Timocom plugin — freight offers and lightweight CRM

#Context

On Timocom, freight and client offers change quickly. Official API access can be expensive or unavailable for the needed scope, while manual copy-paste burns time and introduces errors. This plugin is a practical workaround: it listens to DOM changes, captures offer data, and stores it in a lightweight in-browser CRM.

#Goal

I designed and delivered a Firefox extension that:

• captures freight / client offer data near real time,
• does not require a costly Timocom API,
• provides a local CRM (leads, history, statuses),
• runs as content script ↔ background ↔ storage.

#My role

I owned design, solution design, implementation, and up to 30 days of post-launch care (fixes after platform UI changes, stabilisation).

#Scope

#Smart DOM monitoring

• MutationObserver instead of aggressive polling,
• reaction to listing appearance / changes,
• independence from a paid API.

#Built-in CRM

• organise leads and interactions,
• persist data (LocalStorage / IndexedDB),
• track statuses from contact to completion.

#Technical layer

• content script (DOM observation, parser, UI inject),
• background script (CRM logic, events),
• storage manager (preferences + larger datasets).

#Approach

Event-driven architecture: the browser reacts to page changes instead of constantly hitting the network. The parser is adaptive — Timocom renders offers in different layouts depending on filters and views, so extraction needs fallbacks and graceful handling of missing fields.

Content Script  ↔  Background Script  ↔  Storage
(DOM + parser)     (CRM + events)        (LocalStorage / IndexedDB)

#Challenges

• Dynamic platform frontend — classic scraping breaks on SPAs; MutationObserver + selective observation targets.
• Variable offer structure — different formats per view; adaptive parsing and normalisation.
• Browser performance — debounce, narrow observation targets, and efficient storage so monitoring does not grind tabs down.

#Outcome

The result is a Firefox extension that collects Timocom offers without an API and organises them in a local CRM — a cheaper, faster operational path for freight work. I provided up to 30 days of post-launch care after go-live.

#Stack

• JavaScript (ES6+)
• Firefox Extension API (content / background scripts)
• DOM MutationObserver, HTML5, CSS3
• LocalStorage + IndexedDB