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Questions about eBay Hacks, the book
Wish to submit corrections or errata? First, check the Hacks index for any corrections and additions.
Then, if your question is not addressed or your errata is not listed, contact O'Reilly (the publisher) directly.
Don't yet own eBay Hacks? See the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Got a hack? Submit it here.
Having trouble with a recent order of eBay Hacks? Please contact the store from which you purchased the book for customer service.
Code Examples
If you thought that coding wasn't an essential part of success on eBay, you've got a surprise in store.
Buyers can use a variety of JavaScript shortcuts to make searching easier and more powerful.
Sellers can use HTML to format listing descriptions and build online storefronts.
And for the truly adventuresome, anyone can write programs that interface with the API and accomplish things otherwise impossible.
Provided that you own eBay Hacks, the book, you can download any code that appears in the book.
Just go to the hacks index, select a hack or chapter introduction, and download the code from the "Code Examples" section of the page.
Note that not all hacks use code, so don't be alarmed if you open a hack on this site with no code examples.
Can't find a particular piece of code?
All downloadable code examples on this site are numbered; the first code example in a particular hack is called code01.txt, the second is called code02.txt, and so-on.
If, after downloading and opening all the files in a particular section, you still can't find code published in the book, don't be afraid to ask.
Problems downloading code?
If you encounter any problems downloading the code examples on this site, clear your browser cache and try again.
If that doesn't help, make sure your browser is configured to accept all "cookies" and check your browser's file-type preferences for text (*.TXT) files.
Don't know how to use the scripts in eBay Hacks?
If you have eBay Hacks, 2nd Edition, check out the Preface for primers on all the code languages used in the book, such as HTML, JavaScript, and Perl.
(If you have the 1st Edition, details on installing Perl modules - required by some of the scripts - can be found in Hack #17, "Create a Search Robot."
And details on using CGI scripts on web servers can be found in Hack #94, "Generate a Custom Gallery.")
Most of the Perl scripts don't need to be installed or prepared in any way; they can be run -- as is -- in any folder.
In Windows, for instance (provided that you have Perl installed), just save the scripts with the .PL filename extension and double-click their icons to run.
As for JavaScript and HTML code, just open the code in any web browser to try it out.
Having trouble getting a particular piece of code to work?
- Make sure to read the notes accompanying the Hack you're using.
- If it's a JavaScript hack, make sure the JavaScript option is enabled in your browser.
- If the code deals with images, make sure to replace the example image URLs with the addresses to your own photos on your own server.
- Try out the code in an ordinary HTML file on your desktop before you put it in auction on eBay.
- Check for typos; even a missing parenthesis or semicolon can disable a script.
The Pop Quiz
Having difficulty completing the pop quiz?
First, have your book handy to look up the answers; the questions are easy, and the quiz should take only a few moments.
Second, make sure you're answering the correct questions for your edition: click the links at the top of the quiz page to indicate that you have the original, 1st Edition, or the newer 2nd Edition.
The questions are different, as are the hacks, code, and other material on this site.
Next, each question relates to a specific page, hack, or figure (screenshot), so read carefully to make sure you understand what is being asked.
For instance, if the question asks about a figure in the book, make sure you're not looking at the caption or surrounding text.
And if the question refers to the "very top" or "very last," take this literally: the "very bottom" means all the way at the bottom.
Can't figure out one of the questions? Just reload/refresh the page, and you'll be shown different questions.
You should only have to take the quiz once; after that, ebayhacks.com will use a "cookie" to remember you.
If you answer the questions correctly, only to be sent back to the quiz, make sure your browser's support for "cookies" is fully enabled and unencumbered.
(Note that if you switch browsers or computers, you'll have to take the quiz again.)
Problems with eBayHacks.com
Make sure you have the latest version of your favorite browser; updates are free, so if you're having a problem, you should download and install the latest release.
Are you seeing weird characters on our pages? Make sure your web browser is configured to view this site with the ISO-8859-1 character set (the standard for US English web pages).
Do you find the fonts on these pages hard to read or that the text runs together? First, make sure that the Style Sheets (CSS) option in your browser preferences is turned on. Also, if you've adjusted any of your browser's font settings, try resetting those options to their defaults. Refer to your browser's documentation for details.
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