Collecting Data From Another Website

esq

Hello guys, I have intermediate level PHP and I am currently working on a website.
I need to write a function that will get me some specific information from a website.

I need this function to go write the users name on the search bar over there: http://competitive.eune.leagueoflegends.com/ladders/eune/current/rankedsolo5x5
after it founds which page the user is on I want the information of that user registered on my database.
But I am not sure where to start..

An example would be like
http://competitive.eune.leagueoflegends.com/ladders/eune/current/rankedsolo5x5?summoner_name=&page=4
page 5: rank 121 Sokoren 42 22 1877
I already know the name, I just need the other numerical information and get them into my database. I only want this function to work when a certain nick name is entered.

Any help would be appreciated.

Weedpacket

Do you have permission to do so?

esq

by permission do you mean technically or morally?

bradgrafelman

Is there a difference? 😉

esq

yeah, if i need access to database or something like that then no i dont have permission.

but since i am only going to take the information that is already avaliable to everybody on the website i dont think it has any legal issues attached to it. plus i am only going to take them when needed, like when my user wants to get his information published in my site etc..

i dont think riotgames will mind anyways, they are always open to these kind of stuff

dagon

esq;10992730 wrote:
but since i am only going to take the information that is already avaliable to everybody on the website i dont think it has any legal issues attached to it.

well that park bench is available to every one, so i will take it for my yard:rolleyes:

seriously a little light reading on copyright would go a long way

Weedpacket

esq wrote:
i dont think it has any legal issues attached to it.

The owners of that information might have a different opinion.

No harm in asking; it can even help. A couple of times I described to a site's owners what I wanted to do with the information they published on it and they not only gave me the okay, but on condition of confidentiality they gave me access to a machine-ready web service and information not readily available from the human-use site.

dagon

as an aside,

"PLEASE READ THIS TERMS OF USE AGREEMENT (THIS "AGREEMENT") CAREFULLY. BY CLICKING THE "ACCEPT" BUTTON BELOW, OR BY PARTICIPATING IN THE GAME, OR BY USING THE WWW.LEAGUEOFLEGENDS.COM WEBSITE (THE “SITE”), YOU AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT IS ENFORCEABLE LIKE ANY WRITTEN CONTRACT SIGNED BY YOU. "

Can that be legal? You have signed this document if you visited this website? If so i'm adding to my site that clause and "you agree to give me all your money"

I changed my mind, i don't like theses people, please steal from them ::evilgrin:

traq

dagon;10992734 wrote:
... If so i'm adding to my site that clause and "you agree to give me all your money"

go for it.

esq

Weedpacket;10992733 wrote:
The owners of that information might have a different opinion.

No harm in asking; it can even help. A couple of times I described to a site's owners what I wanted to do with the information they published on it and they not only gave me the okay, but on condition of confidentiality they gave me access to a machine-ready web service and information not readily available from the human-use site.

yeah you are right, riotgames is a company that would do something like you described so it might actually be easier 🙂

I also found this line in V. CODE OF CONDUCT:
K. Accessing or attempting to access areas of the Game or Game servers that have not been made available to the public;

so i shouldnt attempt on accessing on nonpublic areas, which is not my intention anyways. my idea look ok regarding to this but i will still email to see if i can get extra support from them.

bradgrafelman

If sites like that allow their data to be retrieved programmatically by unaffiliated sites, there is often a good chance that they'll have some sort of public API to do so. In other words, they may provide the same data in a much more computer-friendly format such as an XML or JSON feed.

esq

Actually I found a better place. http://www.lolstatistics.com/

A website that not only has the few data on the offical webpage but it collects every data from in game access with a bot. I emailed the owner about this matter.

Its funny you guys made a big deal while I only wanted 3 types of data from a public web page. While there is a website that collects 500 different types of data with in game bots. (not an offical website)

dagon

esq;10992767 wrote:
Its funny you guys made a big deal while I only wanted 3 types of data from a public web page. While there is a website that collects 500 different types of data with in game bots. (not an offical website)

You still mis the point, just becuse X stole\killed\whatever, does not make it any less illegal\immoral to do so. Most of us work in the industry that makes websites that you want to steal from, did you expect us to be sympathetic to request for help?

esq

dagon;10992773 wrote:
You still mis the point, just becuse X stole\killed\whatever, does not make it any less illegal\immoral to do so. Most of us work in the industry that makes websites that you want to steal from, did you expect us to be sympathetic to request for help?

It is not illegal (at least in this case), these things are actually supported by gaming companies. They need people to help promote the game, make guides, vidoes and tools which they don't want to spend resources for.

This isn't the same thing as your companies. So your logic is irrelevant. I am not stealing anyones work, I am not taking anyones work, I am not trying to steal their traffic by being a competitor.

First I wanted to put moderators to work in this subject so they can manually check users rating from the main website and write the value on mine. Then that seemed like a lot of work for such a simple task which could be automated. The only reason I need this data is to classify the users. (noobs, pros etc..)

Quoted from the website I was linked about:
"We talked with RiotGames and they found our project interesting. RiotGames will let us do further work, as long as we don't disclose or publish anything what have a bad influence to the game play."

I asked from this website about the data and I am pretty sure the owner will help. But I would still like to learn or at least led to the right direction about my original question to improve myself.

traq

esq;10992779 wrote:
It is not illegal (at least in this case), these things are actually supported by gaming companies. They need people to help promote the game, make guides, vidoes and tools which they don't want to spend resources for.

This isn't the same thing as your companies. So your logic is irrelevant. I am not stealing anyones work, I am not taking anyones work, I am not trying to steal their traffic by being a competitor...

which means it all worked out, and you don't have any problems. Please consider that it is still very much worth spelling out the concerns, and not "just because" no one knew that it would all turn out okay.

I come to the web from an interest in graphics and 3D modeling (which is probably one of the hottest hotbeds of content-theft), so I don't automatically assume that questions like these are an attack against me. I do understand that they can seem that way, however, I believe the question of "should I [they,he] be doing this?" needs to be encouraged.

There is a very pervasive attitude on the web that the fact that you can do something "makes it okay" - and if you don't know how to do something, you deserve everyone's help in figuring out how to do it. When you expect someone to help you with a task, the legality/morality of that task becomes their concern.

There are not only two states - "honest" or "dishonest" - there's also "unknowing." Some people do things like this without ever having considered that the owner (or anyone) might object. If any such persons happened to read this thread, they now have a little more to think about. So, congrats on bringing it up. 🙂