Using VB2008 to acccess the Betfair API: A tutorial

[Monairda]

Thank you very much BigSprout

I'll try what you mention.

Cheers

[BigSprout]

Moniarda,

I think it is a datagridview that is being used (or you can use one the same way), except buttons have been used in some columns

If you put a "DGV" on a form:
click on it and select "Colums - collections"
an "Edit Colums" window pops up

click "Add" - Add Column window displayed with:
Name: Column1
Type: DataGridViewTextBoxColumn
HeaderText: Column1

Look at - Type: DataGridViewTextBoxColumn

to the right is a down arrow for a drop down box display
Click on the arrow

there is now a list of selections including "DataGridViewButtonColumn"
You can also use this box to add "checkbox, combobox....etc" to your datagridview


so for the runner names you would use the default DataGridViewTextBoxColumn

then select dropdown box and select "DataGridViewButtonColumn" for your Back/SP/Lay information
this will now display buttons in the selected columns instead of text boxes

cheers

[Monairda]

How to create a user control to show the datas

Good night

I would like to advise me how to start to make a panel for the data request to the API with a custom user control. An example might start with something like the bot written in C # (http://forum.bdp.betfair.com/attachm...1&d=1256657197)

Can you help me create a custom user control that contains the information Mumbles has taught us to ask the API and stop using the Gridview control?

Thank you very much!!

[bamboozled]

Spotted the problem

Duh - I am concatenating the counter to the selectionid which is obviously giving me mismatched selectionids. Stupid!

[bamboozled]

selectionid problem

Fantastic tutorial for which many thanks. I modified showmprices slightly

Print("Runner " & i + 1 & .selectionId & "  LPM = " & .lastPriceMatched)

The selectionids which shows here are different from the selectionids returned in getrunners for the same market. Why is this and how can I be be sure I've linked correct price with runner?

[vrps1991]

Hi people.
I would like how can i modified it:

Module Unpack
    Class MarketDataType           'For getAllMarkets data
        Public marketId As Integer
        Public marketName As String
        Public marketType As String
        Public marketStatus As String
        Public eventDate As DateTime
        Public menuPath As String
        Public eventHeirachy As String
        Public betDelay As Integer
        Public exchangeId As Integer
        Public countryCode As String
        Public lastRefresh As DateTime
        Public noOfRunners As Integer
        Public noOfWinners As Integer
        Public totalAmountMatched As Double
        Public bspMarket As Boolean
        Public turningInPlay As Boolean
    End Class

    Class UnpackAllMarkets       'For getAllMArkets
        Public marketData As MarketDataType() = {}  'The returned array of market data
        Private Const BaseDate As DateTime = #1/1/1970#
        Private Const ColonCode = "&%^@"  'The substitute code for "\:"

        Sub New(ByVal MarketString As String)
            Dim n As Integer, Mdata, Field As String()

            Mdata = MarketString.Replace("\:", ColonCode).Split(":") 'Get array of Market substrings
            n = UBound(Mdata) - 1
            ReDim marketData(n)

            For i = 0 To n
                Field = Mdata(i + 1).Replace("\~", "-").Split("~") 'Get array of data fields
                marketData(i) = New MarketDataType
                With marketData(i)
                    .marketId = Field(0)   'Load the array items
                    .marketName = Field(1).Replace(ColonCode, ":")
                    .marketType = Field(2)
                    .marketStatus = Field(3)
                    .eventDate = BaseDate.AddMilliseconds(Field(4))
                    .menuPath = Field(5).Replace(ColonCode, ":")
                    .eventHeirachy = Field(6)
                    .betDelay = Field(7)
                    .exchangeId = Field(8)
                    .countryCode = Field(9)
                    .lastRefresh = BaseDate.AddMilliseconds(Field(10))
                    .noOfRunners = Field(11)
                    .noOfWinners = Field(12)
                    .totalAmountMatched = Val(Field(13))
                    .bspMarket = (Field(14) = "Y")
                    .turningInPlay = (Field(15) = "Y")

                End With
            Next
        End Sub
    End Class
End Module

to obtain:

Market Info;
Selections (First runner);
Winner ;
Back Prices
and
Profit/Loss

?

Someone can help me?

[1nner]

1nner,

The API Guide mentions that a session will expire after about 20 minutes of inactivity. For as long as I have been using the API (about 3 years) this does not seem to be the case. From my experience, inactive session tokens persist a lot longer than 20 minutes. They usually remain current for a day or two. I don’t know why this is so.

