Get notified when something becomes true
How to ask AlertChecker a yes/no question or describe a condition for it to monitor on the web and notify you when the answer is yes.
Most alerts start with a simple thought: “Tell me when this is true.” The hard part is that the answer is often spread across the web, changes over time, and may not be limited to one page you can watch.
AlertChecker is built for that kind of question. Ask a yes/no question, such as “Is this item back in stock: example.com/product?”, or alternativelywrite a condition such as “The UK bank base rate changed today”. It periodically checks public information on the web and notifies you when the answer is yes. Email alerts are always available and signed-in users can also enable browser push notifications on supported devices.
Start with the desired outcome
A conventional monitoring tool usually asks you to choose a URL and then reports when something on that page changes. That can work when you know the exact page and perhaps also an exact element on it to watch.
But the element on the page is just implementation detail and can be brittle to changes. What you need is an outcome: a product is available, a deadline opens, a flight route launches, or a weather warning applies to a place you are visiting. With AlertChecker, the outcome is the thing being monitored. You can name the source when it matters, but you don't need to craft a technical rule or translate your question into a statement.
Be specific
Specific questions and statements give the checker a clearer condition to evaluate. Include:
- the exact thing you care about;
- any location, size, model, price, or date that changes the meaning; and
- what must happen for you to get the email.
For example, “This has a bid: ebay.com/itm/206100000000” is more precise than “Watch this listing...”. “Has a weather warning been issued for Nice this weekend?” is more precise than “Tell me about the weather”.
Evaluate and refine
You will be asked to test the question or statement before creating the alert. Each test shows the current information AlertChecker found and whether the answer is yes or no. Use that feedback to refine the wording and test again until it accurately describes the outcome you want to monitor.
After creating the alert, its history shows the information found and result from each check, so you can see how things have changed over time. If the question or statement needs to be more specific or no longer reflects what you need, edit it and test the revised version again before saving.