Carl Hutzler's Blog

I was interested in monitoring a website for changes (to see when something was back in stock). I found a website that would allow me to do that very easily aptly named www.changedetection.com. The site is very simple. Just enter the URL you want to monitor and your email address. From there you get controls on the frequency, type of change you are looking for (any change, large change, additions, subtractions, etc).

They also have a social component in that you can see what other people are monitoring. Sounds like maybe an interesting digg like thing in a way….social bookmarking of sorts.

Anyway, not a day later I found another nice use for the site. I made an FTP upload directory for my clients. Either the client would have to email me when they uploaded something or I would have to check daily. But by simply putting a .htaccess file in that directory (with a single line of “Options +indexes”), I could make the upload directory listable which allows changedetection.com to check it for changes. Works like a champ.

Only issue might be security as now anyone can see the FTP directory. But for what I am using it for (uploading recorded video clips which will be on the main website in a day anyway) this is a perfect match.