ProudCity Automation: API Alternative for City Website Management, Public Notice Sync, and Content Publishing

Introduction

ProudCity is a government website and content management platform used by cities and municipalities to manage official city websites, public notices, events, and citizen-facing content. While ProudCity provides web-based admin and publishing tools, the platform has limited or restricted API access for many government users. Browser automation provides a reliable solution to automate city website management and updates, sync public notices with community calendars, and automate content publishing workflows directly through the ProudCity web interface, enabling streamlined citizen services and transparent government communication.

Why Use Browser Automation for ProudCity?

• Limited API Access: ProudCity has restricted or no API access for many government users and jurisdictions
• City Website Management: Automate page updates, menu changes, and site-wide content management
• Public Notice Sync: Sync public notices, meetings, and announcements with community calendars and external systems
• Content Publishing: Automate content publishing workflows—draft, review, schedule, and publish pages and posts
• Multi-Page Updates: Apply bulk updates or template changes across city website pages
• Event and Notice Export: Export events and notices in formats compatible with calendar systems (iCal, etc.)
• Compliance and Transparency: Keep public notices and meeting information in sync for open meeting and disclosure requirements
• Dashboard-Only Features: Many admin and publishing views are only available through the web interface

Setting Up ProudCity Automation

Here's how to automate ProudCity workflows using browser automation:

import { chromium } from 'playwright';

const response = await fetch("https://api.anchorbrowser.io/api/sessions", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "anchor-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    'headless': false,
    'proxy': { 'type': 'residential', 'country': 'US' }
  }),
});

const { id } = await response.json();
const connectionString = `wss://connect.anchorbrowser.io?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY&sessionId=${id}`;

const browser = await chromium.connectOverCDP(connectionString);
const context = browser.contexts()[0];
const ai = context.serviceWorkers()[0];
const page = context.pages()[0];

await page.goto("https://yourcity.proudcity.com/");

await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
  prompt: 'Log in to ProudCity admin using the provided credentials. Complete any security verification and wait for the dashboard to load.'
}));

Automating City Website Management and Updates

Automate page updates, menu changes, and site-wide content management:

const automateCityWebsiteManagement = async (page, ai, updateConfig) => {
  const { action, pagePath, content } = updateConfig;
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the Pages, Content, or Site Management section in ProudCity admin'
  }));
  
  if (action === 'update') {
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: `Find and open the page: ${pagePath || 'specified path'}. Update the content with the provided text or HTML. Save and publish if required.`
    }));
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: `Set page content to: ${content || '(use provided content)'}. Save changes.`
    }));
  } else if (action === 'create') {
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: 'Click Add Page or Create New Page. Set title and path. Add content, set menu placement if needed. Save and publish.'
    }));
  } else if (action === 'menu') {
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: 'Navigate to Menus or Navigation. Update menu items, order, or labels as specified. Save.'
    }));
  }
  
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  return true;
};

const bulkUpdatePages = async (page, ai, updates) => {
  for (const u of updates) {
    await automateCityWebsiteManagement(page, ai, u);
    await page.waitForTimeout(1000);
  }
  return { count: updates.length };
};

Syncing Public Notices with Community Calendars

Export public notices and events from ProudCity and sync with community calendars (Google Calendar, iCal, etc.):

const syncPublicNoticesWithCommunityCalendars = async (page, ai, params) => {
  const { dateRange, noticeTypes } = params;
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the Public Notices, Events, or Meetings section in ProudCity admin'
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Filter by date range ${dateRange.start} to ${dateRange.end}. Include notice types: ${noticeTypes || 'meetings, events, announcements'}.`
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Export or list public notices and events including: title, date, time, location, description, notice type, and any meeting/agenda link. Export as CSV or use export/feed if available.'
  }));
  
  const download = await page.waitForEvent('download', { timeout: 15000 }).catch(() => null);
  const exportPath = download ? await download.path() : null;
  
  if (exportPath) {
    const notices = await parseCSV(exportPath);
    for (const notice of notices) {
      await addToCommunityCalendar(notice, params.calendarEndpoint);
      await page.waitForTimeout(300);
    }
    return { exportPath, count: notices.length };
  }
  return { exportPath: null, count: 0 };
};

