Screenscrape Product Catalog

The project entails using PHP to spider a known web site to translate the product catalog into a structured XML document. In addition, the application should run as a cron job on a Linux server and compare the previous version to the current version to see if there are any changes. Then, the system will send an email to a defined address reporting the status of completion and if there were any changes. More detailed requirements will be available upon engagement, but here is a high-level list: 1. The application must be written in PHP and deployed on a LAMP server. 2. The application will spider one known public website (which serves validated html) for product categories, products, product attributes and product images (approximately 10 categories representing approximately 100 products) 3. Product images and thumbnails will be downloaded, renamed and saved to folder on the application server 4. The application will write out a predefined structured XML document 5. The application will compare the previously saved version of the XML document and the most recent version to check for changes. If a change is found, a manifest of the changes will be compiled. 6. The application will send a notification email to a defined address with the status of completion, including the change manifest if applicable.