Greasemonkey Hacks

Hack #19. Convert UPS and FedEx Tracking Numbers to Links

Make it easier to track packages.

All major package-delivery companies have web sites that allow you to track the status of packages. This is especially useful for online shoppers. Unless you're buying downloadable software, pretty much everything you buy online needs to be shipped one way or another. Unfortunately, not all online retailers are as web-savvy as one might hope.

This hack scans web pages for package tracking numbers and then converts them to links that point to the page on the delivery company's web site that shows the shipment's current status.

The Code

This user script runs on all pages. It is similar to "Turn Naked URLs into Hyperlinks" [Hack #13] . It scans the page for variations of package numbers that are not already contained in an <a> element and then constructs a link that points to the appropriate online tracking site.

These patterns are converted into links to UPS (http://www.ups.com ):

• 1Z 999 999 99 9999 999 9

• 9999 9999 999

• T999 9999 999

This pattern is converted into a link to FedEx (http://www.fedex.com):

• 9999 9999 9999

The following patterns are converted into links to the United States Postal Service (http://www.usps.com ):

• 9999 9999 9999 9999 9999 99

• 9999 9999 9999 9999 9999

Save the following user script as tracking-linkify.user.js:

	// ==UserScript==
	// @name UPS/FedEx Tracking Linkify
	// @namespace http://scripts.slightlyinsane.com
	// @description Link package tracking numbers to appropriate site // ...