HotKeyNet how to use it?

[Freddie]

After I answered Finndo today, it occurred to me that the program doesn't show the connection process very clearly to the user. This is a deficiency in the interface, and it's my fault. The process is really very simple.

1. You tell the clients the server's IP address.

2. The clients connect to the server. The program should make crystal clear whether this has happened.

3. The server asks the clients their IP addresses. These are the IP addresses that must be used in hotkey files.

So today I redesigned the program's main interface. Here's what it looks like in the new build which is not yet on the website. Before a connection takes place, the screen looks like this:



As you can see, the screen has changed in a number of ways. But the thing I want to point out here is the big red zero at the top center. Hopefully this makes it extremely obvious to the user that the programs need to connect, but haven't done so yet.

And here's the screen after the connection takes place:



The red has become green, so you can see at a glance that the programs have connected. In addition, I now list the IP numbers instead of the network names of the connected PCs. Why? Because these are the IP addresses that must be used in hotkey files. Hopefully now it will be obvious to users that they must use these particular IP addresses in their hotkey files.

Here's the main screen in actual use:



As you can see, the program now gives much better feed back so you can see whether your definitions are written correctly. If you have any comments about the new design, please let me know. This new build will be on the website within the next few days.

[finndo]

appologize for not being more clear, the interface I set up was my UI in WoW (arranging the layout of the buttons, changing a few button settings, and making macros to use when the hotkeynet program issues the commands to the system.)

When I first started up hotkeynet on the 3rd computer, it connected to the server/local machine right away (after changing it to a client and restarting it) and both machines said they were connected to the same host. Afterwards I pressed a couple of hot keys to see if everything was typed in correctly in the hotkey.txt file. and I got the responses I was looking for. I then spent about 20 - 30 minutes setting up the in game UI for WoW to the way that I liked it. after this I went back to the server/local machine and started to play. after a few minutes I noticed the 3rd computer was not responding to an further commands that I sent to it, but they were working on the second. I went to the hotkey file and made some changes (just trying some different options, like the using the wait command and I attempted to get the game to do some other things, like the example on your website of having the character all jump at the same time). only the first two characters were jumping, and the third one was standing there like a target dummy. so I went to check to make sure it was receiving command, by bringing up the hotkeynet window and watching it while I pressed hotkeys on the server/local machine. it was not displaying any received information, the check box to show keystrokes was on, and the turn hot keys on was working as well. So after many editing and reloading attempts of the hotkey.txt file (I am wondering if the program does not like me making changes and loading a new hotkey.txt file every 5 minutes for 3 hours?), I noticed that the second computer was receiving the commands that were destined for the third machine. I decided to make a fresh hotkey.txt file and type everything in new

The result (a test hotkey.txt file) is what I copy and pasted in my last post. short and simple, using just the numpad1 and numpad2, just enough to test the setup. I exited all three instances of hotkeynet (all three pc's) and reloaded them, server/local first and teh remote/clients last. everyone started up and connected. I loaded the new hotkey.txt file into the server/local machine's instance of hotkeynet. (again hotkeynet is running 1 time on each of 3 pc's). when I loaded the hotkey.txt file I got the popup that lets you know if it loaded successfully and any errors in your coding (I have also noticed that it changes sendpc local to sendpc 0.0.0.0) this image is also displayed in my last post. the key point here is that it has changed the IP addresses of the 2 other machines (as noted in my previous post). the commands also did not work on the other 2 machines.

If you look at the fourth picture in my last post (I know they are really hard to see here, but you can click on them to make them larger, as they are hosted on another website) It shows the second PC receiving the commands for both itself and the third PC, the third PC does not receive anything and the received area remains blank. so it would seem to me that the program sent all data in the hotkey for numpad 1 to the first ip address it came across. Is this normal for the data to all show up on the one computer as data received :?:

to answer some of your assumptions, all 3 computers are on the same network, and although 2 are laptops, I have all three systems directly connected to the same router, none are using wireless networking. I used the what is my IP button to find the IP for the hotkey.txt files and verified it by clicking the connected computers button on the server/local machine.

I have since gone back to running all three instances of WoW on the same PC, and have much fewer problems. once in a while I have an issue with the third instance of WoW not responding to a key press, but very rarely. I have added a wait 800 between the commands and that seems to help as I can go 20 - 30 mintues without any issue (I think these are not hotkeynet issues, but WoW issues). :?: I was also wondering if you think it is a better idea to issue the command <send pc local><sendwin wow><1><restore> instead of <send pc local><sendwin wow>1<restore> in a hotkey. it was something I noticed last night when looking over the examples on your website (I did notice the update to the reference section, thank you for that, I believe I will use the key down and key up commands and the mouseclick) there was an example posted that had the #1 in <> after the sendwin command.



this is more of an update than any additional questions, but just some info I thought I'd share before I forgot it. going to go play around some more now. I have been switching between running all 3 on 1 laptop attached to a 42" LCD TV, and 2 on 1 laptop and 1 on a pc with no TV. I find it a wee bit easier to play when using two computers, but more fun on the big screen!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

:!: here is what I am using at this time as my hotkey.txt file when playing on 1 laptop 3 instances of the game, I play in a window called World of Warcraft and send the commands to the other two windows wow and wow2. I have a good 90%-95% success rate with this file and this setup, and since I like playing on the bigger screen, I may stick with it.

<hotkey ctrl 1>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
1
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
1
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 2>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
2
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
2
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 3>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
3
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
3
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 4>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
4
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
4
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 5>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
5
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
5
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 6>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
6
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
6
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 7>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
7
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
7
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 8>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
8
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
8
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 9>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
9
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
9
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl 0>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
0
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
0
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl minus>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
-
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
-
<restore>
<hotkey ctrl equals>
<sendpc local>
<sendwin wow>
=
<restore>
<wait 800>
<sendwin wow2>
=
<restore>

[Freddie]

If you look at the fourth picture in my last post ... It shows the second PC receiving the commands for both itself and the third PC

Ah, okay, that's all I needed to see. That picture shows PC 2 receiving <sendpc> for the other PC. That shouldn't happen. Can you please email me the hotkey file with the definition that results in that picture? I need to see the actual file because this probably has something to do with the binary contents of the file. Thanks.

Also, what program did you use to edit and save the hotkey file?

[Freddie]

I was also wondering if you think it is a better idea to issue the command <send pc local><sendwin wow><1><restore> instead of <send pc local><sendwin wow>1<restore> in a hotkey.

The only difference is that the program processes 1 a tiny bit faster than <1>. That's why I leave out the <>'s whenever i have a choice. But the difference is very small -- a fraction of a thousandth of a second.