bot-client api

[webrunner]

i was thinking.
What if we created an text-file (or f.i. XML) with the menu-layout and the possible commands in it for a custom bot-menu. Then developers of the clients would just have to read that file and create a menu out of it. The commands in the menu are "told" to the bot when clicked.
This would be fairley easy to make for client developers too i think.

Example:

Code Select Expand


bot_name:The original tourneybot
bot_login:tourneybot
bot_menu_option1_name:Start tourney
bot_menu_option1_name:tell TourneyBot start ?##


?## could mean: ask for input in a textbox

get it?

The results would be enormous since it would make the usage (and information availability, botowners can also provide information) of bots much easier. I personally think working with tourneybot is too much hassle.

[webrunner]

More ideas...

The files could be published by the bots themselfs to a server on the web (fibsboard or fibs.com maybe?). Then the menu could be changed by the bot itself (f.i. if there is an update or a new command)



This would really make Fibs a much easier to handle place and we could add features to the userinterfaces.

[webrunner]

No respons
That really surprises me

[don]

Most if not all clients ignore FIBS help, webby, hence the general ignorance and surprise of people when you inform them of such commands as "board" (eg) for when your client screws up and you can't see the dice!  Your idea is excellent in that it would provide a truer interface to FIBS.

--
don

[Tom]

That is a very good idea, even that the bots could dynamically update the menu for special events.

Heck a bot could just add a MENU command and it could send the current menus to the client

The biggest problem is that the client development is almost non-existent.