VBA reads HTML from the old page after clicking submit button - html

Question

I am not a programmer but I have managed to learn just a few things in VBA but now on a certain website I face a problem that does not exist on some other.
What should happen is that a page form should be completed with data, submit button clicked and then I want to get some data from the result page.
The first phase works fine but it seems that no matter what I do the VBA still reads data from the page before submit was clicked.
The code is:
Sub VIES2()
'Uruchomienie Internet Explorera i wstrzymanie dalszej akcji aż uzyska stan gotowości
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
IE.Visible = True
IE.Navigate "http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/?locale=pl"
Do While IE.ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
'Wypełnienie formularza odpowiednimi wartościami i kliknięcie przycisku sprawdzenia
IE.document.getElementbyId("countryCombobox").Value = "IT"
IE.document.getElementbyId("number").Value = "01802840023"
IE.document.getElementbyId("requesterCountryCombobox").Value = "IT"
IE.document.getElementbyId("requesterNumber").Value = "01802840023"
IE.document.getElementbyId("submit").Click
'Test uzyskiwania opisu i identyfikatora zapytania
For t = 1 To 999999
Next t
Application.Wait Now + TimeValue("00:00:10")
Do While IE.ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
For t = 1 To 999999
Next t
Application.Wait Now + TimeValue("00:00:10")
MsgBox IE.LocationURL
Set Text = IE.document.getElementsbyClassName("layout-content")
For Each Element In Text
MsgBox Element.innerText
Next
Set Test = IE.document.getElementsbyTagName("TABLE")
For Each Element In Test
MsgBox Element.innerText
Next
End Sub
I have tried putting break, various wait loops and Application.Wait as suggested in similar questions where it seems to have worked. Here, even after the page is long after fully loaded the code still reads the old page - at least pulling the URL and some data seems to point that it is the case.
UPDATE: I should also add that I have tried to make the macro refresh the page but it clears the input content. What is interesting that target URL is:
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vatResponse.html
If I change the initial page to this the browser instantly redirects to the original page with notification that initial data is needed. The macro then completes the data and clicks submit button. In this case IE.LocationURL indicates this URL:
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vatResponse.html
but according to the content I get with getElementsbyClassName still reads elements from the initial page:
http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/?locale=pl

Answer 1

This worked to print out the VAT response table
Note:
If on 32-bit remove the PtrSafe.
Code:
Option Explicit
Declare PtrSafe Sub sleep Lib "kernel32" Alias "Sleep" (ByVal dwmilliseconds As Long)
Public Sub VIES2()
Application.ScreenUpdating = False
Dim IE As Object
'Uruchomienie Internet Explorera i wstrzymanie dalszej akcji az uzyska stan gotowosci
Set IE = CreateObject("InternetExplorer.Application")
IE.Visible = True
IE.navigate "http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/?locale=pl"
Do While IE.ReadyState <> 4: DoEvents: Loop
'Wypelnienie formularza odpowiednimi wartosciami i klikniecie przycisku sprawdzenia
IE.document.getElementById("countryCombobox").Value = "IT"
IE.document.getElementById("number").Value = "01802840023"
IE.document.getElementById("requesterCountryCombobox").Value = "IT"
IE.document.getElementById("requesterNumber").Value = "01802840023"
IE.document.getElementById("submit").Click
sleep (5000) 'or increase to 10000
Dim tbl As Object
Set tbl = IE.document.getElementById("vatResponseFormTable")
Dim ws As Worksheet
Set ws = ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets.Add
ws.Name = "Results"
Dim rng As Range, currentRow As Object, currentColumn As Object, i As Long, outputRow As Long
outputRow = outputRow + 1
Set rng = ws.Range("B" & outputRow)
For Each currentRow In tbl.Rows
For Each currentColumn In currentRow.Cells
rng.Value = currentColumn.outerText
Set rng = rng.Offset(, 1)
i = i + 1
Next currentColumn
outputRow = outputRow + 1
Set rng = rng.Offset(1, -i)
i = 0
Next currentRow
Application.ScreenUpdating = True
End Sub
Output:

