Site Details – Parameters

August 21st, 2009 | Categories: Advanced Tutorial, Chameleon TGP/MGP Submitter

Identification of the submit form (or e-mail) and its properties with the option of automatically replacing separate parameters in it.

Site Details - Parameters

Site Details - Parameters

Access Site Details (Parameters) through the context menu in Database ( Database > Show).

If the site is using a submit form:

First, make sure that the Submit URL in the General tab is filled in as needed because this is required to load the form correctly.

To identify the submit form you need to enter the submit form’s Action URL, submit Method and Names of the fields with the assigned Values.
-> To obtain all the necessary data first click on the Get Parameters button! The submit form of the site is opened in a new browser window with pre-filled parameters in the fields of the form.

Get Form Parameters

Get Form Parameters

The Values in the form consists of data which is normally filled in on submit, like the URL of your gallery, your nickname, category, etc. Since this data depends on the gallery submitted, it is necessary to define them in the database using the appropriate Parameters. During the submitting process these parameters will be automatically replaced by actual data entered in Step 1.

1. Select & Paste Parameters:

Fill in the missing parameters by selecting them from the list of Parameters and placing in the correct form fields by using the Paste command from the context menu (or by using CTRL+V).

Description of Parameters:

  • Patner Account:
    $$login – substitute of Login Name;
    $$pass – substitute of Password;
  • Info About User:
    $$email – substitute of E-mail Address;
    $$nick – substitute of Nick Name;
  • Gallery URL:
    $$url – substitute of full URL of Gallery;
    $$urls – substitute of URL of Gallery without ‘http://’;
  • Gallery Description:
    $$desc15 – substitute of Gallery Title/Model’s Name – max 15 characters;
    $$desc20 – substitute of Description – max 20 characters*;
    $$desc30 – substitute of Description – max 30 characters*;
    $$desc35 – substitute of Description – max 35 characters*;
    $$desc50 – substitute of Description – max 50 characters*;
    $$desc99 – substitute of Description – max 99 characters*;
    * NOTE: If the maximum number of characters available in a form is different from all available parameter options, replace the number in the parameter by the actual maximum permitted number of characters (up to 300 chars). For example enter $$desc25 if the site accepts no more than 25 characters, etc.
  • Keywords:
    $$keywords – substitute of space-separated Keywords;
    $$ckeywords – substitute of comma-separated Keywords;
  • Category:
    $$cat – substitute of Category (its Value);
    $$ncat – substitute of Chameleon TGP/MGP Submitter category name (if Value of category is not defined in submit form);
  • Sample Thumbnail:
    $$thumbfile – substitute of path to the file of the sample thumbnail uploaded during submit;
    $$thumburl – substitute of full URL of the sample thumbnail;
    $$thumburls – substitute of URL of the sample thumbnail without ‘http://’;
  • Gallery Content Type:
    $$galtype – substitute of gallery content type. Used wherever the choice is between pics, movies or mixed content;
  • Number:
    $$picnum – substitute of Number of Pics;
    $$0picnum – substitute of double-digit Number of Pics (e.g. ‘08′ instead of ‘8′);
    $$movnum – substitute of Number of Movies;
    $$0movnum – substitute of double-digit Number of Movies (e.g. ‘08′ instead of ‘8′);
    $$picmovnum – substitute of Number of Pics and Movies. Used wherever the site (TGP+, MGP) only uses one field for the number of pics and movies or for mixed galleries,
    $$0picmovnum – substitute of double-digit Number of Pics and Movies.
  • Movie Type:
    $$movtype – substitute of movie type (format). Used wherever choice needs to be made about the type of movie (AVI, MPEG, etc…);
  • Movie Size:
    $$movsize – substitute of (average) size of one movie in MB (rounded to 1 decimal place);
    $$movtsize – substitute of total size of all movies in the gallery in MB (rounded to 1 decimal place);
  • Movie Lenght:
    $$movlength – substitute of (average) length of one movie in minutes and seconds (mm:ss);
    $$movtlength – substitute of total length of all movies in the gallery in minutes and seconds (mm:ss);
  • Comments:
    $$comment – substitute of Comments;
  • 2257 Info URL:
    $$2257url – substitute of full URL to 2257 Info;
  • Big Image URL:
    $$bigurl – substitute of full URL to Big Image (not thumbnail);
  • IP Address:
    $$ip – substitute of your IP address;
  • Custom Parameters:
    $$user1-4 – substitute of Custom Parameters, you can define yourself;
  • Passphrase:
    $$code – substitute of Image Code (OCR). Only works for certain types of passphrases!
    If you want to find out if the selected passphrase can be recognized and automatically filled in, drag & drop the passphrase from the form into the Test Code field.
    - If the code displayed in the field is the same as the code in the form, you may use the $$code parameter.
    - If, however, a blank or different code is shown than the one in the form, leave the field with the passphrase in the form empty or else it will be completed incorrectly during the submit.
    $$copytxt(expression) – substitute of Text Code (which can be selected, copied and pasted… no images!).
    When using the parameter replace the text in the brackets with an expression appearing BEFORE the required code in the page text (not in its source code!). Once the submitter locates the expression it will enter a word (text code) into the field which immediately FOLLOWS the expression. See examples in the Tips & Tricks section at the end of this page.

