the data comes from the same spreadsheet/same excel file. the ship dates will be copied from the website (e.g. fedex) and then pasted to a column in the same excel file in the next column of the same row.
naka record na ako ng macro sir. actually i have a rudimentary working macro but what it does is just launch the fedex website using internet explorer. hindi ko makapa yung object sa fedex website where the data (tracking information) can be inputted. in relation, hindi ko din alam kung pano ma-copy yung output sa fedex website.
kung malaman ko lang kung pano mai-integrate yung wbebsite element sa code ko siguro i can do it for the other websites. im thinking that there will be a separate macro for the other websites like UPS, DHL, etc.
regarding the level of automation, i would like this to be fully automated. the macro will run from the first column until the very last column and then end.
noted
i do not want to sound too geeky nor imposing.. i'll try my best to answer your question in laymans terms
the short answer to your question is NO -- as the task you intend to perform gets data by circumventing the site (without the knowledge of the site owner)
the long answer to your question is IT IS POSSIBLE. Actually, what you need is what we call a "webservice" wherein you need to get the "exposed functions"
of a website to get the data you need. it is like calling a getShipDate(controlNo) function to get the info you need.
the webservice is synonymous to the "macro for the other websites" you have mentioned above.
technically speaking, it is possible that the fedex site (or any other site) to expose their webservices but this requires formal business
partnership to request for access to the specific webservice you need.
if it is possible for you to try webservices, that is the best and appropriate way to go.
one critical factor to go for this is if the volume of the transactions you process really requires automation.
from the way i see it, you are automating a process where you have several access to shipping sites to track some transaction.
it is possible to get info from sites by parsing the info posted on web but this impose many challenges. some of which are:
1. if the website change the way they present their data, your parsing code may not be able to get the info you need
2. if the site tracks questionable no of transactions from a particular individual, they may suspect hacking and may block you from accessing the site.
3. the website requires you to log-in and you need to traverse to several menu items (most often protected)
bottomline, the macros you intend to create can be considered as "hacking" on the website's perspective.
if you really want to pursue this initiative, considering the points i mentioned, try to save the page (where you have the info you need) and let us see if we can parse the data
hope this helps