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Xelagot server/client

Setting up a script connection

Script statements are subject to change while the Server/Client is in beta testing

Version 2.999984

Confused? Know how to script but .... how do I use all this script jargon to have my bots communicate through internet?

1. Set up the Server

First of all, one of the xelagot programs participating in the connection must set up and activate its Server. Read the pages on the Server/clients user interface: The Server must have a server connection list containing the Login names and passwords of each bot, and the protocol for each of these must be: bot or master (the old notation 'bot,master' is obsolete as from version 2.9999949). 'master' protocol is only needed by bots that must have access to the CLWriteToBot and AnyWriteToBot commands. To add an item to that list, right click on it to bring up a pop-up menu and click on add client.

Once the Server connection list is ready, the server can open a listening connection to allow bots to connect (Server/Clients user interface, menu Server | Connect).

2. Set up the Bot Clients

To connect with a server, bots use their Bot Clients. Bot Clients can be set up and logged into the server from the Clients user interface, or from Action Scripts.

3. Set up the scripts

Bots can communicate with other bots if they are running Action Scripts containing the appropriate statements.

Example

Here is an example of a script, which does not much more than open a connection for its Bot Client to a server with IP 29.155.10.194 and port 9000. The bot uses its own name to login, and has in this case no need for a password. The script must have the same IP and port number as used by the Server, and the Server must have a Server connection list which includes the name of the bot as Login name = the bot's name, no password, and protocol = bot. 
[Head]
Type=Script
Version=2.0

[Settings]
Origin=0.000n 0.000w 0.00a 0.0°

[Script]
var $MyLogin
# install all bot-client events
OnCLConnectEvent Connects
OnCLLoginEvent LogsIn
OnCLMessageEvent Reads
OnCLDisconnectEvent Disconnects
OnCLAddEvent OneMore
OnCLDeleteEvent OneLess
OnCLUnsent NotThere

GetName $MyLogin 
ClHost "29.155.10.194"
CLPort 9000
CLLogin $MyLogin
CLPassword ""
CLConnect

Label MainLoop
  Goto MainLoop



End

Event Connects
  Secret Connected
EndEvent

Event LogsIn
  Secret Logged in
  # say hello to all clients
  CLWriteAll "hi :)"
EndEvent

Event Disconnects
  Secret Disconnected
EndEvent

Event Reads
  GetEventLogin $n
  GetMessage $a
  # tell the user what is heard
  Concat $b $n " says " $a
  Secret $b
EndEvent

Event OneMore
  GetEventLogin $n
  Concat $b $n " is online"
  Secret $b
  IfString $n <> $MyLogin CLWrite $n "welcome"
EndEvent

Event OneLess
  GetEventLogin $n
  Concat $b $n " goes offline"
  Secret $b
EndEvent

Event NotThere
  GetEventLogin $n
  GetMessage $a
  Concat $b "could not send to " $n " message: " $a
  Secret $b
EndEvent

This script will only succeed if the Server is online. It is a very simple script, and uses most statements you will ever need. The statements in blue can even be omitted if you connect the Bot Client through the Clients user interface.

In practice, you would not use a script like this one: you would put the installers in a convenient place in a script of your own, and the event handlers would have some other statements as required by your script.

The communication between Bot Clients is done through the event handler CLMessage (installer OnCLMessageEvent, in this example Event Reads) for receiving messages, and with the statements CLWrite $n $a and CLWriteAll $a to send messages. In this example, the variable $n is used to store the Login name of the Bot Client communicating with your bot: GetEventLogin $n and CLWrite $n $a. The messages are stored in the variable $a: GetMessage $a and CLWrite $n $a. Of course, you will have to parse the GetMessage $a string (CLMessage event, here in Event Reads), in a similar way as you parse the GetChatline $a string in a Chat event.

Note 1: There are also the CLWriteToBot and AnyWriteToBot statements to send WriteToBot commands to bots (they require a master protocol). One of these commands is Message, which also triggers the CLMessage event. Another command, which works as a verbal command, is Hear, which can be trapped in the destination bot's CLHear event handler and gets processed by the Verbal Command processor. Answers to such a command are trapped by the one that issued the command in its CLAnswer event handler.

Note 2: Beware of cascading. If the bots respond with CLWrite or CLWriteAll to anything another bot says, you may end up cascading. The same applies to Chat events.

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