If you entered the missing parameters into empty fields of the form, proceed by assigning the following parameters:

2. Assign Selected Control to:

  • Categories: If the form contains categories, highlight their menu (or one of them) and click the Categories button.
    The Status under the button shall change to Assigned [OK].
  • Movie Type: If the form contains movie types, highlight their menu (or one of them) and click Movie Type. Movie Type means its format, e.g. AVI, MPEG, etc. (available only for MGPs or TGPs+).
    The Status under the button shall change to Assigned [OK].
  • Content Type: If the form contains gallery content types, highlight their menu (or one of them) and click Content Type. Gallery Content Type describes whether the content consists of pics, movies or it is a mixed gallery.
    The Status under the button shall change to Assigned [OK].

Relevant parameters ($$cat, $$movtype and $$galtype) will be automatically assigned to the field names. If some of them are not contained in the loaded form, or none of them are contained, leave the status at Missing [N/A].

3. Confirm Assignment:

To automatically download a form into the submitter with assigned parameters click the Submit button (also called “Post This Gallery”, “Post”, etc.) directly in the form for the given site.
After submitting the form you will see a Navigation window with the following options:

  • If you are adding a form contained on a single page, click the Finish button to finish the process of adding.
  • However, if you are adding a form contained in more than a single page (a multi-page form), it is necessary to decide whether it is necessary to log into the next page, or whether you have already entered your login info.
    • With authorization, or if the login info have not been entered yet:
      Click Back, fill out your login info, re-submit the form to log in, and proceed.
    • With no authorization required or if login info have been entered:
      Click Continue to get to the form of the next page where you can proceed by assigning further parameters.

    Once you are finished with the last form, click the Finish button.

After clicking the Finish button the window with the form and the navigation window will close, which takes you back to the Parameters tab.

As you can see for yourself, in addition to required parameters, the fields Action URL and Method were also automatically filled out in the Parameters tab.
NOTE! In special cases when the site uses HTTP header cookies when sending the form the Method needs to be changed manually! See Method Setting below.
In the Parameters table you can see the Names of the form fields (visible and hidden) and their assigned Values. They can be edited if needed, but we only recommend editing them to advanced users.

  • If the site has category selection in the form ($$cat) then the Names and Values will be TEMPORARILY loaded (only after clicking Get Parameters or Get Categories) into the Site Categories table in the Categories tab.
  • If the site (TGP+) has gallery content type selection in the form ($$galtype), their Names and Values will be TEMPORARILY loaded (only after clicking Get Parameters) into the Site Content Types table. In such case these Values need to be dragged and dropped into the CS Content Types table and assign them to the Types of gallery content types in Chameleon TGP/MGP Submitter.
  • If the site (MGP, TGP+) has movie type selection in the form ($$movtype), their Names and Values will be TEMPORARILY loaded (only after clicking Get Parameters) into the Site Movie Types table. In such case these Values need to be dragged and dropped into the CS Movie Types table and assign them to the Types of movie types in Chameleon TGP/MGP Submitter.
    If, however the site (MGP, TGP+) does not have any selection of movie types in the form or permits all types (without the option of assigning Values), check the accepted types in the CS Movie Types table.

