsw_AfterCheck
  This function is called after a bookmark check has been completed.

Built-in Functions Reference

WebSite-Watcher provides many built-in functions, especially string functions, that can be called from within Basic Scripts.

In the following declarations and examples, string variables typically start with "s", and integer variables typically start with "i" or "n".

Find strings

• InStr
• InStrRev
• FindString
• FindWildcard
• GetFirstWildcardMatch
• GetAllWildcardMatches
• DeleteAllWildcardMatches
• FindRegex
• GetFirstRegexMatch
• GetAllRegexMatches
• KeywordExists

String extraction

• Left
• Right
• Mid
• Delete
• CopyAndDelete
• GetChar
• ExtractDigits
• ExtractChars

String functions for HTML processing

• FindHtmlTag
• DeleteHtmlTags
• OptimizeHtml
• HtmlGetParam
• HtmlExtract
• DownloadPageToString
• DecodeHtmlChars
• HtmlExtractPageTitle
• HtmlChangePageTitle
• HtmlTagsBegin
• HtmlTagsEnd

String manipulation/conversion

• LCase
• UCase
• Trim
• LTrim
• RTrim
• Len
• Replace
• ReplaceWildcard
• ReplaceRegex
• Insert
• Chr
• Asc
• IntToHex
• DeleteDoubleBlanks
• Crc32
• GetUniqueID
• SortStringLines

String Lists

• StringList_AddItem
• StringList_InsertItem
• StringList_ChangeItem
• StringList_DeleteItem
• StringList_GetItem
• StringList_GetItemIndex
• StringList_ItemCount
• StringList_Sort
• StringList_RemoveDuplicates
• StringList_RemoveEmptyItems
• StringList_LoadFromFile
• StringList_SaveToFile

File related functions

• AddToDownloadManager
• FileExists
• FileToString
• StringToFile
• AddStringToFile
• DeleteFile
• MakeUniqueFilename
• ExtractFileName
• ExtractFileExt
• ExtractFilePath
• ChangeFileExt
• AddBackslash
• AddSlash

Program execution

• Execute
• ExecuteAndWait

String/Number/Date conversion

• CStr
• CInt
• CDbl
• CBool

Number related functions

• Abs
• Round
• Trunc
• Rnd

Date/Time related functions

• Now
• FormatDateTime
• EncodeDateTime
• DateDiff
• DayOfWeek
• IncYear
• IncMonth
• IncDay
• IncHour
• IncMinute
• IncSecond
• IsLeapYear

Array related functions

• ARRAY
• AGET
• ASET
• ACOUNT

Mixed functions

• Beep
• AbortScript
• Sleep
• GetComparisonInfo

User interaction

• MsgBox

Bookmark functions

• Bookmark_GetProperty
• Bookmark_SetProperty
• Bookmark_ApplyFilter
• Bookmark_AddLog
• Bookmark_LoadCacheFile
• Bookmark_SaveWebPageAsRaw

Constants

The following constants can be used in Plugin Scripts:

• WSW_CONFIG_DIR
  String expression. Absolute path to the WebSite-Watcher configuration folder.
  
  
• WSW_SETUP_DIR
  String expression. Absolute path to the WebSite-Watcher installation folder.
  
  
• WSW_TEMP_DIR
  String expression. Absolute path to the WebSite-Watcher TEMP folder.
  
  
• MaxInt
  Integer value. Maximum integer value that can be used.
  Example:
  $s = Mid($s, 3, MaxInt)
  
  
• CRLF
  String expression. Carriage return and line feed (chr(13)+chr(10)).
  Example:
  $s = $s + CRLF + "new line"

Scripting language

Overview

Plugins are written in a simple scripting language. This chapter provides a brief introduction to the supported language features.

Plugins must contain one or more predefined Event functions that are called by WebSite-Watcher. Plugins do not contain a script body that is executed automatically.

• Each statement must be placed on a separate line and does not require a closing character. An instruction line can be any length.
  
  
• Statements, variables, and function names are case-insensitive, for example LCase($abc) is the same as LCASE($ABC).
  
  
• Global variables in a Script must be defined before the Event functions.
  
  
• The interpreter does not support short-circuit boolean evaluation.

Comments

A comment starts with the character ' and ends at the end of the line.

To comment or uncomment multiple lines in a single step, select the lines and press Ctrl+Shift+#.

Example:

' This is a comment
$i = 1 ' This is another comment

Datatypes / Operators

Datatypes

The Plugin system supports three elementary data types: signed integer numbers, floating-point numbers (Double), and character strings. Boolean values are represented as integers and can be either 1 or 0. DateTime values are handled as strings with a length of 14 characters in the format "yyyymmddhhnnss".

• String
• Integer
• Double
• Boolean
• DateTime

The data type of a variable does not need to be declared explicitly. It is determined automatically when you assign a value to the variable.

DateTime values are strings with a length of 14 characters in the format "yyyymmddhhnnss". You can extract information from a DateTime value by using string functions, for example Mid($date,1,4) extracts the year. You can also use DateTime-related functions such as AddDay, AddMinute, and DateDiff.

Boolean values are represented by integers and can be either 1 or 0. You can also use True and False.

Type conversion

In expressions, values of different data types are converted automatically if necessary. You can also use the functions CStr(), CInt(), and CDbl() to convert variables from one elementary data type to another.

Operators

Assign statements

The assignment statement is written using the "=" character.

Examples:

Dim $i, $s
$i = 23 + 5
$s = "The result of 23+5 is " + $i

Variables

Each variable must be declared using the Dim directive. The data type is determined automatically when you assign a value to the variable. Variables are not permanently bound to a specific data type during their lifetime and always have the data type of their current value.

Each variable name begins with a single dollar sign $, followed by uppercase or lowercase letters, digits, or the underscore _. The dollar sign must be followed by a letter. The length of a variable name is not limited. Variable names are case-insensitive, so $ABC is the same as $abc.

Variables can be initialized with a default value using the following syntax:

Dim $variable = value

Examples:

Dim $x, $y, $z
Dim $ABC
Dim $n = 4
Dim $s = "some text"

$x = $n + 4
$y = ($x * 3) + $x
$s = "This is a string"

Strings

Strings are enclosed in " characters. If you want to use a " within a string, you must duplicate this character.

Strings are one-based, which means that the first character of a string has the index 1. Mid($s,1,1) returns the first character, Mid($s,2,1) returns the second character, and so on.

Examples:

Dim $s = "This is a string"
Dim $i, $ch

$ch = Mid($s, 1, 1) 'returns "T"
$ch = GetChar($s, 1) 'returns "T"

$i = 42
$s = "Value of ""i"" is " + $i

Arrays

The Plugin system does not support arrays by default, but you can simulate arrays using the functions ARRAY(), AGET(), ASET(), and ACOUNT().

Arrays created with these functions are zero-based, which means the index starts at 0.

Examples:

Dim $arr = ARRAY(2, 4, 6, 8, "text")
Dim $i, $s

$i = AGET($arr, 1)'returns 4
$s = AGET($arr, 4) 'returns "text"

ASET($arr, 1, "wsw") 'replaces element #1 with the string "wsw"

$i = ACOUNT($arr) 'returns the number of elements which is 5

IF statement

If condition Then
   statements
[ ElseIf condition Then
   statements ]
[ Else
   statements ]
End If

Conditionally executes a group of statements depending on the value of an expression.

Example:

If Trim($sMemWeb) = "" Then
   $iStatusCode = 2
   $sStatusMessage = "Error processing Plugin"
ElseIf $sMemWeb <> $sMemLocal Then
   $iStatusCode = 1
   $sStatusMessage = "Plugin processed"
Else
   $sStatusMessage = "Plugin processed"
End If

FOR statement

For counter = start To end [ Step step ]
   [ statements ]
   [ Break ]
   [ statements ]
Next

Repeats a group of statements a specified number of times.

The Break statement exits the loop in whose loop body the statement is executed.

Example:

Dim $i = 0
Dim $s = "text"

For $i = 0 To 10 Step 2
   If $s <> "" Then
      $s = $s + ","
   End If
   $s = $s + $i

   'terminate loop if the length of $s is larger than 10
   If Len($s) > 10 Then
      Break
   End If
Next

WHILE statement

While condition
   [ statements ]
   [ Break ]
   [ statements ]
End While

Runs a series of statements as long as a specified condition is TRUE.

The Break statement exits the loop in whose loop body the statement is executed.

Example:

Dim $i = 0
Dim $s = "text"

While $i <= 10
   If $s <> "" Then
      $s = $s + ","
   End If
   $s = $s + $i

   'terminate loop if the length of $s is larger than 10
   If Len($s) > 10 Then
      Break
   End If

   $i = $i + 1
End While

REPEAT statement

Repeat
   [ statements ]
   [ Break ]
   [ statements ]
Until condition

Repeats a series of statements UNTIL the condition becomes TRUE.

The Break statement exits the loop in whose loop body the statement is executed.

Example:

Dim $i = 0
Dim $s = "text"

While $i <= 10
   If $s <> "" Then
      $s = $s + ","
   End If
   $s = $s + $i

   'terminate loop if the length of $s is larger than 10
   If Len($s) > 10 Then
      Break
   End If

   $i = $i + 1
End While

SUB statement

Sub name [ (parameterlist) ]
   [ statements ]
   [ Return [value]]
   [ statements ]
End Sub

Declares the name, parameters, and code that define a Sub procedure or function.

The Sub name must begin with a letter (a..z or A..Z) and can be followed by letters, digits, or the "_" character.

The parameter list contains one or more variables separated by commas. The data type must not be declared. Parameters passed by reference must be declared using the ByRef directive.

You can use the Return statement to exit a Sub. To return a value, use Return <value>, for example Return $result.

Example:

Sub TotalPixels($width, $height, ByRef $total)

   ' -1 indicates an error
   $total = -1

   ' exit immediately if width or height is zero
   If ($width = 0) Or ($height = 0) Then
      Return
   End If

   $total = $width * $height
End Sub

'*******************************************

Sub Max($a, $b)
   If $a > $b Then
      Return $a
   Else
      Return $b
   End If
End Sub

Event functions

Wsw_SelectPlugin

Sub Wsw_SelectPlugin(ByRef $bCancelSelect)

This function is called when a user selects a Plugin. It can verify that all required conditions are met, for example the availability of an external converter, and cancel the selection if necessary.

Parameters

• $bCancelSelect ... Boolean. The default value is False. Set it to True to cancel the Plugin selection.

