使用C＃从静态链接下载文件

Question

I am needing to download a file from this page when the files are updated each quarter. I am building an automated process to use the data from one of the files and I would like to automate the download as well.

What are my options? is there any way easier than screen scraping? the links are said to be static

Answer 1

If they are really static (ie never change), you could do something like this:

var links = new Dictionary<string, string>
            {
                { "http://fhfa.gov/weblink/POSummary.xls", @"c:\temp\POSummary.xls" },
                { "...", "..."}
            };
var webClient = new WebClient();
foreach (var kvp in links)
{
    webClient.DownloadFile(kvp.Key, kvp.Value);
}

Or with one file even easier:

webClient.DownloadFile("[address]", "[fileName]");

Answer 2

is there any way easier than screen scraping?

No, there isn't, unless the site provides you with an API that would allow you to return the available files to be downloaded in for example JSON format.