Abstract:
WhatsApp is a reliable, secure, simple calling and messaging service that is available for free. This service was originally developed as the short message service (SMS) alternative, and now supports location, document, video, photo, and text exchange features. This service has over two billion active users spread across one hundred and eighty countries [1]. With WhatsApp's many active users and its ability to attach a wide variety of files, this service can be used as an alternative to SMS to convey information in bulk. For example, broadcasting information or reminders of certain things or advertising. By using WhatsApp, the costs required for the broadcasting process will be very small compared to using SMS. However, it would be very inefficient and time-consuming if the process of broadcasting the information was still done manually by retyping or copy-pasting messages from target to target.
This Final Project aims to develop an application that can automate the process of sending mass messages automatically through the WhatsApp service. Users need to load the target list, text message templates, attached files, and set some other settings so that this application can be run automatically without the need for user intervention in the running process. In addition, a Virtual Contact File creation feature was also developed to help users add contacts from targets. To improve the adaptability to HTML structure changes on the WhatsApp Web website, an XPath address update feature on key elements was also developed. To support the update feature, the XPath address finder and checker on certain elements in a web page function were also developed.