Example:

Sub Wsw_SelectPlugin(ByRef $bCancelSelect)

   If Not FileExists("c:\converter\doc2txt.exe") Then
      MsgBox("The file ""doc2txt.exe"" was Not found!")
      $bCancelSelect = True
   End If
End Sub

Wsw_BeforeCheck

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()

This function is called before a bookmark check starts. You can use it to modify bookmark properties before the check begins.

The bookmark properties are not changed permanently. They are modified only temporarily for the current bookmark check. These changes are not visible in the bookmark properties dialog.

Example:

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()

   ' Add entry to the bookmark check log
   Bookmark_AddLog("Wsw_BeforeCheck> Adjust pagetype and checkmethod")

   ' Change bookmark properties
   Bookmark_SetProperty("pagetype", "html")
   Bookmark_SetProperty("checkmethod", "automatic")
End Sub

Wsw_MergePages

Sub Wsw_MergePages($sMem, $nPageNumber, $sUrl, ByRef $sNewUrl, ByRef $sNewPostData, ByRef $bChangeBookmarkUrl, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

This function is called during a bookmark check and allows you to merge multiple pages into a single page.

Parameters

• $sMem ... String expression. HTML source code of the last checked page. All links are provided as absolute URLs.
• $nPageNumber ... Integer value. Number of checked pages. The value starts at 1. Helps limit the number of merged pages. WebSite-Watcher can merge up to 10 pages.
• $sUrl ... String expression. URL of the last checked page.
• $sNewUrl ... String expression. Return value that contains the new URL to be checked and merged with the previously checked page. The initial value is an empty string. If an empty string is returned, the merge operation is terminated.
• $sNewPostData ... String expression. Return value that contains PostData if the page should be checked using the POST command. If this parameter is empty, the page is checked using the GET command. The default value is an empty string.
• $bChangeBookmarkUrl ... Boolean value. Return value. The default value is FALSE. Set this variable to TRUE if the bookmark URL should be replaced with the returned value in $sNewUrl. This is useful, for example, when monitoring a forum thread and always reading the latest posts or pages. In this case, the bookmark URL is updated to the last checked page. If you monitor a search result, do not assign a value to this parameter.
• $sStatusMessage ... String expression. Status message that is displayed in the status column. The default value is an empty string.
• $iStatusCode ... Integer value. Returns the success status of this function.

Valid values of $iStatusCode

• 0 ... OK. The Event function was processed successfully.
  Default value. Must not be assigned manually.
• 1 ... Error.
  Should be returned if an error is detected. The bookmark check will be aborted.

Example:

Sub Wsw_MergePages($sMem, $nPageNumber, $sUrl, ByRef $sNewUrl, ByRef $sNewPostData, ByRef $bChangeBookmarkUrl, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   Dim $nPageParamNumber, $sPageParam, $sNewPageParam

   ' Limit the number of merged pages
   If $nPageNumber > 3 Then
      Return
   End If

   ' Extract page number
   $sPageParam = GetFirstRegexMatch($sUrl, "\&start=\d+")
   If $sPageParam = "" Then
      ' first page, continue with page 2 (solved with start=10)
      $sNewPageParam = "&start=10"
      $sUrl = $sUrl + $sNewPageParam
   Else
      ' increase page number
      $nPageParamNumber = CInt(ExtractDigits($sPageParam)) + 10
      $sNewPageParam = "&start=" + CStr($nPageParamNumber)
      $sUrl = Replace($sUrl, $sPageParam, $sNewPageParam)
   End If

   ' check (only) via Page-Param, if the next page is already available in the page source
   If Pos($sNewPageParam, $sMem) > 0 Then
      ' the next page exists
      $sNewUrl = $sUrl
      $sStatusMessage = "Merge pages via FOLLOW-Plugin"
   End If

End Sub

See also examples Merge search result pages and Merge pages in forum thread.

Wsw_PreProcessPage

Sub Wsw_PreprocessPage(ByRef $sMem, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

This function is called immediately after a page has been downloaded and before any other processing starts. It can be used to modify the page source or convert it to another format.

Parameters

• $sMem ... String expression. Memory string that contains the page source.
• $sStatusMessage ... String expression. The assigned text is displayed in the status column of the bookmark.
• $iStatusCode ... Integer value. Returns the success status of this function.

Valid values of $iStatusCode

• 0 ... OK.
  Default value. Must not be assigned manually.
• 2 ... Error.
  If 2 is returned, the bookmark check is aborted and the text assigned to $sStatusMessage is displayed in the status column.

Example:

Sub Wsw_PreprocessPage(ByRef $sMem, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

   Dim $nStart, $nLen

   ' Exit if no session ids are available (small performance improvement)
   If InStr($sMem, "sid=") = 0 Then
      Return
   End If

   ' Remove all session ids found in the page source
   While FindRegex($sMem, "&(amp;)*sid=[a-z,0-9]*", $nStart, $nLen)
      Delete($sMem, $nStart, $nLen)
   End While
End Sub

Wsw_CompareVersions

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

This function is called to compare the web version of a page with the locally saved version. You can filter the content and determine when a bookmark should report an update, for example when a specific price in the web version is lower than in the locally saved version. The parameter $iStatusCode is a numeric value that indicates whether a page has changed or an error has occurred.

Parameters

• $sMemWeb ... String expression. Page source code of the web version.
• $sMemLocal ... String expression. Page source code of the locally saved version.
• $sStatusMessage ... String expression. Status message that is displayed in the status column. The default value is an empty string.
• $iStatusCode ... Integer value. Indicates whether a page has changed or an error has occurred. The default value is 0.

Valid values of $iStatusCode

• 0 ... OK, page is unchanged.
  Default value. Must not be assigned manually.
• 1 ... OK, page has changed.
  Bookmark is marked as updated.
• 2 ... Error.
  If 2 is returned, the bookmark check is aborted with an error.

Examples:

Simple example to check whether the filtered page content has changed.

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

   ' Apply the defined filter definitions
   $sMemWeb = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemWeb)
   $sMemLocal = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemLocal)

   ' Check if the page has been changed by comparing the filtered content
   If $sMemWeb <> $sMemLocal Then
      $iStatusCode = 1 ' updates detected
   Else
      $iStatusCode = 0 ' no updates available
   End If

End Sub

More advanced example to detect price changes and alert when a price is lower than a predefined value. The price extraction depends on the page structure. You can use the code below as a starting point.

Sub ExtractPrice($sMem, ByRef $nPrice)

   Dim $p, $nLen

   $nPrice = -1
   $sMem = DeleteHtmlTags($sMem)
   ' Extract price without decimal places
   If FindRegex($sMem, "Price:\s*EUR\s*\d+,", $p, $nLen) Then
      $sMem = ExtractDigits(Copy($sMem, $p, $nLen))
      $nPrice = CInt($sMem)
   End If
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

   Dim $nPriceNew, $nPriceOld, $nPriceRef

   ' Define reference price (100 EUR)
   $nPriceRef = 100

   ' Extract price from new/local version
   ExtractPrice($sMemWeb, $nPriceNew)
   ExtractPrice($sMemLocal, $nPriceOld) ' only needed to speed up several WSW routines

   ' Return only price - speed up several WSW routines, eg. "Test filter" dialog or "Analyze" functionality
   $sMemWeb = CStr($nPriceNew)
   $sMemLocal = CStr($nPriceOld)

   If $nPriceNew = -1 Then
      $iStatusCode = 2
      $sStatusMessage = "Error extracting price"
   ElseIf ($nPriceNew <> $nPriceOld) And ($nPriceNew <= $nPriceRef) Then
      $iStatusCode = 1
      $sStatusMessage = "Price changed and lower than EUR " + CStr($nPriceNew)
   ElseIf ($nPriceNew <> $nPriceOld) And ($nPriceNew > $nPriceRef) Then
      $iStatusCode = 0
      $sStatusMessage = "Price too high"
   Else
      $iStatusCode = 0
      $sStatusMessage = "Price unchanged"
   End If
End Sub

Wsw_CheckKeywords

Sub Wsw_CheckKeywords($sMemChanges, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iKeywordFound)

This function is called when WebSite-Watcher searches for keywords. It can be used for advanced keyword processing with logical operators. The parameter $sMemChanges contains the new and changed text without HTML tags, carriage return and line feed characters, and duplicate blanks. The parameter $iKeywordFound is a numeric value that indicates whether keywords have been found.

If keywords are also entered in the bookmark properties (Update-On-Keywords), this function is not called if one of the entered keywords has already been found. If no keywords are entered, or none of the entered keywords are found (Update-On-Keywords), WebSite-Watcher calls this function.

Parameters

• $sMemChanges ... String expression. New or changed text of the web page, without HTML tags, CRLFs, or duplicate blanks.
• $sStatusMessage ... String expression. Status message that is displayed in the status column. The default value is an empty string.
• $iKeywordFound ... Integer value. Indicates whether keywords were found. The default value is 0.

Valid values of $iKeywordFound

• 0 ... No keywords found.
  Default value. Must not be assigned manually.
• 1 ... Keywords were found.

Example:

Sub Wsw_CheckKeywords($sMemChanges, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iKeywordFound)

   Dim $s = $sMemChanges

   ' Look for WebSite Watcher but exclude weight watcher
   If KeywordExists($s, "website", True) And KeywordExists($s, "watcher", True) And Not (KeywordExists($s, "weight", True)) Then
      $iKeywordFound = 1
      Return
   End If

   If KeywordExists($s, "aignesberger", True) And KeywordExists($s, "watcher", True) Then
      $iKeywordFound = 1
      $sStatusMessage = "Keyword 'aignesberger + watcher' found"
      Return
   End If

End Sub

Wsw_ActionsOnUpdate

Sub Wsw_ActionsOnUpdate($iUpdateStatus, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

This function is called to perform actions after an update, initialization, or error.

This function is called only when the "Notifications/Actions on initialization/update/error" feature in the bookmark properties is configured.

This Event function is called after all other bookmark actions, which are defined in the bookmark properties, have been executed.

Parameters

• $iUpdateStatus ... Integer value. Indicates whether an initialization, update, or error occurred.
• $sStatusMessage ... String expression. Status message that is displayed in the status column. The default value is an empty string.
• $iStatusCode ... Integer value. Indicates whether actions were performed successfully or an error occurred. The default value is 0.

Valid values of $iUpdateStatus

• 1 ... Bookmark has been initialized
• 2 ... Bookmark has been updated
• 3 ... An error occurred while checking the bookmark

Valid values of $iStatusCode

• 0 ... OK, actions were performed successfully.
  Default value. Must not be assigned manually.
• 1 ... Error.
  Should be returned if actions could not be performed. The bookmark check is not aborted. The status code is currently written only to the bookmark log file and does not affect the bookmark check.

