Learning Automation using python

[Cyber devil]

Hey everyone,
I have some background experience with coding. I want to try the automation field so I've started learning Selenium and it will be great if i can get some advice from you all.

I usually code in python(beginner) but i am eager to learn and try out new things. Just looking for some suggestions on what should i try or learn for this.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Delta223]

I followed that path too. I would suggest thinking of ways to leak traffic from other sites to yours. Twitter bots, blog comment bots, etc.

 

[0x29a]

I'm a low level programmer so personally I like to automate things the 'raw' way, meaning instead of using libraries to tell a browser which buttons to click, I do the following:

1. Use network analyzer to log traffic
2. Perform the task I'm trying to automate (registration form signup/login/etc..) using a browser
3. Review the request made and analyze the site how the arguments for the request were formed
4. Use whatever language I find the best fitting for the job to replicate that request.

The main upsides to this method is:
-Very low usage of resources - You're simply making a pure HTTP request, no additional junk.
-No external libraries needed
-Can be easily multi-threaded
-Can be executed in any language, which supports HTTP or can be run directly from the command line (cURL)

The downsides are
-It's much more time consuming
-It requires knowledge on how the HTTP protocol works.
-It requires to understand how Browser and JavaScript works (in most cases)
-It can require a great deal of reverse engineering (depending on the site and how much it depends on JS)
-Fixing broken request (after the host has made an update) might be much more time consuming.

If you're serious about programming and automation, I would go this route. If you're simply trying to automate some things for your internet ventures, I would stick with using tools such as Selenium, which involve very minimal analysis and programming and in the end, save you a lot of time.

 

[naughtynewell]

I'm a low level programmer so personally I like to automate things the 'raw' way, meaning instead of using libraries to tell a browser which buttons to click, I do the following:

1. Use network analyzer to log traffic
2. Perform the task I'm trying to automate (registration form signup/login/etc..) using a browser
3. Review the request made and analyze the site how the arguments for the request were formed
4. Use whatever language I find the best fitting for the job to replicate that request.

The main upsides to this method is:
-Very low usage of resources - You're simply making a pure HTTP request, no additional junk.
-No external libraries needed
-Can be easily multi-threaded
-Can be executed in any language, which supports HTTP or can be run directly from the command line (cURL)

The downsides are
-It's much more time consuming
-It requires knowledge on how the HTTP protocol works.
-It requires to understand how Browser and JavaScript works (in most cases)
-It can require a great deal of reverse engineering (depending on the site and how much it depends on JS)
-Fixing broken request (after the host has made an update) might be much more time consuming.

If you're serious about programming and automation, I would go this route. If you're simply trying to automate some things for your internet ventures, I would stick with using tools such as Selenium, which involve very minimal analysis and programming and in the end, save you a lot of time.

Lots of agree here. I might also add that learning the low level protocols behind things like HTTP POST requests, form submissions & payloads will make you a better automation programmer.

A lot of the time Selenium, Python and other automation libraries are overkill for what would otherwise be a ten-line bash script. In most of the stuff I build now I tend to use command line utilities and then a fully fledged language if I know that it's going to save me time.

 

[0x29a]

A lot of the time Selenium, Python and other automation libraries are overkill for what would otherwise be a ten-line bash script

@naughtynewell I couldn't agree more! This is especially abused in web development, when developers stack tons and tons of libraries/frameworks etc.. on top of each other to accomplish few very simple tasks and end up using only 3% of the functionality of all the code that has been packed into the project.

 

[naughtynewell]

@naughtynewell I couldn't agree more! This is especially abused in web development, when developers stack tons and tons of libraries/frameworks etc.. on top of each other to accomplish few very simple tasks and end up using only 3% of the functionality of all the code that has been packed into the project.

npm install express
# 2,341 packages installed successfully

 

[RA1NMAN]

there was some program I wanted to learn, That Could Automate Tasks in Bluestacks apps... Anyone know? Thanks in advance

 

[naughtynewell]

there was some program I wanted to learn, That Could Automate Tasks in Bluestacks apps... Anyone know? Thanks in advance

You don't need to use Bluestacks to do that, you can get Selenium working for apks if you want: http://selendroid.io/

Using that I made a selenium script that could mass follow / unfollow on IG and things like that.

 

[RA1NMAN]

You don't need to use Bluestacks to do that, you can get Selenium working for apks if you want: http://selendroid.io/

Using that I made a selenium script that could mass follow / unfollow on IG and things like that.

oh nice thanks man I need to make a bot that will auto click in this mini game to get crystals, but then close the adds

 

[naughtynewell]

oh nice thanks man I need to make a bot that will auto click in this mini game to get crystals, but then close the adds

Pretty much made for it. Haha.

From memory, it creates a "cracked" apk that you can stick on a phone which has a backdoor to automate actions over the stop of it. Been a long time since I used it though.

 

[RA1NMAN]

i need to use this with bluestacks somehow

 

[naughtynewell]

You can use it with the Android Virtual Device?

 

[RA1NMAN]

You can use it with the Android Virtual Device?

whats that?

 

[naughtynewell]

It's Google's own version of Bluestacks.

https://medium.com/@6a17930df663/fffceb2c28a1

Is a guide about how to install Google apps onto one

 

[RA1NMAN]

It's Google's own version of Bluestacks.

https://medium.com/@6a17930df663/fffceb2c28a1

Is a guide about how to install Google apps onto one

this looks way to complicated for what I want, I'll look into this as a hobby but for now im gonna search for an already made automate task app

 

[naughtynewell]

this looks way to complicated for what I want, I'll look into this as a hobby but for now im gonna search for an already made automate task app

No worries. If there's interest in the subject, I'm happy to post a thread about it somewhere.

Setting up an android virtual device isn't too tricky. But I've been doing it for years... So, I would think that.