From 15ab870972f3fbeeec24ae70f1eb2ad19bc0be11 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sadeep Madurange <sadeep@asciimx.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2025 17:36:09 +0800
Subject: Bumblebee.

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 _site/log/bumblebee/index.html | 64 ++++++++++++++++++++----------------------
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diff --git a/_site/log/bumblebee/index.html b/_site/log/bumblebee/index.html
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--- a/_site/log/bumblebee/index.html
+++ b/_site/log/bumblebee/index.html
@@ -44,45 +44,41 @@
           <h2 class="center" id="title">BUMBLEBEE: BROWSER AUTOMATION</h2>
           <h6 class="center">02 APRIL 2025</h5>
           <br>
-          <div class="twocol justify"><p>Bumblebee is a tool I built for one of my employers to automate the generation
-of web scraping scripts.</p>
+          <div class="twocol justify"><p>Built with Andy Zhang for an employer. Tool to automate web scraping script
+generation.</p>
 
 <video style="max-width:100%; margin-bottom: 10px" controls="" poster="poster.png">
   <source src="bee.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
 </video>
 
-<p>In 2024, we were tasked with collecting market data using various methods,
-including scraping data from authorized websites for traders’ use.</p>
-
-<p>Manual authoring of such scripts took time. The scripts were often brittle due
-to the complexity of the modern web, and they lacked optimizations such as
-bypassing the UI and retrieving the data files directly when possible, which
-would have significantly reduced our compute costs.</p>
-
-<p>To alleviate these challenges, I, with the help of a colleague, Andy Zhang,
-built Bumblebee: a web browser powered by C# Windows Forms, Microsoft Edge <a src="https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/webview2" class="external" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WebView2</a>, and
-the <a src="https://github.com/desjarlais/Scintilla.NET" class="external" toarget="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scintilla.NET</a> text editor.</p>
-
-<p>Bumblebee works by injecting a custom JavaScript program that intercepts
-client-side events and sends them to Bumblebee for analysis. In addition to
-front-end events, Bumblebee also captures internal browser events, which it
-then interprets to generate code in real time. Note that we developed Bumblebee
-before the advent of now-popular LLMs. Bumblebee supports dynamic websites,
-pop-ups, developer tools, live manual override, event debouncing, and filtering
-hidden elements and scripts.</p>
-
-<p>Before settling on a desktop application, we contemplated designing Bumblebee
-as a browser extension. We chose the desktop app because extensions don’t offer
-the deep, event-based control we needed. Besides, the company’s security
-policy, which prohibited browser extensions, would have complicated the
-deployment of an extension-based solution. My first prototype used a C# binding
-of the Chromium project. WebView’s more intuitive API and its seamless
-integration with Windows Forms led us to choose it over the Chromium wrapper.</p>
-
-<p>What began as a personal side project to improve my own workflow enabled us to
-collectively improve the quality of our web scripts at a much larger scale.
-Bumblebee predictably reduced the time we spent on authoring scripts from hours
-to a few minutes.</p>
+<p>Manual script authoring took hours. Scripts poorly optimized, CPUs maxed
+constantly, cloud costs excessive.</p>
+
+<p>Initially considered browser extension. Desktop app won—extensions don’t give
+deep event control. Company policy blocked extensions anyway.</p>
+
+<p>First prototype: C# Win Forms + CefSharp.</p>
+
+<p>Second prototype: C# Win Forms + WebView2. Packaging and distribution more
+complex, but the API is well-designed; integrates well with Win Forms.</p>
+
+<p>Microsoft Edge required. Portability not a concern, only need to target
+controlled Windows environments. Choosing WebView2 over CefSharp.</p>
+
+<p>Embed <a href="https://github.com/desjarlais/Scintilla.NET" class="external" toarget="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Scintilla.NET</a> editor for
+overriding generated script.</p>
+
+<p>Code generation sequence: Inject JavaScript to intercept client-side events.
+Capture internal browser events (pop-ups, file downloads). Event
+raised → parsed into a token → insert to list → interpret event → look up
+instruction from a table → form instruction with event args → insert text to a
+parallel list → run both lists through optimizer → update Scintilla editor.</p>
+
+<p>Problem: manual overriding via Scintilla editor mid-session causes the code
+list to go out of sync with the event list. Optimizer can’t handle this yet.</p>
+
+<p>Note to self: need to rethink the event/text list data structures in the
+context of the optimizer–look to compilers for inspiration maybe?</p>
 
 </div>
           <p class="post-author right">by W. D. Sadeep Madurange</p>
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