Example:

Sub Wsw_ActionsOnUpdate($iUpdateStatus, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)

   Dim $sMem

   If $iUpdateStatus = 2 Then
      $sMem = Bookmark_LoadCacheFile(1)
      StringToFile("c:\data\changed.htm", $sMem)
   End If
End Sub

Wsw_AfterCheck

Sub Wsw_AfterCheck(ByRef $sStatusMessage)

This function is called after a bookmark has been checked. For example, you can use it to write the time of a bookmark check to an external log file.

Parameters

• $sStatusMessage ... String expression. Status message that is displayed in the status column. The default value is an empty string.

Example:

Dim $dStart = "" 'global variable that can be used in all event functions

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()
   Bookmark_SetProperty("checkmethod", "content")
   $dStart = Now
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_AfterCheck(ByRef $sStatusMessage)
   AddStringToFile("c:\wswlog\checktime.txt", "Seconds: " + DateDiff(Now, $dStart, "s"))
End Sub

Built-in Functions Reference

InStr

Sub InStr($source As String, $searchStr As String) As Integer

' -or-

Sub Pos($searchStr As String, $source As String) As Integer

Returns an integer that specifies the start position of the first occurrence of one string within another string.

InStr is case-sensitive. The first character in $source has the position 1. If $searchStr is not found, InStr returns 0.

Parameters

• $searchStr ... String expression to search for.
• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.

Example:

Dim $s, $i

$s = "This is a text"
$i = InStr($s, "is") 'returns $i = 6

InStrRev

Sub InStrRev($source As String, $searchStr As String) As Integer

' -or-

Sub LastPos($searchStr As String, $source As String) As Integer

Returns an integer that specifies the start position of the last occurrence of one string within another string.

InStrRev is case-sensitive. The first character in $source has the position 1. If $searchStr is not found, InStrRev returns 0.

Parameters

• $searchStr ... String expression to search for.
• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.

Example:

Dim $s, $i

$s = "a number or a text"
$i = InStrRev("a", $s) 'returns $i = 13

FindString

Sub FindString($source As String, $findStr As String, ByRef $startPos As Integer, ByRef $length As Integer) As Boolean

Searches $source for the first occurrence of $findStr.

FindString is case-insensitive. The first character in $source has the position 1. If $findStr is found, FindString returns TRUE.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $findStr ... String expression to search for.
• $startPos ... Index of the first occurrence.
• $length ... Length of the found string.

Example:

Dim $s, $iStart, $iLen

$s = "a number or a text"
If FindString($s, "or", $iStart, $iLen) Then
   ' returns iStart = 10, iLen = 2
End If

FindWildcard

Sub FindWildcard($source As String, $wildcard As String, ByRef $startPos As Integer, ByRef $length As Integer) As Boolean

Searches $source for the first occurrence of $wildcard. $wildcard is a wildcard expression that consists of a start text, an asterisk, and an end text with the following syntax:

StartText*EndText

FindWildcard is case-insensitive. The first character in $source has the position 1. If $wildcard is found, FindWildcard returns TRUE.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $wildcard ... Wildcard expression to search for (StartText*EndText).
• $startPos ... Index of the first occurrence.
• $length ... Length of the found string.

Example:

Dim $s, $iStart, $iLen

$s = "a number or a text"
If FindString($s, "or", $iStart, $iLen) Then
   ' returns iStart = 10, iLen = 2
End If

GetFirstWildcardMatch

Sub GetFirstWildcardMatch($source As String, $wildcard As String) As String

Searches $source for the first occurrence of $wildcard. $wildcard is a wildcard expression that consists of a start text, an asterisk, and an end text with the following syntax:

StartText*EndText

GetFirstWildcardMatch is case-insensitive. If $wildcard is not found, GetFirstWildcardMatch returns an empty string.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $wildcard ... Wildcard expression to search for (StartText*EndText).

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "a number or a text"
$s2 = GetFirstWildcardMatch($s, "or*xt") 'returns $s2 = "or a text"

GetAllWildcardMatches

Sub GetAllWildcardMatches($source As String, $wildcard As String) As String

Searches $source for all occurrences of $wildcard. $wildcard is a wildcard expression that consists of a start text, an asterisk, and an end text with the following syntax:

StartText*EndText

GetAllWildcardMatches is case-insensitive. Each match is listed on a new line, separated by a carriage return/line feed. If $wildcard is not found, GetAllWildcardMatches returns an empty string.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $wildcard ... Wildcard expression to search for (StartText*EndText).

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "a number or a text or a date"
$s2 = GetAllWildcardMatches($s, "or*t") 'returns two lines in $s2 = "or a t"#13#10"or a dat"

The extracted lines can be sorted with the function SortStringLines.

DeleteAllWildcardMatches

Sub DeleteAllWildcardMatches($source As String, $wildcard As String) As String

Removes all wildcard matches from the string $source. The result is returned as a string. $wildcard is a wildcard expression that consists of a start text, an asterisk, and an end text with the following syntax:

StartText*EndText

DeleteAllWildcardMatches is case-insensitive.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression from which all wildcard matches are removed.
• $wildcard ... Wildcard expression to search for (StartText*EndText).

Example:

Dim $s = $sMem

'Delete all option tags from HTML source code
$s = DeleteAllWildcardMatches($s, "<option*</option>")

FindRegex

Sub FindRegex($source As String, $regex As String, ByRef $startPos As Integer, ByRef $length As Integer) As Boolean

Searches $source for the first occurrence of $regex. $regex is a Regular Expression.

FindRegex is case-insensitive. The first character in $source has the position 1. If $regex is found, FindRegex returns TRUE.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $regex ... Regular expression to search for.
• $startPos ... Index of the first occurrence.
• $length ... Length of the found string.

Example:

Dim $s, $iStart, $iLen

$s = "this is number 13 or a text"
If FindRegex($s, "number \d+", $iStart, $iLen) Then
   ' returns iStart = 9, iLen = 9
End If

GetFirstRegexMatch

Sub GetFirstRegexMatch($source As String, $regex As String) As String

Searches $source for the first occurrence of $regex. $regex is a Perl-compatible Regular Expression.

GetFirstRegexMatch is case-insensitive. If $regex is not found, GetFirstRegexMatch returns an empty string.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $regex ... Regular expression to search for.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "this is number 13 or a text"
$s2 = GetFirstRegexMatch($s, "number \d+") 'returns $s2 = "number 13"

GetAllRegexMatches

Sub GetAllRegexMatches($source As String, $regex As String) As String

Searches $source for all occurrences of $regex. $regex is a Regular Expression.

GetAllRegexMatches is case-insensitive. Each match is listed on a new line, separated by a carriage return/line feed. If $regex is not found, GetAllRegexMatches returns an empty string.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $regex ... Regular expression to search for.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "this number 12 or number 1003 or a date"
$s2 = GetAllRegexMatches($s, "number \d+")
'returns $s2 = "number 12"#13#10"number 1003"

The extracted lines can be sorted with the function SortStringLines.

Regular Expressions

Below is a list of useful Regular Expression tokens. A detailed description and additional tokens can be found in many places on the World Wide Web.

Typical examples

• regex(bo*)
  will find "b", "bo", "boo", "booooo"
  
  
• regex(bx+)
  will find "bxxxxxxxx", "bxx", "bx", but not "b"
  
  
• regex(\d+)
  will find all numbers
  
  
• regex(\d+ visitors)
  will find "3 visitors", "243234 visitors", or "2763816 visitors"
  
  
• regex(\d+ of \d+ messages)
  will find "2 of 1200 messages" or "1 of 10 messages"
  
  
• RegexToEnd(\d+ of \d+ messages)
  will filter everything from the last occurrence of "2 of 1200 messages" or "1 of 10 messages" to the end of the page
  
  
• regex(MyText.{0,20})
  will find "MyText" and the next 20 characters after "MyText"
  
  
• regex(\d\d.\d\d.\d\d\d\d)
  will find date strings with the format 99.99.9999 or 99-99-9999, the dot in the regex matches any character
  
  
• regex(\d\d\.\d\d\.\d\d\d\d)
  will find date strings with the format 99.99.9999
  
  
• regex(([_a-zA-Z\d\-\.]+@[_a-zA-Z\d\-]+(\.[_a-zA-Z\d\-]+)+))
  will find all email addresses

KeywordExists

Sub KeywordExists($source As String, $keyword As String, $isWholeWord As Boolean) As Boolean

Searches $source to determine whether $keyword exists. If $isWholeWord is TRUE, the function searches for whole words only. Otherwise, it also matches parts of words.

KeywordExists is case-insensitive.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $keyword ... String expression to search for.
• $isWholeWord ... TRUE or FALSE.

Example:

'Search for whole words
If KeywordExists($sSource, "watch", True) Then
   '....
End If

Left

Sub Left($s As String, $length As Integer) As String

Returns a string containing the specified number of characters ($length) from the left side of $s.

If $length is 0, an empty string is returned. If $length specifies more characters than are available in $s, the entire string is returned.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which the leftmost characters are returned.
• $length ... Integer expression that specifies how many characters to return.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "This is a text"
$s2 = Left($s, 7)
' returns $s2 = "This is"

Right

Sub Right($s As String, $length As Integer) As String

Returns a string containing the specified number of characters ($length) from the right side of $s.

If $length is 0, an empty string is returned. If $length specifies more characters than are available in $s, the entire string is returned.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which the rightmost characters are returned.
• $length ... Integer expression that specifies how many characters to return.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "This is a text"
$s2 = Right($s, 6)
' returns $s2 = "a text"

Mid

Sub Mid($s As String, $startPos As Integer, $length As Integer) As String

' -or-

Sub Copy($s As String, $startPos As Integer, $length As Integer) As String

Mid returns a substring containing $length characters, starting at position $startPos. The first character of $s has the index 1.

If $startPos is greater than the length of $s, Mid returns an empty string.

If $length specifies more characters than are available, only the characters from position $startPos to the end of $s are returned.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which characters are returned.
• $startPos ... Integer expression. Starting position of the characters to return. $startPos is one-based.
• $length ... Integer expression. Number of characters to return.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "This is a text"
$s2 = Mid($s, 6, 2)
' returns $s2 = "is"

Delete

Sub Delete(ByRef $s As String, $startPos As Integer, $length As Integer)

Removes a substring of $length characters from $s, starting at position $startPos. The first character of $s has the index 1.

If $startPos is greater than the length of the string or less than 1, no characters are deleted.

