php scriptable web browser

Question

I want a url redirect tracer function in the php such as http://www.wheregoes.com/ .

I want to detect four kinds of redirects:

Http 301 redirect
Http 302 redirect
meta tag redirect
javascript redirect

If i use curl, i can easily detect 301, 302 redirect, but it is difficult to detect the other two redirections.

So i want a scriptable web browser, i will use a library as below:

$browser = Browser::createBrowser('chrome');
$delay = 10; // (This is a important parameter for detecting javascript or meta tag redirection).

$browser->load($url, $delay, function onLoadComplete($arr_track_url){
    print_r($arr_track_url);
});

I searched and ran into some libraries such as http://www.simpletest.org/en/browser_documentation.html, but they don't support javascript and meta tag redirect.

Is there any php scriptable browser? Or can i detect javascript or meta tag redirection easily?

possible duplicate of Non-browser emulation of JavaScript - is it possible? — Ja͢ck
– Ja͢ck, Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 6:31
<meta> tags are still easy, JavaScript redirects are pretty hard. — Ja͢ck
– Ja͢ck, Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 6:32
I think Non-browser emulation is too heavy for my request. Because i don't want parsing css, draw html and so on. I need only redirection of html. Is there any cool solution for this? — Danil Chernokalov
– Danil Chernokalov, Commented Feb 22, 2013 at 6:54

arkascha · Accepted Answer · 2013-02-22 06:30:13Z

2

If I get that right you want to find out where some link finally leads to, if that final url differs from the url actually clicked in the first place?

If so I think the best approach is to let the browser do its work and loko afterwards where it came out. This way you get exactly the 'normal' behaviour of a browser, not that of some library.

Use a (hidden) iframe where you load the url into. Then wait for a window.load event or something and query the documents location afterwards. I didn't try that now, but sounds doable to me...

answered Feb 22, 2013 at 6:30

arkascha

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4 Comments

Danil Chernokalov Over a year ago

I also think it can't solve some library code so easily. But how can i interactive browser instance with php?

arkascha Over a year ago

Well not sure what you refer to with 'library'... But it certainly does everything a browser would do and that should be the final target. Or did I missunderstood your question?

Danil Chernokalov Over a year ago

I want to develop a site like wheregoes.com with php, but it not support meta tag redirect and javascript redirect. How can i detect all the redirection on the server side?

arkascha Over a year ago

Ah, so you want to work on the server side, I understood you meant on the client side. Anyway, same approach: use a headess browser instead of an iframe. A headless browser that implements javascript.

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