SMS notifications

[Burton's]

Hi Guys,
We re led to believe that SMS notification on caches are available. Can someone PLEASE tell me where to look. Or is this a red herring from people who spend way too much time on GC

[fehrgo]

Premium members can set up email alerts here:

http://www.geocaching.com/notify/

In the USA, most carriers have free email to SMS gateways which people use for this purpose. Over here, you will need to roll your own.

I personally use the Clickatell SMS API behind a perl script on my mail server, at a cost of about 7 cents per message. TheNanks cost me $2.50 one night

If someone really felt like it, they could set themselves up as a reseller for a service like this, and bill people over Paypal. Not much profit to be made as such, just the convenience to other cachers and the added competition for the FTF. I've toyed with doing this on several occasions, but am not certain the level of demand.

[Papa Bear_Left]

If someone really felt like it, they could set themselves up as a reseller for a service like this, and bill people over Paypal. Not much profit to be made as such, just the convenience to other cachers and the added competition for the FTF. I've toyed with doing this on several occasions, but am not certain the level of demand.

if {cachername = nearby_FTF_competitor}
delay_SMS_by_15_minutes;

[smerrall]

I get notifications SMSed to me currently. I signed up to get spammed by smspup.com. Each spam I read gives me a free SMS message that I use by having them send me an SMS via their email gateway.

[setsujoku]

Has anyone got it currently set up where a perl script (or similar) gets forwarded the e-mail, and parses it out to an sms gateway with the name, distance, and co-ords of the cache?

[fehrgo]

This doesn't go get the coordinates, but it does give me a name, bearing, distance, and a link that I can click on to launch my browser:

Code: Select all

#!/usr/bin/perl
use LWP::Simple;
use URI::Escape;

$destination = "6141066****";
$source="6141066****";
$apiid="*******";
$username="********";
$password="********";
$date = localtime time;

while ( $line = <STDIN> ) {
        chomp $line;
        chop $line;
        if ($line =~ m/^Subject: [GEO] Notify: .* published /) {
                        $subject = $line;
                        $subject=~ s/^Subject: [GEO] Notify: //g;
                }
        if ($line =~ m/mi .*km /) {
                $distance = $line;
                $distance =~ s/^.*(//g;
                $distance =~ s/)//g;
                }
        if ($line =~ m/^http.*cache_details.*/) {
                $url = $line;
                }
        if ($line =~ m/^For GC/) {
                $name = $line;
                $name =~ s/^For //g;
                $wp = $name;
                $wp =~ s/: .*//g;
                }
        }

$msg="$name $distance http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=$wp";
$base="http://api.clickatell.com/http/sendmsg?api_id=$apiid&user=$username&password=$password&from=$source&to=$destination&text
=";

$get = $base . uri_escape($msg);

if ( $subject ) {
        $html = get $get;
}

[setsujoku]

thanks for that fehrgo, gives me a start to work on, and see if i can expand it to grab the co-ords, though not sure how im going to do that yet, will grab the perl book when i get to work tomorrow and see what i can come up with

[alpha993]

Check out First To Find -- New Cache Watcher http://factsfacts.com/geocachingsoft/FirstToFind.htm. <p>You need to have an email address for your mobile - I use XXX@optusmobile.com.au

[fehrgo]

Ah, so optus has added an email to SMS gateway. Good for them

Note that I added the URL to POST for logging in and redirecting to a cache listing. It should be worth a try.

[fehrgo]

<removed some ramblings about bending the rules of engagement>

[team unicycle]

Has anyone got it currently set up where a perl script (or similar) gets forwarded the e-mail, and parses it out to an sms gateway with the name, distance, and co-ords of the cache?

That's a bit of a Dorothy Dixer. Setsujoku

As you know, I send the email to a Perl script, which grabs the email details. You could also grab the relevent .LOC file, from which you could get the coords and the cache owner.

My script then logs on to a free sms site similar to smspup (but only 1 spam per month). They don't seem to like people automating the sending, presumably because I then don't get to see their ads (which my browser blocks anyway).

Yes, you would need to save the __VIEWSTATE form field and pass it to the POST, when you log in and to download the LOC file.

Note you would choose LOC file over GPX because you can get it without a premium membership logon. You might also want to take care that you set relevent referrer urls.

[CraigRat]

<GCA Admin Hat>
Just a heads up that automated scraping of data as indicated in this thread is against GC's Terms and Conditions and could result in account termination....

They are pretty sensitive about it.
</GCA Admin Hat>

<My Programmers Hat>
I know nothing...Nooooothing.....
(innocently whistles and walks away)
</My Programmers Hat>

[setsujoku]

That's a bit of a Dorothy Dixer. Setsujoku

yeah i know, but there is more than one way to skin a cat!!!

the sms sending part doesnt overly worry me, as ive got a sms gateway, so that part of the process becomes a non issue

Im looking for things to do now that the footy season is over, so its time to get creative

[fehrgo]

I don't get why they don't include coordinates in the notification anyway...

[caughtatwork]

They make you read the cache page so you know if there are any restrictions or warnings you should be aware of.