If $length specifies more characters than remain starting at $startPos, Delete removes the remaining characters of the string. If $length is less than or equal to 0, no characters are deleted.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which the substring is deleted.
• $startPos ... Integer expression. Starting position of the characters to delete. $startPos is one-based.
• $length ... Integer expression. Number of characters to delete.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "This is a text"
Delete($s, 6, 5)
' returns $s = "This text"

CopyAndDelete

Sub CopyAndDelete(ByRef $source As String, $start As Integer, $len As Integer) As String

CopyAndDelete is a combination of the functions Mid and Delete.

CopyAndDelete returns a substring containing $len characters, starting at position $start, and deletes the returned substring from $source. The first character of $source has the index 1.

If $start is greater than the length of $source, an empty string is returned, and nothing is deleted from $source.

If $len specifies more characters than are available, only the characters from position $start to the end of $source are returned and deleted.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression from which characters are returned and deleted.
• $start ... Integer expression. Starting position of the characters to return and delete. $start is one-based.
• $len ... Integer expression. Number of characters to return and delete.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "This is a text"
$s2 = CopyAndDelete($s, 6, 5)
' returns $s = "This text" and $s2 = "is a "

GetChar

Sub GetChar($s As String, $pos As Integer) As Char

Returns the character at position $pos. The first character of $s has the index 1.

If $pos is greater than the length of $s, GetChar returns an empty string.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which a character is returned.
• $pos ... Integer expression. Position of the character to return. $pos is one-based.

Example:

Dim $s, $ch

$s = "This is a text"
$ch = GetChar($s, 6)
' returns $ch = "i"

ExtractDigits

Sub ExtractDigits($s As String) As String

Extracts all digits from $s.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which digits are extracted.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "This is number 22.3"
$s2 = ExtractDigits($s)
' returns $s2 = "223"

ExtractChars

Sub ExtractChars($s As String, $validChars As String) As String

Extracts the specified characters ($validChars) from $s.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression from which the specified characters are extracted.
• $validChars ... String expression that defines the valid characters to extract.

Example:

Dim $s, $s2

$s = "This is number 22.3"
$s2 = ExtractChars($s, "0123456789,.")
' returns $s2 = "22.3"

FindHtmlTag

Sub FindHtmlTag($source As String, $tagName As String, $paramName As String, ByRef $startPos As Integer, ByRef $length As Integer) As Boolean

Searches $source for the first occurrence of the HTML tag $tagName that contains the parameter $paramName.

FindHtmlTag is case-insensitive. The first character in $source has the position 1. If both $tagName and $paramName are found, FindHtmlTag returns TRUE.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $tagName, $paramName ... String expressions. HTML tag and parameter to search for.
• $startPos ... Index of the tag start.
• $length ... Length of the found tag.

Example:

Dim $s, $iStart, $iLen

$s = "Click <a href=info.htm>here</a> for more information"
If FindHtmlTag($s, "a", "HREF", $iStart, $iLen) Then
   ' returns $iStart = 7, $iLen = 17
   
   $s = Mid($s, $iStart, $iLen)
   ' returns $s = "<a href=info.htm>"
End If

DeleteHtmlTags

Sub DeleteHtmlTags($pageSource As String) As String

DeleteHtmlTags deletes all HTML tags from $pageSource and returns the text of an HTML page.

In the first step, all HTML tags are replaced with blanks. In the second step, all duplicate blanks are replaced with a single blank.

In addition, all encoded characters are decoded, for example non-breaking spaces and encoded Unicode characters.

Parameters

• $pageSource ... String expression. Source code of a web page.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "This is <b>bold</b> and<br>a new line"
$s = DeleteHtmlTags($s)
' returns $s = "This is bold and a new line"

OptimizeHtml

Sub OptimizeHtml($pageSource As String) As String

OptimizeHtml optimizes the page source as follows:

• Replaces tabs and carriage return/line feed characters with a blank.
• Inserts blanks before "<" and after ">".
• Replaces duplicate blanks with single blanks.

This function can be called before extracting specific information from the page source. It is usually easier to extract information from optimized source code.

Parameters

• $pageSource ... String expression. Source code of a web page.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "The price is<b> 123,50 </b>EUR"
$s = OptimizeHtml($s)
' returns $s = "The price is <b> 123,50 </b> EUR"

HtmlGetParam

Sub HtmlGetParam($tagSource As String, $paramName As String) As String

Searches $tagSource for the first occurrence of the parameter $paramName and returns its value.

If the parameter $paramName is not found, an empty string is returned.

Parameters

• $tagSource ... String expression in which the search is performed.
• $paramName ... String expression. Name of the parameter to search for.

Example:

Dim $sTagSource, $sValue

$sTagSource = "Click <a href=info.htm>here</a> for more information"
$sValue = HtmlGetParam($sTagSource, "href")
' returns $sValue = "info.htm"

HtmlExtract

Sub HtmlExtract($htmlSource As String, $checkUrl As String, $option As Integer) As String

Extracts the specified information from the HTML source code $htmlSource.

The parameter $checkUrl specifies the address of the related page and is required to generate absolute link addresses.

Parameters

• $htmlSource ... HTML source code of the checked page.
• $checkUrl ... URL of the checked page. Required to generate absolute link addresses.
• $option ... Integer value. Specifies which information is extracted.

Valid values of $option

• 0 ... Extracts all link addresses, one URL per line.
  The result is sorted and does not contain duplicates. URLs are separated by a carriage return/line feed.
• 1 ... Extracts all image addresses, one URL per line.
  The result is sorted and does not contain duplicates. URLs are separated by a carriage return/line feed.

Example:

Dim $sUrlList

$sUrlList = HtmlExtract($sMemWeb, Bookmark_GetProperty("check_url"), 0)

HtmlTagsBegin

'Typical HTML tags before the page content
Sub HtmlTagsBegin($title As String) As String

'Typical HTML tags after the page content
Sub HtmlTagsEnd As String

These two functions can be used when generating a new page, so that you only need to add the actual page content.

The $title parameter defines the title in the head section.

Parameter

• $title ... String expression. Title of the page.

Example:

Dim $newPage

$newPage = HtmlTagsBegin("Converted page")
$newPage = $newPage + "line 1<br>line2<br>line3"
$newPage = $newPage + HtmlTagsEnd

'$newPage has now this content:
' <html><head>
' <META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
' <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
' <title>Converted page</title>
' </head><body>
' line 1<br>line2<br>line3'
' </body></html>

DownloadPageToString

Sub DownloadPageToString($url As String, ByRef $mem as String) As Integer

Downloads the HTML source code of the specified URL into the string $mem.

Parameters

• $url ... Address of the page to download.
• $mem ... String. HTML source code of the downloaded page.

Return value

This function returns the status code sent by the server. If no errors occur, this value is typically 200.

The following list shows typical return values:

• 200 OK
• 301 Moved Permanently
• 302 Moved Temporarily
• 400 Bad Request
• 401 Unauthorized / Authentication Failure
• 402 Payment Required
• 403 Forbidden
• 404 Page Not Found
• 500 Internal Server Error
• 501 Not Implemented
• 502 Bad Gateway
• 503 Service Unavailable
• 504 Gateway Time-out

Example:

Dim $sMem

if DownloadPageToString("https://www.domain.com", $sMem) = 200 then
   if $sMem <> "" then
      ' further actions, sMem contains the page source
   End If
End If

DecodeHtmlChars

Sub DecodeHtmlChars($s As String) As String

Decodes all encoded HTML sequences, for example &nbsp; or &#250;

The following sequences are not converted by this function:

• &gt;
• &lt;
• &amp;
• &quot;

Parameters

• $s ... String expression. HTML source code of a web page.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "There&nbsp;are&nbsp;spaces"
$s = DecodeHtmlChars($s)
' returns $s = "There are spaces"

HtmlExtractPageTitle

Sub HtmlExtractPageTitle($htmlSource As String) As String

Returns the page title defined in the HTML source code.

Parameters

• $htmlSource ... String expression. HTML source code of a web page.

Example:

Dim $sTitle = HtmlExtractPageTitle($sMemWeb)

HtmlChangePageTitle

Sub HtmlChangePageTitle($htmlSource As String, $title As String) As String

Changes the page title in $htmlSource and returns the updated HTML source code.

Parameters

• $htmlSource ... String expression. HTML source code of a web page.
• $title ... String expression. New title to insert or update.

Example:

HtmlChangePageTitle($sMemWeb, "Converted file")

LCase

Sub LCase($s As String) As String

Returns the specified string converted to lowercase.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression to convert.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "A Text"
$s = LCase($s)
' returns $s = "a text"

UCase

Sub UCase($s As String) As String

Returns the specified string converted to uppercase.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression to convert.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "a text"
$s = UCase($s)
' returns $s = "A TEXT"

Trim

Sub Trim($s As String) As String
Sub LTrim($s As String) As String
Sub RTrim($s As String) As String

Returns a string that contains a copy of the specified string without leading spaces (LTrim), without trailing spaces (RTrim), or without leading and trailing spaces (Trim).

Parameters

• $s ... String expression to process.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = Trim(" a text ")
' returns $s = "a text"

Len

Sub Len($s As String) As Integer

Returns an integer that contains the number of characters in the specified string.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression to evaluate.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = Len("a text")
' returns $i = 6

Replace

Sub Replace($source As String, $searchStr As String, $replaceStr As String) As String

Returns a string in which the specified substring is replaced with another substring.

Replace is case-insensitive.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression that contains the substring to replace.
• $searchStr ... Substring to search for.
• $replaceStr ... Substring used as the replacement.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "This is a text"
$s = Replace($s, "text", "number")
' returns $s = "This is a number"

ReplaceWildcard

Sub ReplaceWildcard($source As String, $searchWildcard As String, $replaceStr As String) As String

Returns a string in which a specified substring, defined by a Wildcard, is replaced with another substring. All matching occurrences are replaced.

$searchWildcard is a Wildcard that consists of a start text, an asterisk, and an end text, using the following syntax:

StartText*EndText

ReplaceWildcard is case-insensitive.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression that contains the substring to replace.
• $searchWildcard ... Wildcard expression to search for.
• $replaceStr ... Substring used as the replacement.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "<table><tr><td>354</td></tr></table>"
$s = ReplaceWildcard($s, "</td>*</td>", "</td>-</td>")
' returns $s = "<table><tr><td>-</td></tr></table>"

ReplaceRegex

Sub ReplaceRegex($source As String, $searchRegex As String, $replaceStr As String) As String

Returns a string in which a specified substring, defined by a Regular Expression, is replaced with another substring. All matching occurrences are replaced.

ReplaceRegex is case-insensitive.