Exporting Public Notices for Calendar Sync

Export public notices and events in a format ready for community calendar systems:

const exportPublicNoticesForCalendar = async (page, ai, dateRange) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the Public Notices or Events section in ProudCity'
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Filter notices/events from ${dateRange.start} to ${dateRange.end}. Include: title, start date, end date, time, location, description, and URL. Export as CSV or iCal if available.`
  }));
  
  const download = await page.waitForEvent('download').catch(() => null);
  return download ? await download.path() : null;
};

Automating Content Publishing Workflows

Automate draft, review, schedule, and publish workflows for city website content:

const automateContentPublishingWorkflows = async (page, ai, contentItem) => {
  const { title, body, contentType, publishAction } = contentItem;
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Navigate to the Content, Posts, or ${contentType || 'Pages'} section in ProudCity admin. Click Create New or Add.`
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Set title: ${title}. Set body/content: ${body || '(use provided content)'}. Set category or section if required.`
  }));
  
  if (publishAction === 'draft') {
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: 'Save as draft. Do not publish.'
    }));
  } else if (publishAction === 'publish') {
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: 'Publish the content. Confirm if prompted.'
    }));
  } else if (publishAction === 'schedule') {
    await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
      prompt: `Schedule publication for the specified date/time. Save.`
    }));
  }
  
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  return true;
};

const publishScheduledContent = async (page, ai) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to Scheduled or Draft content in ProudCity. Find items due to publish and publish them, or run the publish/sync action if available.'
  }));
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  return true;
};

Updating and Republishing Content

Update existing pages or posts and republish:

const updateAndRepublishContent = async (page, ai, pageIdOrPath, updates) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Navigate to the content (page or post) with path or ID: ${pageIdOrPath}. Open it for editing.`
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Update the content: ${JSON.stringify(updates)}. Save and publish (or update published version).`
  }));
  
  await page.waitForLoadState('networkidle');
  return true;
};

Syncing with External Systems

Export content and notices for external CMS, calendar, or reporting systems:

const syncToExternalSystem = async (page, ai, dataType) => {
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: 'Navigate to the Export, Reports, or relevant content section in ProudCity admin'
  }));
  
  await ai.evaluate(JSON.stringify({
    prompt: `Export ${dataType} (public notices, events, pages, or content list) in the format required for our community calendar, CMS, or reporting system. Include all necessary fields.`
  }));
  
  const download = await page.waitForEvent('download');
  return await download.path();
};

Best Practices

• Security: Use secure credential storage and support MFA where required for ProudCity admin access
• Rate Limiting: Add delays between requests (5–10 seconds) to avoid triggering rate limits or security flags
• Content Validation: Review automated content changes in staging or preview before going live when possible
• Error Handling: Implement retry logic for transient failures and session timeouts
• Public Notice Compliance: Ensure notice export and calendar sync meet open meeting and public notice requirements
• Publishing Workflow: Respect draft vs. publish and approval workflows if your city uses them
• Audit Trail: Log automation actions for content and notice changes for transparency
• Session Management: Handle session timeouts and re-authentication for scheduled publish and sync jobs
• Duplicate Prevention: When syncing to calendars, avoid duplicate events by tracking which notices have already been synced

Resources

• Anchor Browser Documentation - Complete API reference and guides
• Anchor Browser Playground - Try browser automation in your browser

Conclusion

Browser automation provides a flexible and reliable alternative to API access for ProudCity city website and content workflows. By leveraging intelligent browser agents, you can automate city website management and updates, sync public notices with community calendars, and automate content publishing workflows—workflows that aren't easily achievable through manual processes or limited API access. Whether you need to manage pages, keep calendars in sync with notices, or streamline publishing, browser automation enables efficient citizen-facing web operations for governments using ProudCity.

Start automating your ProudCity workflows today and streamline your city website management and content publishing!