Method Setting:

The Method parameter defines the form submission process where GET and POST are standard HTTP methods included automatically when Get Parameters button is used.
MPOST is a standard HTTP POST method using ‘multipart/form-data’ transfer encoding. This encoding is used in all forms which require a file to be uploaded (e.g. for sample thumbnail uploads). MPOST will also automatically be completed when the Get Parameters button is clicked.

Note: If the site uses header cookies when the HTTP form is sent, you need to select the GET+POST method (e.g. for Brownie Script) or GET+MPOST method (combination of HTTP header cookies and ‘multipart/form-data’ encoding) manually!

The MAIL method is used when submitting by e-mail (see below).

If the site uses E-mail submission:

Select MAIL in the Method box. Enter its E-mail address and the Subject used in the e-mail.

  • If the site requires a specific information in the e-mail, different from the Default E-mail Text entered in the E-mail Template tab, then you need to complete the parameters table as follows:
    Enter the required name of the value in the Name column (e.g. Gallery URL, Number of Pics, Description, etc.), and add the appropriate value in the Value column.
    In the final e-mail these parameters will be replaced by real data and the Values entered for Name will be separated by a colon. The sequence of rows in the table will be retained.
    The e-mail content defined in this way can be extended by a Header and a Footer. To do that go to Custom E-mail Options
  • If the site does not require specific information in the e-mail then the data entered in the Default E-mail Text will be used and no further parameters need to be specified in the table (leave the table empty!).

Finally, do not forget to check all accepted movies (TGP+, MGP) in the CS Movie Types table and/or categories in the Categories tab.

 
Click on the Save button if you wish to save the information filled in. Click on the Categories tab to view further information about the site.
If you do not want to store the information entered or you have made no changes, click on Cancel button.
By clicking on OK button the data will be stored and the Site Details window is automatically closed.


Tips & Tricks:

  • The sites in the database do not need to be edited manually, we will do it for you! Just run Database Update (Database > Update) and the sites will be updated automatically.
  • If you change any settings in any tab of Site Details (except for Partner Account, Preferred User Settings in General tab and custom categories in the Categories tab), we recommend to Lock the site against automatic Database Update (Database > Update). Otherwise you run the risk that these settings will be overridden during the next update.<em>
  • You do not need to lock a site you added against Database Update because it will not be automatically deleted during update.
    NOTE! If the same site is added to the central database between updates, your own settings may be overridden during the next update.
  • When adding your own site you need to enter the necessary information in all Site Details tabs, otherwise generation in Step 3, and Auto/Manual Submit will not be correct!
  • If no form is opened when you click on Get Parameters, you have entered an incorrect Submit URL in the General tab.
  • If you get a Navigation window after clicking on Get Parameters, click the Continue button to load the form.
  • If the submit page or images on it loads slowly when Get Parameters is clicked, click on Stop to stop the download.
  • If you wish to cancel or close the window with the downloaded submit form before completing all parameters, click on the Cancel button. The window will be closed and no parameters will be assigned.
  • If the form to be submitted is contained on more than a single page, it is necessary to set up manual submitting (check the Manual Submission box in the General tab).
  • If you enter a parameter for description with a different maximum number of characters than the available amount then the description from Step 1 closest to this maximum amount (the nearest shorter description) is used during submit.
  • If you cannot drag and drop the Values into the CS Content Types or CS Movie Types table, verify that your Site Type is set correctly in the General tab. These tables are not active for TGP sites (as TGP only accepts pics).
  • The temporarily loaded tables (Site Content Types, Site Movie Types and Site Categories in the Categories tab) disappear as soon as you close Site Details. Therefore, if you could not drag and drop all the required Values into the appropriate CS tables, click on Get Categories in the Categories tab to re-read them or click on Get Parameters to repeat the whole process.
  • If the only categories the site offers are ‘pics’ and ‘movies’, you can either use the $$galtype or $$cat parameter.
    If you use the $$galtype parameter then the Values need to be moved to the CS Content Types table and enable all accepted categories in the CS Categories table in the Categories tab.
    If you use the $$cat parameter then drag and drop the category Values of all accepted categories to the CS Categories table in the Categories tab.
  • Some sites (mainly MGP-type) require the same data, but in a different format. Movie size is a good example – one site requires the data in kB, another in MB, and some even have combinations of sizes and numbers of movies (e.g. 1×1MB, 2×1MB, 1×2MB, 2×2MB, etc.).
    To enter the size of movies use the $$movsize or $$movtsize parameters. During submitting these parameters are always substituted by the size in MB rounded to one decimal place, without unit specification, e.g.:
    500 kB -> 0.5
    1240 kB-> 1.2
    1250 kB-> 1.3
    2010 kB -> 2
    If the site requires the size of the movie(s) to be entered in a different format or unit, set the site to Manual Submission in General tab.
  • If the site offers sizes combined with the number of movies (e.g. 1×500kb, 1×1mb, 1×1.5mb+,…), only use the $$movsize parameter and set the site to Manual Submission in the General tab. During manual submit the closest average size will be selected for the number of movies that the gallery contains.
  • If, in addition to movie size, the site requires to fill in the unit, then the unit needs to be entered after the parameter in the Parameters table, e.g. “$$movsize MB”.
  • If submitting by e-mail, parameters may also be used in the subject field. If the category name is required in the subject of the e-mail, specify the $$cat (or $$ncat) parameter.
  • When submitting by e-mail and if the message content is specific, you can enter parameters in the Value column and leave the Name column empty. The e-mail set up in this way will only contain the required data, but unnamed (i.e. without Gallery URL, Description, etc.).
  • If you have used the $$ncat parameter in the Parameters table, the name of the CS category will be substituted when needed (e.g. when the site has no names for its categories and you need to enter a category name in a form field or you wish to enter its name in an e-mail template).
  • Most of the currently used passphrases are completed automatically during submit when the $$code parameter is used. If the software fails to recognize an image code correctly (using Test Code), it is necessary to set the site to Manual Submit (check Manual Submission box in the General tab), so that you can enter the code manually during submit.
  • When using the $$copytxt(expression) parameter replace the text in the brackets with an expression appearing BEFORE the required code in the page text (not in its source code!)
    Because the code itself is text-based and changes with every reload, you need to tell the submitter where the code is located on the submit page so it can copy & paste it in the appropriate field automatically.
    This is why an exact, fixed expression (word or text) should be defined in the parameter’s brackets, which precedes the generated text code on the page. This expression will enable the submitter to locate the position of the text code.
    Once the submitter locates the expression it will enter a word (text code) into the field which immediately FOLLOWS the expression.Example of a correct setting of the text code parameter:
    Set in form (using Get Parameters):
     
    Set in the Parameters table:

  • The expression in the bracket after the $$copytxt parameter may consist of several words/characters; this expression must be unique and must not be repeated on the page.
  • To ensure that the code (image or text) is recognized and submitted during Auto Submit the Method has to be set to GET+POST, or to GET+MPOST. If you did not change the method manually, it will be changed automatically when saving Site Details.
  • If the site is set to Manual Submission and uses a dynamic form, e.g. if it reveals or hides other form fields when the content of a field changes, enter the $#onchange parameter in the Parameters table. Simply copy the form field name (that uses the JavaScript OnChange event) and paste it to a new row inside the Parameters table (note: it must be entered BELOW the original form field name); and assign the $#onchange value to it.
    This can be also used for other JavaScript events, just replace onchange with an appropriate event, e.g. $#onclick, etc. Only recommended for advanced users!

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