Parameters

• $source ... String expression that contains the substring to replace.
• $searchRegex ... Regular Expression to search for.
• $replaceStr ... Substring used as the replacement.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "<table><tr><td>354</td></tr></table>"
$s = ReplaceRegex($s, "</td>\d+</td>", "</td>-</td>")
' returns $s = "<table><tr><td>-</td></tr></table>"

Insert

Sub Insert($source As String, $position As Integer, $value As String) As String

Inserts $value into $source at the specified position $position. The first character of $source has the index 1.

This operation is equivalent to:

$source = Left($source, $position-1) + $value + Mid($source, $position, MaxInt)

Parameters

• $source ... String expression into which $value is inserted.
• $position ... Position at which $value is inserted. $position is one based.
• $value ... String expression to insert.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "This text"
$s = Insert($s, 6, "is a ")
' returns $s = "This is a text"

Chr

Sub Chr($code As Integer) As Char

Returns the character that corresponds to the specified character code.

Parameters

• $code ... Integer expression that represents the character code.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "This text"
$s = Insert($s, 6, "is a ")
' returns $s = "This is a text"

Asc

Sub Asc($ch As Char) As Integer

Returns an integer value that represents the character code corresponding to the specified character.

Parameters

• $ch ... Any valid Char or String expression. If $ch is a String expression, only the first character of the string is used.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = Asc("A")
' returns $i = 65

$i = Asc("ABC")
' returns $i = 65

IntToHex

Sub IntToHex($value As Integer, $digits As Integer) As String

Converts an integer value to a hexadecimal string.

The result contains at least $digits characters. If $digits is less than the required number of characters, the string is not truncated. If $digits is greater than the required number of characters, the result is padded with zeros.

Parameters

• $value ... Integer value to convert.
• $digits ... Integer. Number of digits in the result.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = IntToHex(46, 2)
' returns $s = 2E

$s = IntToHex(Asc("."), 2)
' returns $s = 2E

DeleteDoubleBlanks

Sub DeleteDoubleBlanks($s As String) As String

Replaces all consecutive duplicate blanks with a single blank.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression to process.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = DeleteDoubleBlanks("ABC     DEF")
' returns $s = "ABC DEF"

Crc32

Sub Crc32($s As String) As String

Calculates the CRC32 value of the specified string $s.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression for which the CRC32 value is calculated.

Example:

Dim $sChecksum

$sChecksum = Crc32("This is a text")

GetUniqueID

Sub GetUniqueID As String

Returns a unique string identifier.

Example:

Dim $sID

$sID = GetUniqueID

SortStringLines

Sub SortStringLines(ByRef $s As String)

Sorts all lines in the string $s. Lines must be separated by a carriage return and line feed (chr(13)+chr(10), or CRLF).

Parameters

• $s ... String expression that contains the lines to sort.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "One" + Chr(13) + Chr(10) + "Two" + Chr(13) + Chr(10) + "Three"
SortStringLines($s)
' returns $s = "One"#13#10"Three"#13#10"Two"

Stringlist functions

' add and insert items
Sub StringList_AddItem(ByRef $list As String, $item As String)
Sub StringList_InsertItem(ByRef $list As String, $index As Integer, $item As String)

' change item with specified index
Sub StringList_ChangeItem(ByRef $list As String, $index As Integer, $item As String)

' delete item with specified index
Sub StringList_DeleteItem(ByRef $list As String, $index As Integer)

' get item with specified index
Sub StringList_GetItem($list As String, $index As Integer) As String

' get item index (or test if item exists)
Sub StringList_GetItemIndex($list As String, $item As String) As Integer

' get item count
Sub StringList_ItemCount($list As String) As Integer

' sort all strings in the list
Sub StringList_Sort(ByRef $list As String)

' removes duplicates from a string list
Sub StringList_RemoveDuplicates(ByRef $list As String)

'removes empty lines/items from a string list
Sub StringList_RemoveEmptyItems(ByRef $list As String)


' Load a text file and store each line as item in a string list
Sub StringList_LoadFromFile($filename As String, ByRef $list As String) As Boolean

' Save a string list to a file
Sub StringList_SaveToFile($filename As String, $list As String) As Boolean

A stringlist is a simple string in which each list item is stored on a separate line.

Lines are separated by a carriage return and line feed (chr(13)+chr(10), or CRLF).

The stringlist functions can be used to maintain such a list easily, for example to insert or delete individual items.

You can also add strings that contain line breaks to a stringlist. All carriage return and line feed characters are encoded automatically within the stringlist.

Stringlists are zero based, which means that the first item has index 0, the second item has index 1, and so on. The number of items can be determined with the function "StringList_ItemCount".

The function "StringList_GetItemIndex" returns the index of a specific item. If the item is not found, the function returns -1.

Example:

Dim $sl, $s, $i, $sItem, $nCount

' Clear the string list
$sl = ""

' Add items to the stringlist
StringList_AddItem($sl, "WebSite")
StringList_AddItem($sl, "Watcher")
StringList_AddItem($sl, "cool")
' items are now: WebSite, Watcher, cool

' Insert item after "Watcher"
StringList_InsertItem($sl, 2, "is")
' items are now: WebSite, Watcher, is, cool

' Check if item exists
$i = StringList_GetItemIndex($sl, "power")
' returns $i = -1

$i = StringList_GetItemIndex($sl, "is")
' returns $i = 2

' Change last item
StringList_ChangeItem($sl, 3, "very cool")
' items are now: WebSite, Watcher, is, very cool

' Iterate through all items
$s = ""
$nCount = StringList_ItemCount($sl)
For $i = 0 To $nCount - 1
   $s = Trim($s + " " + StringList_GetItem($sl, $i))
Next
' $s is now: WebSite-Watcher is very cool

' Sort the string list
StringList_Sort($sl)
' items are now: is, very cool, Watcher, WebSite

' Delete item with index 2
StringList_DeleteItem($sl, 2)
' items are now: is, very cool, WebSite

' Delete item "WebSite"
StringList_DeleteItem($sl, StringList_GetItemIndex($sl, "WebSite"))
' items are now: is, very cool

' Save string list to file
StringList_SaveToFile("c:\files\stringlist.txt", $sl)

AddToDownloadManager

Sub AddToDownloadManager($url As String, $allowDuplicates As Boolean)

Adds the internet address $url to the Download Manager.

Parameters

• $url ... Address of the file to download.
• $allowDuplicates ... Boolean value:
• TRUE = If the download address ($url) already exists in the Download Manager, the download is inserted again and saved using a new unique file name.
• FALSE = If the download address ($url) already exists in the Download Manager, the download is not added.

Example:

AddToDownloadManager("https://www.domain.com/download/setup.exe", True)

FileExists

Sub FileExists($fileName As String) As Boolean

FileExists returns TRUE if the file specified by $fileName exists. If the file does not exist, FileExists returns FALSE.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name.

Example:

If FileExists("e:\exp\template.rss") Then
   ' actions...
End If

FileToString

Sub FileToString($fileName As String, ByRef $s As String) As Boolean

Reads the contents of the file specified by $fileName into the string $s.

If the file does not exist, or if the contents cannot be read, FileToString returns FALSE.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name.
• $s ... String expression that receives the file contents.

Example:

Dim $sFilename, $sMem

$sFilename = "c:\mydocs\template.txt"
If FileToString($sFilename, $sMem) Then
   ' sMem contains the file content
End If

StringToFile

Sub StringToFile($fileName As String, $s As String) As Boolean

Writes the string $s to a file.

If the file cannot be saved, StringToFile returns FALSE.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name.
• $s ... String expression that contains the content to be written to the file.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "feature executed successfully"
StringToFile("c:\mydocs\log.txt", $s)

AddStringToFile

Sub AddStringToFile($fileName As String, $s As String) As Boolean

Adds the string $s, followed by a carriage return and linefeed, to the file specified by $fileName.

If the string cannot be added, AddStringToFile returns FALSE.

Parameters

• 
  
• $fileName ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name.
• $s ... String expression that contains the content to be added to the file.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = "feature executed successfully"
AddStringToFile("c:\mydocs\log.txt", $s)

DeleteFile

Sub DeleteFile($fileName As String) As Boolean

Deletes an existing file.

If the file does not exist, or if it cannot be deleted, DeleteFile returns FALSE.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name.

Example:

DeleteFile("e:\exp\temp.$")

MakeUniqueFilename

Sub MakeUniqueFilename($fileName As String) As String

Returns a unique file name by adding numbers to the file name specified in $fileName. The returned file name does not exist in the specified directory.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name.

Example:

Dim $sFilename

$sFilename = "e:\exp\main.txt"

' Assume that e:\exp\main.txt doesn't exist
$sFilename = MakeUniqueFilename($sFilename)
' returns $sFilename = "e:\exp\main.txt"

StringToFile($sFilename, "dummy")
$sFilename = MakeUniqueFilename($sFilename)
' returns $sFilename = "e:\exp\main(1).txt"

ExtractFileName

Sub ExtractFileName($fileName As String) As String

Returns the extracted file name from the absolute path and file name specified in $fileName.

The resulting string is identical to $fileName, if $fileName does not contain a drive or directory part.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies a file name, with or without drive or folder information.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = ExtractFileName("e:\exp\template.txt")
' returns $s = "template.text"

ExtractFileExt

Sub ExtractFileExt($fileName As String) As String

Returns the extracted file extension, including the leading ".", from the file name specified in $fileName.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies a file name, with or without drive or folder information.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = ExtractFileExt("e:\exp\template.txt")
' returns $s = ".text"

ExtractFilePath

Sub ExtractFilePath($fileName As String) As String

Returns the extracted file path of the file specified in $fileName.

ExtractFilePath returns an empty string, if $fileName does not contain a drive or directory part.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies a file name, with or without drive or folder information.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = ExtractFilePath("e:\exp\template.txt")
' returns $s = "e:\exp"

ChangeFileExt

Sub ChangeFileExt($fileName As String, $newFileExt As String) As String

ChangeFileExt takes the file name specified in $fileName and changes its file extension to the new extension specified in $newFileExt.

$newFileExt specifies the new extension, including the leading dot character.

ChangeFileExt does not rename the actual file, it only returns a new file name string.

Parameters

• $fileName ... String expression that specifies a file name.
• $newFileExt ... String expression that specifies the new file extension, including the leading dot character.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = ChangeFileExt("e:\exp\rules.htm", ".txt")
' returns $s = "e:\exp\rules.txt"

AddBackslash

Sub AddBackslash($s As String) As String

Adds a trailing backslash character, if it does not already exist in the specified directory string.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression that specifies a directory path, with or without a trailing backslash.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = AddBackslash("e:\exp")
' returns $s = "e:\exp\"

$s = AddBackslash("e:\exp\")
' returns $s = "e:\exp\"

AddSlash

Sub AddSlash($s As String) As String

Adds a trailing slash character, if it does not already exist in the specified string.

