Detect whether connection to external url is possible

simonneaves · October 20th, 2005, 06:36 AM

Hi, I have a little problem with a script which I set up a while back. The script connects to a text file on a product supplier's site which has lists of all of the products which are currently in stock. I then run a script to update my database with all out of stock products so that they don't appear on my site.

It works like a dream, except that BT just cut the cables for the suppliers web server. This means that my script can't connect to the text file, and I get horrible error messages.

Does anybody know how to implement an error detection that will prevent the script from running if the connection to the external text document cannot be made. I obviously want it so that the script is simply ignored, and no error messages are presented.

Is there a script which says "if this url can be found then run the script below"

My connection code below:

Code:

Set objXmlHttp = Server.CreateObject("Msxml2.ServerXMLHTTP") 
	objXmlHttp.open "GET", "http://www.domain.com/available.csv", False 
	objXmlHttp.send 
	strTextFile = objXmlHttp.responseText

Thanks

Rob · October 20th, 2005, 07:32 AM

I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure the objXmlHttp.open or objXmlHttp.send methods have return values.

If not, you could use on error resemu next and check for the existance of an err value (which will indicate there was a problem connecting)

Hope this helps.

Smokie · October 24th, 2005, 08:07 AM

Code:

If objXmlHttp.status = "200" Then

simonneaves · October 24th, 2005, 09:12 AM

aha!

Thanks for this.

The document I'm trying to connect to is working ok again now, so all is well.

I've tried connecting to a document that doesn't exist, or a domain that doesn't exist, and script times out though. I don't know wheteher I'm accurately simulating their server going down by doing this.

Thanks though, this certainly helps.

Si.