Bot News
InfoScanner

By Brian Proffitt

The line between what is and isn't bot technology is a bit fuzzy these days, as automated tools are starting to pop-up wherever you look. One such example is InfoScanner--an application that looks and acts like a browser--but is also a tool that can let you create your own bots.

InfoScanner, a product of Munich, Germany-based WisoSoftCom, is not just another wraparound shell for the Internet Explorer browser engine. InfoScanner is also a pretty sophisticated Internet data collection tool.

InfoScanner works pretty simply: it records a user navigating through a site or sites for specific information, and then stores those actions in a macro. Upon playback, the macro will revisit and collect information from the site(s), and even place it in a tabular database.

Building a macro in InfoScanner is not too hard, but learning the nuances of collecting information is a bit tricky. First, you need to create a database in which to store your newfound information, then assign pieces of information on the Web page to populate the database fields you create.

This is the Journalist 101 version of how InfoScanner works, but after the first couple of tries and a good read of the 4 Mb online help file, I was able to start putting my own macros together. They were clunky, but effective. Developers should have a real headstart getting a good macro together.

What made this process a lot easier was the efficient interface that lets you see database, Web page, and macro script all in one glance.

InfoScanner's developers have defined this application as a tool for "Web content retrieval, aggregation and re-purposing," according to Michael Ozeryansky, Product Development Manager.

But the creation of an automated script that performs repetitious tasks does propel InfoScanner into the realm of bot technology. Though the developers are WisoSoftCom weren't initially aware of this definition.

"At that point somebody found the BotSpot site... so we learned a little more about bots," Ozeryansky explained, "Soon we understood--actually what we do is some kind of bots... Maybe we can call it 'bots generator'."

InfoScanner SE is available as a free demonstration version at the WisoSoftCom site.