# Urgent :: File Object problem

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/urgent-file-object-problem/104635>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 21, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/urgent-file-object-problem/104635 "2007-05-21T00:53:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![comtux](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@comtux](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/comtux)\
**Post date:** [May 21, 2007, 12:53am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/urgent-file-object-problem/104635/1 "2007-05-21T00:53:19Z")

</div>

disclaimer: Im not a developer, in fact I know very little of Ruby.

I had this script made for me by Endax, LLC. I have run into problems  
with the script and they are unable/unwilling to help resolve the issue.  
The script was working fine for a while, but now when I run it I get the  
following error in the Ruby editor:

> ruby realtor\_scraper.rb  
> realtor\_scraper.rb:54:in `initialize': can't convert nil into String (TypeError) from realtor_scraper.rb:54:in `open’  
> from realtor\_scraper.rb:54  
> Exit code: 1

Here is the script (©2007 [OnlineSigns.com](http://OnlineSigns.com))… Any input you can give me  
or direction you can send me in would be greatly appreciated! Basically  
Ruby can’t open the ‘result.txt’ file to save the results…

require ‘rubygems’  
require ‘mechanize’

=begin

- realtor\_scraper.rb
- Scrapes email addresses from the [realtor.org](http://realtor.org) find a member section
- See workflow section at the end of script for detail
- (c)2007 [onlinesigns.com](http://onlinesigns.com)  
=end

#Set up the agent  
agent = WWW::Mechanize.new  
#Ignore these line if not using a proxy  
#agent.set\_proxy(‘192.168.85.2’, ‘80’)  
#agent.read\_timeout=10000  
#agent.user\_agent\_alias = ‘Mac Safari’

page = agent.get(“[m1.realtor](http://www.realtor.org/nrdslogi.nsf/LoginUserInfo)”)  
login\_form = page.forms.with.name(“\_\_TraceLogin”).first  
if login\_form == nil  
puts “The Realtor site is not available at the moment!!!”  
else

#1. Login to Realtor site  
login\_form.Username = “154440”  
login\_form.Password = “jake”  
login\_form.PWORD = “jake”  
main\_page = agent.submit(login\_form)  
link = main\_page.links.text(“Find a Member”)  
if link==nil  
puts “This account can’t login to Realtor site!!!”  
else

```
#2. Go to search page
search_page = agent.click link
check_avai = search_page.body.include? "Server is temporarily

```

unavailable"  
if check\_avai  
puts “Can’t load Search page. Server is temporarily  
unavailable!!!”  
exit 1  
end  
link = search\_page.frames.with.name(“Viewport”).first  
if link==nil  
puts “Can’t load the search frame page!!!”  
else  
frame\_search = agent.click link  
check\_avai = search\_page.body.include? “Server is temporarily  
unavailable”  
if check\_avai  
puts “Can’t load Search frame. Server is temporarily  
unavailable!!!”  
exit 2  
end  
search\_form  
=frame\_search.forms.with.name(“searchMemberForm”).first

```
  #3. Open result file ro prepare to save data
  File.open(ARGV[1],"w") do |file1|

    #4. Read zip codes from zipcode text file (each zipcode in 1

```

line in that file)  
File.open(ARGV[0],“r”) do |file2|

```
      #5. With each zip code do
      while line=file2.gets

        # i) Enter zipcode in search form
        puts "Processing on zip code: #{line}"
        search_form['zip'] = line
        search_form['educCerts'] = ''

        # ii) Submit search form
        result = agent.submit(search_form,

```

search\_form.buttons.with.name(“bottomSearch”).first)

```
        # iii) Open all 'name' links in result page
        result.links.with.href(/.*action=getDomesticMember.*/).each

```

do |link|  
begin  
agent.transact do  
#puts “#{link.text}:#{link.href}”  
detail\_page=agent.click link  
check\_avai = search\_page.body.include? “Server is  
temporarily unavailable”  
if check\_avai  
puts “Can’t process on email of #{link.text}. Server  
is temporarily unavailable!!!”  
exit 3  
end  
# iv) Collect the email address in detail page  
detail\_page.links.with.href(/mailto:.\*/).each do |ml|  
# v) Output email address in the output file  
puts ml.text  
file1.puts “#{ml.text}”  
file1.flush  
end  
end  
#The server need to be delayed about 5 seconds before  
processing next request,  
#if not it will be downed as in DOS (denial of service)  
attack  
#You can check and increase/decrease the delayed time to  
process here:  
sleep 25  
rescue =\> e  
puts “E{e.class}: #{e.message}”  
end  
end  
end  
end  
end  
end  
end  
end

=begin  
Workflow

1. Login to Realtor site
2. Go to search page
3. Open result file ro prepare to save data
4. Read zip codes from zipcode text file (each zipcode in 1 line in  
that file)
5. With each zip code do  
i) Enter zipcode in search form  
ii) Submit search form  
iii) Open all ‘name’ links in result page  
iv) Collect the email address in detail page  
v) Output email address in the output file  
=end