Get href of a button through web browser control

[matty95srk]

I'm trying to get the href of a button using the control Web Browser. The html is:

<a download="" href="https://x638jxfnvmcxbaxcskqsdadskdqnfwexc.shikisha.shiksha/f2xcqrz1wxf13dssdalkgrdjkgdklfjdsaklkcxmsacxzcdfsvsdcqwdjkkvfmdskicmsdascmamzcassmdamcxscxzcsacasvfdssacxzcsdxvsaqswcxzvbededvvb.php?nqusjmslpeprtmdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhstexrsfiwhvfmmoorewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdwxjwsfiwhvfhlmj=yyhnlsoahifiztdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhscscvsfiwhvffbbsrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdryansfiwhvfmwdn222811prciwnbztwy5&amp;pxhotisnweqwlkdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhsotjpsfiwhvfnshnrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdnpsesfiwhvfoczq=yloyeevwdfcbpkdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhszjdssfiwhvfeyczrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdozixsfiwhvfhcimfslzpcikfrvnqldsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhsptjesfiwhvfmzsrrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdyskesfiwhvfcchh&amp;fkdsadxcwaqcscasxcsacxsaxazxcvsdvdslssafdsvx=174147325&amp;dkjfsjksdadsdvcxxcvswscxrewsdf=sdx2&amp;sdwreggllslsdxvc&amp;sadklxcklkvb=qwrdcbkklsdxk&amp;jiijlks=lz9fSJUhlRoBL8M8qh4Ido&amp;uijdsdkdfkgfdsd=85652262237b1335ca34.14415852&amp;lkfdsfxc=lz9fSJUhlRoBL8M8qh4Ido&amp;nqusjmslpeprtmdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhstexrsfiwhvfmmoorewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdwxjwsfiwhvfhlmj=yyhnlsoahifiztdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhscscvsfiwhvffbbsrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdryansfiwhvfmwdn222811prciwnbztwy5&amp;pxhotisnweqwlkdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhsotjpsfiwhvfnshnrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdnpsesfiwhvfoczq=yloyeevwdfcbpkdsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhszjdssfiwhvfeyczrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdozixsfiwhvfhcimfslzpcikfrvnqldsjkhghewojicwe0guhifkjbh2qqqhsptjesfiwhvfmzsrrewioujgbhuiovshdkjwvcjhfdbwehjkvkjhsdnvmwouipfdyskesfiwhvfcchh"><button id="myImageId44" type="button" class="download2 download2dahover"><font color="#F08080">Download MP3 (Bitrate: 320 kbps | 7.28 MB | 00:03:10)</font></button></a>

The code I'm trying inside the event Document Completed of the Web Browser control is:

Dim HtmlCollec As HtmlElementCollection
         HtmlCollec = WebBrowser1.Document.GetElementsByTagName("button")
         For Each iElement As HtmlElement In HtmlCollec
             If iElement.GetAttribute("id").Equals("myImageId44") Then
                 RichTextBox1.Text = iElement.ToString
                            End If
         Next

but Im getting as output:

System.Windows.Forms.HtmlElement

I'm also trying with:-

 Dim element = WebBrowser1.Document.GetElementById("myImageId44")
         If element IsNot Nothing AndAlso element.Document.Links.Count > 0 Then
             Dim link = element.Document.Links(0).GetAttribute("href")
         End If

but I get a different link from what I expect.

To be clear, the website I'm working is this one


This is a GIF to show you

[.paul.]

Try your second code with a different Links index

[Peter Swinkels]

@.paul:

When I try the html provided and check the number of links I get exactly one link.

   Private Sub WebBrowser1_DocumentCompleted(sender As Object, e As WebBrowserDocumentCompletedEventArgs) Handles WebBrowser1.DocumentCompleted
      Dim element = WebBrowser1.Document.GetElementById("myImageId44")

      If element IsNot Nothing AndAlso element.Document.Links.Count > 0 Then
         Dim link = element.Document.Links(0).GetAttribute("href")

         MessageBox.Show(element.Document.Links.count.ToString)
      End If
   End Sub

So how is changing the index going to help the op?

[dday9]

The DOM tree is:

• <a />
  
  • <button /> #myImageId44
    
    • <font />

The href lives as an attribute on #myImageId44's parent DOM node. So what you'll want to do is get the button by the Id, get the parent, and t hen get the href:

Dim buttonElement = WebBrowser1.Document.GetElementById("myImageId44")
If (buttonElement Is Nothing) Then
    Return
End If

Dim anchorElement = buttonElement.Parent
If (anchorElement Is Nothing) Then
    Return
End If

Dim href = anchorElement.GetAttribute("href")
If (String.IsNullOrWhitespace(href)) Then
    Return
End If

MessageBox.Show(href)

[Shaggy Hiker]

See whether they have an API, first. That's a converter, so it is pretty likely that they'd offer up an API for doing the same work. If so, use that. Working with the HTML of the page is a recipe for misery. Web developers can't resist tweaking the HTML for the latest and greatest flavor of things. It might be a button today and a <div> tomorrow, or something weirder. The very point of API's is to make an easier interface for programs to work with the mechanism of the site.