[thelist] browser requests

[Robert]

Hello List,
My question is : Do browsers usually request files where the url is located
in a javascript function that is never used; like in an image preloaded for
mouseovers that is never called. It is my understanding that if the function
is not called the browser will not try to download the image.
 
The background info: One of my client's believes his site is being
'scrapped' by the file not found entries in his log. It is just a few
requests and they are all for images in an unused javascript preloaded. To
be clear, at no point is the function called or the images referenced
elsewhere. So our assumption is that someone is using a script to parse the
site and is requesting anything that looks like a link or file. The web host
traced the request back to an ip, but it leads to a parked account - no
website.
 
The reason for my question: I'm wonder if we can use this behavior of
requesting any page / file found on the page to prevent, at least in part, a
site from being scraped. For example, instead of using a url to an image in
the uncalled function, use a url to a 'live' php, .net, pl (choose your
poison) page that will block the requesting ip address - possibly for a
short period, but enough to make the site undesirable to scrape. Any
thoughts?
 
Sincerely,
Robert Vreeland
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