Coding AJAX-compatible GM scripts

[Aerial Attack]

Not that you don't already have enough on your hands getting BOB to work with AJAX ...

But, You'll also need to update the way it reads XML. Right now - for maps that use partial bonuses, BOB does not handle "non-explicit" partial pairings.

I'll use Italy as my example map.

New XML

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(you need to talk to whoever wrote the XML for the Italy Map OR Pearl Harbor Map for the new XML)

Old (Explicit Partial Pairings) XML

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(this is only an approximation - not the exact code)
<bonuses>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Roma>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Torino>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
// negative because of overlap with 3 terrs
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Torino>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Torino>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:-1>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Torino>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
// back to positive because of dual overlap with 4 or 5 terrs
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Torino>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Napoli>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Torino>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>
  <bonus:+1>
    <territory:Palermo>
    <territory:Roma>
    <territory:Torino>
    <territory:Venezia>
  </bonus>


For the Italy map the number of bonus lines are the same, but for Age of Merchants - I know that the new XML would require fewer lines and therefore less processing time.

[yeti_c]

I was looking into this...

I can get the handleResponse() back but I can't manage to override it with a new version - without copy and pasting the contents of the function from the source file...

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//function dave()
//{
//   alert("dave");
//}
//
//var newHandleResponse = unsafeWindow.handleResponse;
//var contents = ""+newHandleResponse;
//alert(newHandleResponse);
//start = contents.substring(0,28);
//middle = "dave();";
//end = contents.substring(28, contents.length);
//alert(start);
//alert(middle);
//alert(end);


This creates a new String that holds the entirety of the function - with my new function in it... (dave();) but I can't override the existing function easily... any ideas?

C.

[yeti_c]

In actual fact - what would be better LACK... is if you coded a dummy function...

i.e. refreshGMScript()

which was called from handleResponse() by you...

and then we could override refreshGMScript easily without having to merge your code into it...

Is this something that you could do?

C.

[Ishiro]

A dummy function would be great, especially if lack coded it to always be called last as a clean up once he's done all his stuff.

If you want to override lack's handleResponse, you can either:
a) copy his entire function and make the changes you need to it (this is what I'm currently working on).
pros: lets you place new code exactly where it is needed.
cons: it replaces lack's function and so if he makes changes to that function you will be ignoring it until you update your script.

b) make a copy of his function and throw in your own code like this:

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var newhandleResponse = unsafeWindow.handleResponse;
unsafeWindow.handleResponse = function() {
   //put all your new code here
   return newhandleResponse();
}

pros: doesn't replace lack's code, so when he makes changes you won't be ignoring his new code.
cons: as I've mentioned before, the handleResponse function is called 4 or 5 times per action, so BOB executes 4 or 5 times making it slow and actually breaking the map (it "freezes", stops updating with the AJAX).

[yeti_c]

A dummy function would be great, especially if lack coded it to always be called last as a clean up once he's done all his stuff.

If you want to override lack's handleResponse, you can either:
a) copy his entire function and make the changes you need to it (this is what I'm currently working on).
pros: lets you place new code exactly where it is needed.
cons: it replaces lack's function and so if he makes changes to that function you will be ignoring it until you update your script.

b) make a copy of his function and throw in your own code like this:

Code: Select all

var newhandleResponse = unsafeWindow.handleResponse;
unsafeWindow.handleResponse = function() {
   //put all your new code here
   return newhandleResponse();
}

pros: doesn't replace lack's code, so when he makes changes you won't be ignoring his new code.
cons: as I've mentioned before, the handleResponse function is called 4 or 5 times per action, so BOB executes 4 or 5 times making it slow and actually breaking the map (it "freezes", stops updating with the AJAX).

Ah yes - that's a nice way of doing it - nice work Ishiro...

With regards to the 5 times calling...

I think you need to examine the parameters that are being called upon it... that way you could pick and choose which ones update your data...

--------------

I was thinking the best way for BOB to run is to hold all the data in arrays - and then only modify the data based on this turns action (Frist time init will be slow (as per) but each auto-refresh will be quicker... (You can hold the index of this)... this way you'll not have to do so much work... what do you reckon? (If a proper F5 is done though then a slow re-init will be run but that could be mentioned in the docs?)

n.b. for freestyle - will have to be this round... for sequential can be limited to the players turn.

The time consuming stuff of BOB is the Log parsing.

C.

[Twill]

You guys amaze me

Thanks for working so hard to get the monkey back up and running!

[RiskTycoon]

I second that Twill...just wish I was smart enough to help lol but alas I am not......so I thank you code savvy people from the bottom of my CC heart!

[lackattack]

In actual fact - what would be better LACK... is if you coded a dummy function...

i.e. refreshGMScript()

which was called from handleResponse() by you...

and then we could override refreshGMScript easily without having to merge your code into it...

Is this something that you could do?

C.

Done. Hope it helps..

[yeti_c]

Perfect... this should help the coding effort a great deal...

Ta,

C.

[yeti_c]

Righto - here's an update for now...

My new BOB is working quite well... all the stats update themselves per turn... and that all works really well...

The only problem that I have is that my BOB script breaks the Map updates from AJAX!!

I will work on this Friday and see if I can stop that from happening... then will try and reintegrate the map inspectors and so forth...

Also I need to improve the parsing of the XML to read <required> tags and <bombardments>

But we're making good progress I think.

C.

[gimil]

keep it up yeti_C buddy your commitment outstands me

[lackattack]

Keep in mind that with AJAX, you need to fetch updated maps with a url like this:

map.php?key=map24a3e7d1310463a58e66e4be29d9b943

The old way of passing armies to map.php is going the way of the dodo.

[yeti_c]

Keep in mind that with AJAX, you need to fetch updated maps with a url like this:

map.php?key=map24a3e7d1310463a58e66e4be29d9b943

The old way of passing armies to map.php is going the way of the dodo.

Yeah I worked that one out - I piggybacked your variable gameArmies -> which you update for me...

I think the map's not updating cos I've got a script error which is stopping the process from running...

C.

[yeti_c]

Hmmm - still can't get the map updates to work...

Ishiro? Does your script stop the map from updating?

Drop me a PM if you like and we can discuss the merits of our 2 approaches and perhaps can merge the 2 into 1 working script?!

C.

[Ishiro]

Yep, it stops the map, and I have no idea why.

It does work if I strip the colors out of the map inspect and just have it load once to show attack paths but don't update it for changes. I think the browser may just not like the slew of updates and either kills it or is just really slow... I've never tried waiting to see if it catches up.