Automatic update of Accounts

dcweber

There are accounts that I cannot do a direct connect and so cannot do an automatic download of the latest balance. For instance, I have a fixed interest bank account, but Quicken does not have an "arrangement" with the bank. And I can't use stock ticker, since there is no ticker.

Quicken Get Balance button

So, if I can download today's balance, then Quicken can to.

This would be a computer script that has 4 variables that are inputted to it:  1. web address text, 2. user name, 3. password, 4. upper left coordinate of the balance value, 5. lower right coordinate of the balance value, and 6. the currency units.

The Quicken program would then take command when the user asked for an "auto-update". The steps would be:
1. Go to the address in Chrome browser
2. Find the user field and tab to it
3. Input the user text variable
4. Find the password field and tab to it
5. Input the password text variable
6. Go to the box that contains the balance.
7  Disregard any currency units text, but copy just the numerical text
8. Log out of the account by finding the logout button and tagging it.
9. Go back to Quicken, and tag "adjust balance"
10. Paste in the currency numerical text
11. Enter to make the new balance 

I would make a keyfake program for myself to do this. But it would be much more convenient if Quicken did it. This way millions of people would benefit, not just one person (i.e. me). Plus it is a hassle to make a keyfake program and debug it. If Quicken did this, I would use the feature, and many others would too I'm sure.

splasher

You write 4 variables, but you list 6 items. 

How do you expect the average user to come up with the values from #4 & #5?

You realize any change to the FI's website breaks your setup.

Quicken already does transaction downloads using Express Web Connect for FIs that do not support Direct Connect  or Web Connect, have you checked if your FI is available that way?

Chris_QPW

Sound easy in theory, it is extremely difficult in practice.  This is one of the main reasons that Express Web Connect has so many failures.

Here is a small list of things that go wrong.

1. URLs change.
2. Websites require multiple authentication in various forms (and there isn't any standard on that).
3. Websites change what pages have what information them all the time, and the "path to get to them".
4. Websites put up "blocking" prompt to notify the customer of "specials" or "security concerns", and what not.
5. Chrome has no API for doing this. You can't just expect a program like Quicken to rely on "clicking/typing" into an external web browser.  Not only do they change all the time, they might not be installed.  I don't have Chrome installed on my machines, and I don't want it installed on my machines.  There are hacked/branched of versions Chrome as an API, and there is one from Microsoft.  Both have problems.  Microsoft's is based on IE, which we all know is going away.  Part of Quicken already use it.  They also use one of the "hacked Chrome/APIs".  These underline some of the web page displaying (The internal Quicken web browser)  and maybe even some of the interaction for multiple authentication/connecting to the financial institutions.  The problem is that Chrome changes all the time, and as such the version changes. And websites stop allowing old versions.  Well the hacked/branched versions don't tend to keep up with this and as such you get into reject requests because the "web browser" is "too old".