Parameters

• $s ... String expression that specifies a path or URL, with or without a trailing slash.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = AddSlash("https://www.aignes.com/folder")
' returns $s = "https://www.aignes.com/folder/"

$s = AddSlash("https://www.aignes.com/folder/")
' returns $s = "https://www.aignes.com/folder/"

Execute

Sub Execute($program As String, $param As String)

Executes the application specified in $program.

$param contains the parameters that are passed to the application specified in $program.

Parameters

• $program ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name of the program to execute.
• $param ... String expression that specifies the command line parameters.

Example:

Execute("c:\test\alert.exe", "")

ExecuteAndWait

Sub ExecuteAndWait($program As String, $param As String, $hidden As Boolean) As Integer

Executes the application specified in $program and waits until the execution has finished.

$param contains the parameters that are passed to the application specified in $program. If the program should be executed without displaying a user interface, $hidden must be set to TRUE.

If the function fails, the return value is an error value that is less than or equal to 32. If the function succeeds, the return value is the instance handle of the application that was executed.

This function has a maximum timeout of 300 seconds, which is 5 minutes. If the executed program is not finished after 300 seconds, the result of this function is -1, and the execution of the Plugin continues. However, the specified program continues to run and is not terminated by WebSite-Watcher.

Parameters

• $program ... String expression that specifies the absolute path and file name of the program to execute.
• $param ... String expression that specifies the command line parameters.
• $hidden ... Boolean value. If set to TRUE, the window of $program is hidden.

Example:

ExecuteAndWait("e:\exp\conv-rss.exe", "/f=e:\exp\temp.rss", True)

Type Conversion Functions

Sub CStr(expression) As String
Sub CInt(expression) As Integer
Sub CDbl(expression) As Double
Sub CBool(expression) As Boolean

Converts an expression to a specific data type.

When converting a string to a numeric value, ensure that the string contains a valid number.

Example:

Dim $i, $s

$i = CInt("123.44")
' returns i = 123

$i = CInt("1.aa123,99")
' returns 1

$i = CInt(ExtractDigits("1.aa123,99"))
' returns 112399

$s = CStr(1123)
' returns s = "1123"

Abs

Sub Abs($i As Integer) As Integer

Returns the absolute value of the specified number.

Parameters

• $i ... Any numeric data type.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = Abs(-1000)
' returns $i = 1000

Round

Sub Round($value As Double) As Integer

Rounds a real-type value to an integer-type value.

Parameters

• $value ... Real-type value.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = Round(1233.75)
' returns $i = 1234

Trunc

Sub Trunc($value As Double) As Integer

Truncates a real-type value to an integer-type value.

Parameters

• $value ... Real-type value.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = Trunc(1233.75)
' returns $i = 1233

Rnd

Sub Rnd($maxValue as Integer) As Integer

Returns a random number between 0 and $maxValue.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = Rnd(1000)
' returns eg. $i = 673

Now

Sub Now As DateTime

Returns the current date and time.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = Now
' returns eg. $s = "20231119140929"

FormatDateTime

Sub FormatDateTime($format As String, $date As DateTime) As String

Formats the $date value as a string, using the format specified in $format.

Parameters

• $format ... String expression. See the table below.
• $date ... DateTime value that is converted.

Format strings

In the following table, specifiers are shown in lowercase. The format is case-insensitive, except for the "am/pm" and "a/p" specifiers.

Example:

Dim $s

$s = FormatDateTime("yyyy-mm-dd hh:nn:ss", Now())
' returns eg. $s = "2023-11-16 13:12:57"

EncodeDateTime

Sub EncodeDateTime($year As Integer, $month As Integer, $day As Integer, $hour As Integer, $min As Integer, $sec As Integer) As DateTime

Returns a DateTime value that represents the specified year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

Parameters

• $year ... Integer value.
• $month ... Integer value.
• $day ... Integer value.
• $hour ... Integer value.
• $min ... Integer value.
• $sec ... Integer value.

Example:

Dim $s

' Encode a date/time
$s = EncodeDateTime(2023, 11, 23, 12, 0, 30)

DateDiff

Sub DateDiff($date1 As DateTime, $date2 As DateTime, $type As String) As Integer

Returns an integer that specifies the difference between two specified date values. The result is always a positive value, regardless of whether $date1 or $date2 is more recent.

If you need to determine which date is more recent, you can compare them in an if statement. For example:

$d = iif($date1 > $date2, $d, -$d)

Parameters

• $date1 ... Date expression.
• $date2 ... Date expression.
• $type ... String expression.

$type can have one of the following values

• y ...Calculates the number of years between $date1 and $date2.
• m ... Calculates the number of months between $date1 and $date2.
• d ... Calculates the number of days between $date1 and $date2.
• h ... Calculates the number of hours between $date1 and $date2.
• n ... Calculates the number of minutes between $date1 and $date2.
• s ... Calculates the number of seconds between $date1 and $date2.

Example:

Dim $i

' Encode a date/time
$i = EncodeDateTime(2023, 11, 10, 12, 0, 30)

' Calculate number of days between two dates
$i = DateDiff(Now, $i, "d")

DayOfWeek

Sub DayOfWeek($date As DateTime) As Integer

Returns the day of the week for the specified date as an integer between 1 and 7, where Sunday is the first day of the week and Saturday is the seventh day.

DayOfWeek is not compliant with the ISO 8601 standard, which defines Monday as the first day of the week.

Parameters

• $date ... Date expression.

Example:

Dim $i

$i = DayOfWeek(Now)
' returns eg. i = 4 (=Wednesday)

IncDay etc.

Sub IncYear($date As DateTime, $years As Integer) As DateTime
Sub IncMonth($date As DateTime, $months As Integer) As DateTime
Sub IncDay($date As DateTime, $days As Integer) As DateTime
Sub IncHour($date As DateTime, $hours As Integer) As DateTime
Sub IncMinute($date As DateTime, $minutes As Integer) As DateTime
Sub IncSecond($date As DateTime, $seconds As Integer) As DateTime

Returns a date that is shifted by the specified number of years, months, days, hours, minutes, or seconds.

The value can be negative to calculate an earlier date.

Parameters

• $date ... Date expression.
• Value ... Integer value. Positive or negative value to increase or decrease $date.

Example:

Dim $d

$d = Now
$d = IncDay($d, 2) ' add 2 days
$d = IncDay($d, -60) ' minus 60 days

IsLeapYear

Sub IsLeapYear($year As Integer) As Boolean

Indicates whether the specified year is a leap year.

Parameters

• $year ... Integer value.

Example:

Dim $year

$year = 2009
If IsLeapYear($year) Then
   ' actions
End If

Array functions

'Defines an ARRAY with up to 99 elements
Sub ARRAY(elem1, elem2, elem3, ...) As Array

'Reads an array element
Sub AGET($arr as Array, $index As Integer) As String

'Changes the value of an array element
Sub ASET($arr as Array, $index As Integer, $value As String)

'Number of elements in an array
Sub ACOUNT($arr As Array) As Integer

The plugin system does not support arrays by default, but you can simulate arrays by using the functions ARRAY(), AGET(), ASET(), and ACOUNT().

Arrays that are created with these functions are zero-based, and the index starts at 0.

Example:

Dim $arr = ARRAY(2, 4, 6, 8, "text")
Dim $i, $s

$i = AGET($arr, 1)'returns 4
$s = AGET($arr, 4) 'returns "text"

ASET($arr, 1, "wsw") 'replaces element #1 with the string "wsw"

$i = ACOUNT($arr) 'returns the number of elements which is 5

AbortScript

Sub AbortScript($errorMessage As String)

Aborts the plugin execution and displays an error message.

Parameters

• $errorMessage ... String. The error message to be displayed.

Example:

AbortScript("Error converting page")

Sleep

Sub Sleep($milliseconds As Integer)

Pauses the program or plugin execution for the specified number of milliseconds.

Parameters

• $milliseconds ... Integer value. Number of milliseconds to wait.

Example:

' Pauses program execution for 1 second
Sleep(1000)

GetComparisonInfo

Sub GetComparisonInfo($memWeb As String, $memLocal As String, $comparisonMode As integer, ByRef $numNew As integer, ByRef $numChanged As Integer, ByRef $numDeleted As Integer)

Calculates the number of new, changed, and deleted items. This procedure can, for example, be used to determine whether only content has been removed.

Parameters

• $memWeb ... String expression. Page source code of the web version.
• $memLocal ... String expression. Page source code of the locally saved version.
• $comparisonMode ... Comparison method used to compare the web and local versions.
• $numNew ... Number of new items.
• $numChanged ... Number of changed items.
• $numDeleted ... Number of deleted items.

Values for $comparisonMode

• 0 ... Word-based. Compares the document by words.
• 1 ... Sentence-based. Compares the document by sentences.
• 2 ... Paragraph-based. Compares the document by paragraphs.

MsgBox

Sub MsgBox($message As String)

Displays a message in a dialog box and waits for the user to click a button.

The message box is displayed only while debugging the WebSite-Watcher event functions, not during a Bookmark check. An exception is the event function Wsw_SelectPlugin, which is executed only when selecting a Plugin.

Parameters

• $message ... String expression. The message to be displayed.

Example:

MsgBox("This Plugin is not compatible with that page")

Beep

Sub Beep()

Plays a tone through the computer speaker.

The frequency and duration of the beep depend on the hardware and system software, and may vary between computers.

Example:

Beep 'Sound a tone

Bookmark_GetProperty

Sub Bookmark_GetProperty($property As String) As String

Reads a property from the Bookmark configuration.

Parameters

• $property ... String value. The Bookmark property to read.

Valid values of $property:

Example:

Sub Wsw_PreprocessPage(ByRef $sMem, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $id
   
   ' Read the unique bookmark id
   $id = Bookmark_GetProperty("id")
End Sub

Bookmark_SetProperty

Sub Bookmark_SetProperty($property As String, $value As String)

Changes a Bookmark configuration.

Parameters

• $property ... String value. The Bookmark property to change.
• $value ... String value. The value to assign.

Valid values of $property:

Example:

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()
   
   ' Change bookmark pagetype to "text"
   Bookmark_SetProperty("pagetype", "text")
End Sub

Bookmark_ApplyFilter

Sub Bookmark_ApplyFilter($source As String) As String

Applies the defined filter configuration from the Bookmark properties.

Parameters

• $source ... String value. Source code of the web page.

