I bookmarked a URL in Firefox.  When the bookmark is selected the Web page
appears.   if I copy the URL string and past it back into Firefox
immediately after copy, it works.

However, if I save the URL string and then copy/paste it back into Firefox -
or -  use if with API: InternetOpen, the Web page fails to appear and errors
with "The requested URLwas not found on this server."

Any suggestions or why?

Not sure how to proceed as --  doesn't appear to be a VB code problem (using
same VB code that works fine with a different URL)?

If not VB Question where should I post?.

Why would string placed on clipboard and immediately used work --
yet -- saved string fail?

I suppose it's possible the server is doing some user-agent sniffing and
responding differently for different user agents. It's also possible you
have a bug.

Can you post a concise and complete code example that demonstrates the
bug?

--
--------- Scott Seligman <scott at <firstname> and michelle dot net> ---------
   Luck is probability taken personally.
   -- Chip Denman

==============
   'get the handle of the current internet connection
    hSession = InternetOpen("vb wininet", 1, vbNullString, vbNullString, 0)

    'get the handle of the url
    If hSession Then hInternet = InternetOpenUrl(hSession, sURL,
vbNullString, 0, IF_NO_CACHE_WRITE, 0)

    'if we have the handle, then start reading the web page
    'More Code here
=================

I know the above works as I use it to obtain other URL's and pages.
I get  -- what appears -- to be a valid "hSession" handle and a valid
"hInternet" handle.

Just the server is NOT returning the desired URL page, but instead an URL
error page.

The above code should be the same as using the browser directly.
Hence my attempt at copying and pasting into the browser textbox window both
the Firefox bookmark URL and the same URL string saved elsewhere.
Furthermore,  I have manually compared the URL strings both visually and
with a HEX editor and there is NO difference.

Consequently, I don't understand why the server would recognize one
(bookmark invoked URL) and not the other (saved string)?

LFS

www.jsware.net/jsware/vbcode.php5#htp

  Instead of using IE it allows you to carry out
the server conversation, preparing the header
yourself, responding to server feedback, etc. It's
more work, though. And there can be additional
complications, like occasional gzip-ed pages.

  As others have said, the server response can vary
depending on the userAgent. A lot of pages will
have script included that accomodates different
browsers, but PHP (and I think ASP) pages will
often construct different pages for different browsers.
Also, using a .htaccess file (Unix/Linux servers)
allows actions can be taken based on your IP, your
userAgent, etc. bfore a page is served.

  It could be that the site is checking for IE/Firefox/
Opera etc. and then quitting if it can't recognize the
browser. (That would be rather odd behavior, though.)

   It's easy to test that in Firefox. Add a line to user.js
in the profile folder. (Create user.js if necessary.) The
profile folder will be the one in App Data\Mozilla\Firefox
\Profiles\[random name] that contains prefs.js.
The line should be like this....

user_pref("general.useragent.override", "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows XP; SV1;)
Gecko Firefox");

or like this...

user_pref("general.useragent.override", "TestUAStringHere");

  You can find lists of typical userAgent strings online if
you want to spoof different browsers.

Oddly enough, program now works.

Only thing I changed was to include a trailing blank on the URL
string I pass to the server.  Can't believe it -- as you would think all
trailing blanks would be "trimmed".

Have a nice day all

David