Getting alerted if a .pdf changes on the web
August 1, 2013 7:19 PM Subscribe
How can I get alerted if a .pdf file changes on the web?
My job requires looking at two or three .pdfs on my company's website to find work. These are updated at average three times a week using the same file name. They are accessible by anyone and not behind the comapny's login.
Idealy, I would like to be notified with what has been added or deleted in the file within an hour of the change, by either email or text. At the least, I would like to get an email stating a new .pdf has been uploaded or the file size has been changed, with it being checked every few hours. Or maybe an android app which downloads the file every few hours and alerts me if there is a change. Is this possible in anyway?
My job requires looking at two or three .pdfs on my company's website to find work. These are updated at average three times a week using the same file name. They are accessible by anyone and not behind the comapny's login.
Idealy, I would like to be notified with what has been added or deleted in the file within an hour of the change, by either email or text. At the least, I would like to get an email stating a new .pdf has been uploaded or the file size has been changed, with it being checked every few hours. Or maybe an android app which downloads the file every few hours and alerts me if there is a change. Is this possible in anyway?
Response by poster: That seems like a great idea, and I'm probably dense, but I don't really see any "channel" that downloads a specific file, just ones that run through different apps.
posted by daninnj at 7:56 PM on August 1, 2013
posted by daninnj at 7:56 PM on August 1, 2013
If the file date changes, then it seems that TrackEngine might work.
From http://trackengine.com/servlets/com.nexlabs.trackengine.ui.ShowPage?pg=help/forms/faq#q0017:
Q: Can I track images and attachments?
A: The current version of TrackEngine does not support tracking of images and attachments, unless there is an accompanying text change eg. version number, file date etc. We are working on a version that will have this capability.
posted by Dansaman at 9:47 PM on August 1, 2013
From http://trackengine.com/servlets/com.nexlabs.trackengine.ui.ShowPage?pg=help/forms/faq#q0017:
Q: Can I track images and attachments?
A: The current version of TrackEngine does not support tracking of images and attachments, unless there is an accompanying text change eg. version number, file date etc. We are working on a version that will have this capability.
posted by Dansaman at 9:47 PM on August 1, 2013
You can write a python script or bash script which does something like this.
If your organization has a tame geek, they may be able to tweak this for you and show you how to run it on any machine with a bash prompt.
From previously.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:49 PM on August 1, 2013
If your organization has a tame geek, they may be able to tweak this for you and show you how to run it on any machine with a bash prompt.
From previously.
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:49 PM on August 1, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by jenkinsEar at 7:21 PM on August 1, 2013