Testers wanted for new program

[Freddie]

Recently I decided to rewrite HotkeyNet from the ground up because it has outgrown its simple script language. The new version has a much more powerful language with scoping of variables, flexible flow-control structures, genuine functions with call by reference and call by value, and the ability to send any chunk of code to any PC for remote execution at any time.

If that sounds technical, I'm describing it technically on purpose because I'm looking for testers right now who understand these things so they can give the new language a workout.

So far the basic foundation of the new language has been written with function calls, variables, scoping, and If-else blocks. Here's a page of documentation to give you an idea of what has been written:

Function Syntax in HKN2

The program doesn't have enough features yet to be used for multiboxing.

If you feel like downloading the new version and giving it a whirl, thanks in advance!

Download HKN2

[Freddie]

Here's a sample script to give an idea of the syntax. It's based on C but there are a few differences.

function overloaded_func ( string x )
{
     Print ( "My string is" );
     Print ( x );
}

function overloaded_func ( int x )
{
     Print ( "My integer is" );
     Print ( x );
}

function AutoExec ()
{
    if ( ( 3 < 4 ) && ( 3 + 9 == 24 / 2 ) )
        overloaded_func ( 99 );

    else
        Print ( "We shouldn't be here." );
}

[Slayde]

I'm excited about hotkeynet 2.0 since I'm a C# application developer and will feel right at home with the new syntax structure. One syntax feature I'd love to have supported, if possible, is switch statements. I prefer to use them when comparing against a list of values (ie. possible window names or handles, etc.) Seems more efficent to code and read than a long if else if block.

I'll download it this week and start banging on it for you. Keep up the great work Freddie! Much appreciated. :thumbup:

PS. I like the edit script button that opens the currently loaded script. It would also be great if you added a Reload Script button which reloads the currently loaded script file. That would save a few clicks when rapidly tweaking and testing script changes.

[Freddie]

One syntax feature I'd love to have supported, if possible, is switch statements. I prefer to use them when comparing against a list of values (ie. possible window names or handles, etc.) Seems more efficent to code and read than a long if else if block.

I'd like to do that eventually but there is so much work to do to get this program ready for multiboxing -- and even more work to duplicate everything in the old HotkeyNet -- , and as you say nested if-else's are the functional equivalent, so it will probably be a while.

I like the edit script button that opens the currently loaded script.

Yeah that should have been in the old HotkeyNet a long time ago.

It would also be great if you added a Reload Script button which reloads the currently loaded script file.

That will be in eventually, or else I'll handle it the same way it's handled in the old HotkeyNet.

[Slayde]

Sounds great. Thanks again for your hard work. I can't imagine trying to 5 box on 1 pc without using hotkeynet now. Love it! :thumbsup:

[Freddie]

You're welcome and thanks for the kind words. This new version should be a lot nicer to use than the current one.

I just added a reload button to the next build. It will probably be up tonight or tomorrow.

[Ken]

[slightly offtopic]

As I got interested in your software, your website says the following (about HKN1 I assume):

Does HotkeyNet work with multiple copies of a game on a single PC?

Yes. HotkeyNet doesn't care which PCs the games are on or how many copies are running, so it works just as well on a single PC as it does on a network with 10,000 PCs.

Did you actually test that? (e.g. with broadcasting movement keys where you send 10 keys per second).

[Freddie]

deleted by Freddie -- i accidentally posted twice

[Freddie]

Did you actually test that?

I wrote that poorly. Thanks for pointing it out. I just rewrote it.

It mixes up three things -- the number of PCs on the network, the number of copies of HotkeyNet that are connected to each other, and the number of copies of HotkeyNet to which a single hotkey sends commands.

The first point has been tested on a network with many millions of PCs, the Internet. The other two points have not. However there's nothing in HotkeyNet that places a limt on those numbers, and the program uses the operating system's heaviest duty communications methods -- asynch socket calls and a thread pool -- which are the same techniques used by web server software.

I suspect that if there's a limit here it's point (3), and the limt is either a hard limit on the number of socket connections in the OS or a soft performance limit (10,000 simultaneous sends are going to be, at best, very slow).

Did you actually test that? (e.g. with broadcasting movement keys where you send 10 keys per second).

HotkeyNet doesn't send movement keys that way. It sends one press and one release.

One of these days I'll probably add typematic repeats to the program, but they won't be implemented in the way you describe. They will be generated by the copies of HotkeyNet on the target PCs. There's no reason to clog up the network with them.