Answer 2

Although QHarr's solution is working in my end, I'm providing with another with no hardcoded delay within the script.
Using IE as your question was:
Sub Get_Data()
Dim HTML As HTMLDocument, post As Object, elems As Object
Dim elem As Object, r&, c&
With New InternetExplorer
.Visible = False
.navigate "http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/?locale=pl"
While .Busy = True Or .readyState < 4: DoEvents: Wend
Set HTML = .document
With HTML
.getElementById("countryCombobox").Value = "IT"
.getElementById("number").Value = "01802840023"
.getElementById("requesterCountryCombobox").Value = "IT"
.getElementById("requesterNumber").Value = "01802840023"
.getElementById("submit").Click
Do: Set post = .getElementById("vatResponseFormTable"): DoEvents: Loop While post Is Nothing
For Each elems In post.Rows
For Each elem In elems.Cells
c = c + 1: Cells(r + 1, c) = elem.innerText
Next elem
c = 0: r = r + 1
Next elems
End With
.Quit
End With
End Sub
Reference to add to the library:
1. Microsoft Internet Controls
2. Microsoft HTML Object Library
Using xmlhttp request (It is way faster than IE):
Sub Get_Data()
Dim elems, elem As Object
Dim QueryString$, S$, r&, c&
QueryString = "memberStateCode=IT&number=01802840023&traderName=&traderStreet=&traderPostalCode=&traderCity=&requesterMemberStateCode=IT&requesterNumber=01802840023&action=check&check=Weryfikuj"
With New XMLHTTP
.Open "POST", "http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/vatResponse.html", False
.setRequestHeader "User-Agent", "Mozilla/5.0"
.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded; charset=UTF-8"
.send QueryString
S = .responseText
End With
With New HTMLDocument
.body.innerHTML = S
For Each elems In .getElementById("vatResponseFormTable").Rows
For Each elem In elems.Cells
c = c + 1: Cells(r + 1, c) = elem.innerText
Next elem
c = 0: r = r + 1
Next elems
End With
End Sub
Reference to add to the library:
1. Microsoft XML, V6
2. Microsoft HTML Object Library

Answer 3

Most of the time you should search if there isn't a REST/SOAP available to achieve that kind of task.
Using an Internet Explorer instance for this is a total overkill.
Try this simple function, that uses the SOAP service to validate VAT numbers:
Function IsVatValid(country_code, vat_number)
Dim objHTTP As Object
Dim xmlDoc As Object
Set objHTTP = CreateObject("WinHttp.WinHttpRequest.5.1")
sURL = "http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/vies/services/checkVatService"
sEnv = "<s11:Envelope xmlns:s11='http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/'>" & _
"<s11:Body>" & _
"<tns1:checkVat xmlns:tns1='urn:ec.europa.eu:taxud:vies:services:checkVat:types'>" & _
"<tns1:countryCode>" & country_code & "</tns1:countryCode>" & _
"<tns1:vatNumber>" & vat_number & "</tns1:vatNumber>" & _
"</tns1:checkVat>" & _
"</s11:Body>" & _
"</s11:Envelope>"
objHTTP.Open "Post", sURL, False
objHTTP.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", "text/xml"
objHTTP.setRequestHeader "SOAPAction", "checkVatService"
objHTTP.send (sEnv)
objHTTP.waitForResponse
Set xmlDoc = CreateObject("HTMLFile")
xmlDoc.body.innerHTML = objHTTP.responsetext
IsVatValid = CBool(xmlDoc.getElementsByTagName("valid")(0).innerHTML)
Set xmlDoc = Nothing
Set objHTTP = Nothing
End Function
And then you can simply validate all your vat numbers:
Debug.Print IsVatValid("IT", "01802840023")
>>> True