A customer needed an efficient way to track new advertisements on an online server. (The server offers an XML RSS feed, enabling automated data downloads in a readable format). The task was to develop an application that would regularly check for new ads, compare them against specified criteria, and notify the user via email or push notification if a matching ad was found.
Since the customer was already using FileMaker Server and wanted to analyze sales data further, we developed an application that runs on FileMaker Server and regularly pulls the RSS feed from the website every minute using HTTP requests.
The application automatically processes XML data, filtering it based on user-specified criteria in FileMaker, such as price, location, and product description. If a new ad meeting these conditions is found, it immediately sends a notification to the user. Notifications are delivered either via email or the Pushover service for mobile devices, ensuring quick alerts and a better chance to promptly contact the seller.