Example:

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   $sMemWeb = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemWeb)
   $sMemLocal = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemLocal)
   
   ' Further processing
   
End Sub

Bookmark_AddLog

Sub Bookmark_AddLog($msg As String)

Adds a string to the Bookmark log file during a Bookmark check.

This function can be called in the WebSite-Watcher Event functions to add information to the Bookmark log.

Parameters

• $msg ... String expression. The text to be added to the Bookmark log.

Example:

Bookmark_AddLog("Plugin processed successfully")

Bookmark_LoadCacheFile

Sub Bookmark_LoadCacheFile($version As Integer) As String

Loads the locally saved page into a string. The parameter $version specifies whether the new, old, or changes version should be loaded.

Parameters

• $version ... Integer value. Specifies whether the new, old, or changes version should be loaded.

Valid values of $version

• 1 ... Page with highlighted changes.
• 2 ... New version.
• 3 ... Old version.

Example:

Dim $s = Bookmark_LoadCacheFile(1)

Bookmark_SaveWebPageAsRaw

Sub Bookmark_SaveWebPageAsRaw($filename As String)

Saves the downloaded document in its original format. You must use this function if you want to convert a downloaded binary file into an HTML file, for example, from PDF to HTML, by using an external conversion tool.

Parameters

• $filename ... String expression. Absolute path and filename of the target file.

Example:

Bookmark_SaveWebPageAsRaw("c:\temp\myfile.pdf")

How to...

Create a Private Plugin

Private Plugins are created and stored for each individual bookmark. They cannot be shared with other bookmarks.

1.  Open the bookmark properties.
2.  Select the Advanced tab.
3.  In the left pane, select "Plugin".
4.  Click the "Create Private Plugin" button.

This opens the Plugin IDE. You must implement an Event function.

Use the "Insert" menu to insert the framework of an Event function into the script editor.

Create a Shared Plugin

Shared Plugins are stored in separate files and can be used by multiple bookmarks.

1.  Open the bookmark properties.
2.  Select the Advanced tab.
3.  In the left pane, select "Plugin".
4.  Click the "Create Shared Plugin" button.

This opens the Plugin Editor, where you must define and implement the following parts:

• Plugin name and description
• Basic Plugin configuration, for example when the Plugin should be suggested
• The Plugin identification strings
• The Plugin script, including the required Event functions

Examples

Extracting and Comparing a Price

The following example extracts a specified price from a web page and triggers a notification only if the price is lower than a predefined value.

The price extraction depends on the structure of the page. You can use the code below as a starting point and adapt it to the HTML structure of your target page.

An alternative to such a Plugin is the regexcmp function. It can be used in Ignore filters, Watch filters, and in the Keywords functionality.

Sub ExtractPrice($sMem, ByRef $nPrice)
   
   Dim $p, $nLen
   
   $nPrice = -1
   $sMem = DeleteHtmlTags($sMem)
   ' Extract price without decimal places
   If FindRegex($sMem, "Price:\s*EUR\s*\d+,", $p, $nLen) Then
      $sMem = ExtractDigits(Copy($sMem, $p, $nLen))
      $nPrice = CInt($sMem)
   End If
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $nPriceNew, $nPriceOld, $nPriceRef
   
   ' Define reference price (100 EUR)
   $nPriceRef = 100
   
   ' Extract price from new/local version
   ExtractPrice($sMemWeb, $nPriceNew)
   ExtractPrice($sMemLocal, $nPriceOld) ' only needed to speed up several WSW routines
   
   ' Return only price - speed up several WSW routines, eg. "Test filter" dialog or "Analyze" functionality
   $sMemWeb = CStr($nPriceNew)
   $sMemLocal = CStr($nPriceOld)
   
   If $nPriceNew = -1 Then
      $iStatusCode = 2
      $sStatusMessage = "Error extracting price"
   ElseIf ($nPriceNew <> $nPriceOld) And ($nPriceNew <= $nPriceRef) Then
      $iStatusCode = 1
      $sStatusMessage = "Price changed and lower than EUR " + CStr($nPriceNew)
   ElseIf ($nPriceNew <> $nPriceOld) And ($nPriceNew > $nPriceRef) Then
      $iStatusCode = 0
      $sStatusMessage = "Price too high"
   Else
      $iStatusCode = 0
      $sStatusMessage = "Price unchanged"
   End If
End Sub

Alert When No Change Is Detected

The following example triggers a notification only if no change is detected.

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()
   
   ' disable optimizations and always perform a download to compare content
   Bookmark_SetProperty("checkmethod", "content")
   
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   ' Apply the defined filter definitions
   $sMemWeb = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemWeb)
   $sMemLocal = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemLocal)
   
   ' Compare the filtered content
   If $sMemWeb <> $sMemLocal Then
      ' Page is updated -> do NOT mark as changed
      $iStatusCode = 0
   ElseIf $sMemWeb = $sMemLocal Then
      ' Page has not been updated -> mark as changed
      $iStatusCode = 1
   End If
   
End Sub

Alert When Specific Keywords Are Found

The following example triggers a notification if specific keywords are found in new or changed content.

Sub Wsw_CheckKeywords($sMemChanges, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iKeywordFound)
   
   Dim $s = $sMemChanges
   
   ' Look for WebSite Watcher but exclude weight watcher
   If KeywordExists($s, "website", True) And KeywordExists($s, "watcher", True) And Not (KeywordExists($s, "weight", True)) Then
      $iKeywordFound = 1
      Return
   End If
   
   If KeywordExists($s, "aigne", True) And KeywordExists($s, "watcher", True) Then
      $iKeywordFound = 1
      $sStatusMessage = "Keyword 'aignes + watcher' found"
      Return
   End If
   
End Sub

For details about when this Event function is called or not called, see the topic Wsw_CheckKeywords.

Negative Keyword Search

The Update-On-Keywords feature in the bookmark properties triggers a notification only if one of the specified keywords is found in new or changed content.

If you want to receive an update notification when a keyword is not found in new or changed content, you can use the following Plugin.

Sub Wsw_CheckKeywords($sMemChanges, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iKeywordFound)
   
   If KeywordExists($sMemChanges, "your keyword", True) Then
      ' keyword found
      $iKeywordFound = 0
      $sStatusMessage = "No notification because keyword found"
   Else
      ' keyword NOT found
      $iKeywordFound = 1
      $sStatusMessage = "Notification because keyword NOT found"
   End If
   
End Sub

For a negative keyword search, do not enter any keywords in the Update-On-Keywords section.

For details about when this Event function is called or not called, see the topic Wsw_CheckKeywords.

Merge Pages from a Search Result

This example shows how to merge pages from a search result.

In this example, the page URLs contain a &start= parameter. The first page does not include this parameter. Subsequent pages use increments of 10, for example &start=10, &start=20, and so on.

Sub Wsw_MergePages($sMem, $nPageNumber, $sUrl, ByRef $sNewUrl, ByRef $sNewPostData, ByRef $bChangeBookmarkUrl, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $nPageParamNumber, $sPageParam, $sNewPageParam
   
   ' Limit the number of merged pages
   If $nPageNumber > 3 Then
      Return
   End If
   
   ' Extract page number
   $sPageParam = GetFirstRegexMatch($sUrl, "\&start=\d+")
   If $sPageParam = "" Then
      ' first page, continue with page 2 (solved with start=10)
      $sNewPageParam = "&start=10"
      $sUrl = $sUrl + $sNewPageParam
   Else
      ' increase page number
      $nPageParamNumber = CInt(ExtractDigits($sPageParam)) + 10
      $sNewPageParam = "&start=" + CStr($nPageParamNumber)
      $sUrl = Replace($sUrl, $sPageParam, $sNewPageParam)
   End If
   
   ' check (only) via Page-Param, if the next page is already available in the page source
   If Pos($sNewPageParam, $sMem) > 0 Then
      ' the next page exists
      $sNewUrl = $sUrl
      $sStatusMessage = "Merge pages via FOLLOW-Plugin"
   End If
   
End Sub

Merge the Next Page in a Forum Thread

This example shows how to follow the next page in a forum thread as soon as it becomes available.

Links to the previous and next pages are typically displayed as follows:

First ... 13, 14, 15 ... Last

For example, if you are currently on page 14 and a link to page 15 already exists on the page, this Plugin returns the new URL so that WebSite-Watcher can merge the new page with the current page.

The page links use the following format:

https://domain.com/forum/topic123x-14.html

In this example, 14 represents the page number. The URL of the first page does not include the page number, it is simply topic123x.html.

Each post in the forum thread has a post number, which is displayed as # 12 for post number 12. Define a Watch filter to monitor only the post numbers. This prevents false positives if other content changes, for example forum statistics, a changing date, or advertisements.

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()
   ' Set a watch filter to monitor only posting numbers
   ' so we will only get an update notification if a new posting number appears
   Bookmark_SetProperty("watch_filter", "regex(#\s*\d+)")
   Bookmark_SetProperty("filter_ignore_removed_content", "1")
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_MergePages($sMem, $nPageNumber, $sUrl, ByRef $sNewUrl, ByRef $sNewPostData, ByRef $bChangeBookmarkUrl, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $nPageParamNumber, $sFilename
   
   ' Limit the number of merged pages
   If $nPageNumber > 3 Then
      Return
   End If
   
   ' Extract page number
   $sFilename = GetFirstRegexMatch($sUrl, "index\d+\.html")
   If $sFilename = "" Then
      $nPageParamNumber = 2
   Else
      $sUrl = Replace($sUrl, $sFilename, "")
      $nPageParamNumber = CInt(ExtractDigits($sFilename)) + 1
   End If
   $sFilename = "index" + CStr($nPageParamNumber) + ".html"
   
   ' Generate possible next page
   If Right($sUrl, 1) <> "/" Then
      $sUrl = $sUrl + "/"
   End If
   $sUrl = $sUrl + $sFilename
   
   ' check, if the next page is already available in the page source
   If Pos($sUrl, $sMem) > 0 Then
      ' the next page already exists
      $sStatusMessage = "New page via Merge-Plugin"
      $sNewUrl = $sUrl 'return new URL
      $bChangeBookmarkUrl = True 'change URL in bookmark properties
   End If
End Sub

If a forum thread displays the page number as a parameter in the URL, for example &page=13, the following code can be used as a starting point:

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()
   ' optional watch filter if each post has a posting number, eg. #14
   Bookmark_SetProperty("watch_filter", "regex(#\s*\d+)")
   Bookmark_SetProperty("filter_ignore_removed_content", "1")
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_MergePages($sMem, $nPageNumber, $sUrl, ByRef $sNewUrl, ByRef $sNewPostData, ByRef $bChangeBookmarkUrl, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $nPageParamNumber, $sPageParam
   
   ' Limit the number of merged pages
   If $nPageNumber > 5 Then
      Return
   End If
   
   ' Extract page number
   $sPageParam = GetFirstRegexMatch($sUrl, "\&page=\d+")
   If $sPageParam = "" Then
      ' first page, continue with page 2
      $sUrl = $sUrl + "&page=2"
   Else
      ' increase page number
      $nPageParamNumber = CInt(ExtractDigits($sPageParam)) + 1
      $sUrl = Replace($sUrl, $sPageParam, "&page=" + CStr($nPageParamNumber))
   End If
   
   ' check, if the next page is already available in the page source
   If Pos($sUrl, $sMem) > 0 Then
      ' the next page already exists
      $sNewUrl = $sUrl
      $bChangeBookmarkUrl = True ' change bookmark URL to latest merged URL
      $sStatusMessage = "New page via FOLLOW-Plugin"
   End If
   
End Sub

Log the Duration of a Check

This example calculates the duration of a check and writes the number of seconds to a CSV log file (c:\wswlogs\log23.txt).

The number of seconds is also written to the additional info field #1, which can be displayed as a column in the bookmark list.

Global variables can be defined at the beginning of the Plugin.

' Global variables that can be used in all event functions
Dim $sLogfile = "c:\wswlogs\log23.txt"
Dim $dStart = ""

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_BeforeCheck()
   Bookmark_SetProperty("checkmethod", "content")
   $dStart = Now
End Sub

'*******************************************************************************

Sub Wsw_AfterCheck(ByRef $sStatusMessage)
   
   Dim $sSeconds = DateDiff(Now, $dStart, "s")
   
   ' Write seconds into additional info field/column
   Bookmark_SetProperty("infofield1", $sSeconds + " sec")
   
   ' Write URL and seconds into log file
   If $sLogfile <> "" Then
      AddStringToFile($sLogfile, """" + Bookmark_GetProperty("check_url") + """;""" + $sSeconds + """" + CRLF)
   End If
   
End Sub

Alert Only If There Is More Than One Change

By default, WebSite-Watcher triggers a notification as soon as a change is detected.

If you want to receive an update notification only when there is, for example, more than one change, you can use the Plugin below.

You can also increase the value from 1 to a higher number, for example to receive an update notification only when there are more than 3 changes on the page.

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $nNew, $nChg, $nDel
   
   ' Apply entered filter definitions
   $sMemWeb = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemWeb)
   $sMemLocal = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemLocal)
   
   ' Calculate the number of new/changed/deleted content
   GetComparisonInfo($sMemWeb, $sMemLocal, 1, $nNew, $nChg, $nDel)
   
   ' Notification only if there is more than 1 change
   If ($nNew + $nChg > 1) Then
      $iStatusCode = 1
   End If
   
End Sub

Extract URLs of PDF Links

This example extracts the URLs of all links to PDF files and displays them on the web page.

Sub Wsw_PreprocessPage(ByRef $sMem, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   Dim $sl, $i, $sItem
   
   $sl = GetAllWildcardMatches($sMem, "<a *>")
   For $i = 0 To StringList_ItemCount($sl) - 1
      $sItem = StringList_GetItem($sl, $i)
      If Pos(".pdf", $sItem) > 0 Then
         $sMem = Replace($sMem, $sItem, $sItem + HtmlGetParam($sItem, "href"))
      End If
   Next
   
End Sub

Log Date, URL, and Status of the Last Check

This example writes the date, URL, and status of the last check to a log file in CSV format.

Sub Wsw_AfterCheck(ByRef $sStatusMessage)
   
   Dim $sUrl, $sDateTime, $sStatus
   
   $sUrl = Bookmark_GetProperty("check_url")
   $sStatus = Bookmark_GetProperty("status")
   $sDateTime = Now
   
   AddStringToFile("c:\logs\log.csv", $sDateTime + ";" + $sUrl + ";" + $sStatus)
   
End Sub

Error If Ignore Filter Definitions Do Not Match

This example generates an error if not all Ignore filter definitions find a match.

Sub Wsw_CompareVersions(ByRef $sMemWeb, ByRef $sMemLocal, ByRef $sStatusMessage, ByRef $iStatusCode)
   
   'Apply the defined filter definitions
   $sMemWeb = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemWeb)
   $sMemLocal = Bookmark_ApplyFilter($sMemLocal)
   
   Dim $sUnused = Bookmark_GetProperty("ignore_filter_unused")
   
   If Len($sUnused) > 0 Then
      $iStatusCode = 2 'error
      $sStatusMessage = "Filters broken"
      Bookmark_AddLog("Unused filters: " + $sUnused)
   ElseIf $sMemWeb <> $sMemLocal Then
      $iStatusCode = 1 'updates detected
   Else
      $iStatusCode = 0 'no updates available
   End If
End Sub

About...

Order WebSite-Watcher

WebSite-Watcher is try-before-you-buy software.

You can evaluate WebSite-Watcher for 30 days at no charge. If you want to continue using WebSite-Watcher after the trial period, you must purchase a license.

For more information, visit https://www.aignes.com/shop.htm.

License Agreement

Terms of License for the software product WebSite-Watcher (in the following called "SOFTWARE PRODUCT")

This End-User License Agreement ("EULA") is a legal agreement between you (either an individual or a single entity, hereinafter referred to as "Customer") and Aignesberger Software GmbH. Please pay attention to the following notes before you start using this software. If you do not agree with the following, do not use the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and remove it from your system.

The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed, not sold. The Business Edition is for business and professional use. The Personal Edition is only for private and non-commercial use.

The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is fitted with product activation procedures (license manager) designed to prevent unauthorized use. Any attempt to circumvent the restrictions on unauthorized use shall result in the immediate termination of this agreement and loss of any rights of use on the part of the Customer. In such a case, further use of the Software is liable to copyright infringement and further legal claims.

1. License Agreement

The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is a try-before-you-buy software. You are allowed to test this software intensively for a period of 30 days. To use the software after this period legally you need to register. The price for the registered version can be obtained in the actually valid price list, which is available at the website mentioned above. By using the software beyond the test period you infringe international copyright terms!

The licensed version of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT (single user license) can be installed by the licensee on up to 3 computers (eg. PC and Notebook), as long as the SOFTWARE PRODUCT is only used by one single person, the licensee. The use of the software by different users needs additional licenses, one license per user.

2. Reproduction and Distribution

The SOFTWARE PRODUCT unregistered version may be freely distributed, provided the distribution package is not modified. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT and the attached documentation can not be distributed together with commercial software. For this you need to be authorized by the manufacturer.

No person or company may charge a fee for the distribution of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT without written permission of the author. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT may not be sold or be included in a product or package.

3. Other Rights and Limitations

Limitations on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly: You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.

Separation of Components: The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is licensed as a single product. Its component parts may not be separated for use on more than one computer.

Software Transfer: You may not permanently transfer all of your rights under this End-User License Agreement.

Termination: Without prejudice to any other rights, the Author of this Software may terminate this End-User License Agreement if you fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this End-User License Agreement. In such event, you must destroy all copies of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT and all of its component parts.

4. Copyright

The SOFTWARE PRODUCT is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties.

5. No Warranties

The Author of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT expressly disclaims any warranty for the SOFTWARE PRODUCT. The SOFTWARE PRODUCT and any related documentation is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, the implied warranties or merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or noninfringement. The entire risk arising out of use or performance of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT remains with you.

No Liability for Damages: In no event shall the author of this Software be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of or inability to use this product, even if the Author of the SOFTWARE PRODUCT has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you.

6. Other Provisions

The license agreement for this software may be modified if necessary. Therefore the license agreement under which the software has been delivered will be applied. Should one or more provisions of this agreement be or become invalid, all other license agreements and provisions remain valid. Invalid provisions have to be replaced by others which are equal for the economical contents. The latest revision of this document can be found at www.aignes.com. All mentioned trademarks and copyrights are property of the relative owner. Court of jurisdiction is Landesgericht Wels, Austria.

Credits

Thanks, Credits, Trademarks, Third Party Software Licenses

Thanks to everyone who helped develop WebSite-Watcher by reporting errors and providing constructive feedback.

Special thanks to all honest users who support the development of WebSite-Watcher by registering a copy.

---

Chromium:

// Copyright 2014 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.

//

// Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without

// modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are

// met:

//

//    * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright

// notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

//    * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above

// copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer

// in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the

// distribution.

//    * Neither the name of Google Inc. nor the names of its

// contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from

// this software without specific prior written permission.

//

// THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS

// "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT

// LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR

// A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT

// OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,

// SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT

// LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,

// DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY

// THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT

// (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE

// OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

---

Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF):

// Copyright (c) 2008-2014 Marshall A. Greenblatt. Portions Copyright (c)

// 2006-2009 Google Inc. All rights reserved.

//

// Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without

// modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are

// met:

//

//    * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright

// notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

//    * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above

// copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer

// in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the

// distribution.

//    * Neither the name of Google Inc. nor the name Chromium Embedded

// Framework nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse

// or promote products derived from this software without specific prior

// written permission.

//

// THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS

// "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT

// LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR

// A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT

// OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,

// SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT

// LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,

// DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY

// THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT

// (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE

// OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

---

// ************************************************************************

// ***************************** CEF4Delphi *******************************

// ************************************************************************

//

// CEF4Delphi is based on DCEF3 which uses CEF3 to embed a chromium-based

// browser in Delphi applications.

//

// The original license of DCEF3 still applies to CEF4Delphi.

//

// For more information about CEF4Delphi visit :

//         https://www.briskbard.com/index.php?lang=en&pageid=cef

//

//        Copyright © 2019 Salvador Diaz Fau. All rights reserved.

//

// ************************************************************************

// ************ vvvv Original license and comments below vvvv *************

// ************************************************************************

(*

*                       Delphi Chromium Embedded 3

*

* Usage allowed under the restrictions of the Lesser GNU General Public License

* or alternatively the restrictions of the Mozilla Public License 1.1

*

* Software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" basis,

* WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for

* the specific language governing rights and limitations under the License.

*

* Unit owner : Henri Gourvest <hgourvest@gmail.com>

* Web site   : https://www.progdigy.com

* Repository : https://code.google.com/p/delphichromiumembedded/

* Group      : https://groups.google.com/group/delphichromiumembedded

*

* Embarcadero Technologies, Inc is not permitted to use or redistribute

* this source code without explicit permission.

*

*)

Copyright © Aignesberger Software GmbH. All Rights Reserved.