However, this does not unduly worry me (in fact I find it convenient). Saves me having to log in all the time.

Note that all communications (which will contain the session token) between your computer and the API are encrypted. This level of security should be adequate for most purposes.

If you are using a computer that can be accessed by others, and you don’t like the idea of having an active session token hanging around, then it’s a good idea to log out rather than leave your session idle.

Thanks for that - as long as they do expire eventually I'm not too worried.

Cheers

[Sports API + VB .Net]

Hi Mumble regarding this post my question is that , through this tutorial i have learned to call the api service like "getmarket" through button but if requirment is that when using treeview we double click on anymarket so how will we assign some values of button "bRunners" like .marketstatus or .name to any lable on our project will we make globle variable or how ? please sorry if i have again bother you.........
i want to use some values from different api calls to my project like on banner i want to show selected marketstatus, marketname, numberofrunners, no.ofwinners etc etc how will this task done please help me out.......... i have no one but only you to ask question ... please reply

[Sports API + VB .Net]

Mumble Thanks for your kind reply but let me tell you that my intention was'nt to bother you but to understand the basic of how to design a bot for my use because i am not a expert developer but with your help now i am able to accomplish my pending tasks plus in future if i stuck somewhere in programming a bot i will again ask for your help i hope you will not mind this..... Thanks Again Brother.

[Mumbles0]

Reply to Sports API + VB. Net

App to show runners & prices

I have said this before - I am not going to write your application for you. But you can proceed like this:

The grid to use is a DataGridView, which you will find in the ToolBox. You place this on your form and set up columns for runner name, selectionId, best back prices, and best lay prices. You must learn how to do this.

When you click on a market in your TreeView, the AfterSelect event fires. From this event handler you call getMarket to return the list of runners (see Step 12). You load a column of the DataGridView with the list of runners, and put the selectionIds in another column.

From the Tick event of a timer you can call getMarketPricesCompressed to get the best back and lay prices (see Step 14). You then update the appropriate columns in the grid with these prices.

Cricket Group C

There is a problem with getAllMarkets, affecting Tennis, Golf, Cricket and Rugby Union. An unwanted GROUP heading is given in the menuPath. You can eliminate this by modifying the PopulateTreeView sub as shown here:

[COLOR="Gray"]Friend Sub PopulateTreeView(ByVal AllMarkets As UnpackAllMarkets, ByVal TreeView As TreeView)
  Dim Ids, Names As String(), Nodes As TreeNodeCollection

  TreeView.Nodes.Clear()             'Start afresh
  With AllMarkets
    For i = 0 To .marketData.Length - 1   'For each market
      With .marketData(i)
        Ids = .eventHeirachy.Split("/")  'Array of Ids
        Names = .menuPath.Split("\")   'Array of names

[COLOR="Black"]        If Ids.Length = Names.Length Then  'Workaround to remove "Group" names in tennis, golf, cricket & rugby union
          Dim n = UBound(Names)
          For j = 3 To n
            Names(j - 1) = Names(j)
          Next
          ReDim Preserve Names(n - 1)
        End If[/COLOR]

        Nodes = TreeView.Nodes      'Initial collection of child nodes
        For j = 1 To UBound(Ids)  'For each event list item
          If Not Nodes.ContainsKey(Ids(j)) Then
            Dim Node As New TreeNode   'Add a new node if it doesn't exist
            Node.Text = If(j <= UBound(Names), Names(j), .marketName)
            Node.Name = Ids(j)  'This is the key
            Nodes.Add(Node)
          End If
          Nodes = Nodes(Ids(j)).Nodes  'Next level down
        Next
      End With
    Next
  End With

End Sub[/COLOR]

[Mumbles0]

Session timeout

1nner,

The API Guide mentions that a session will expire after about 20 minutes of inactivity. For as long as I have been using the API (about 3 years) this does not seem to be the case. From my experience, inactive session tokens persist a lot longer than 20 minutes. They usually remain current for a day or two. I don’t know why this is so.

However, this does not unduly worry me (in fact I find it convenient). Saves me having to log in all the time.

Note that all communications (which will contain the session token) between your computer and the API are encrypted. This level of security should be adequate for most purposes.

If you are using a computer that can be accessed by others, and you don’t like the idea of having an active session token hanging around, then it’s a good idea to log out rather than leave your session idle.

[Sports API + VB .Net]

Hi Mumble thanks for help but i want little more help , i am using the same piece of code on my tester and populate treeview function in module unpack but the result is not as same as i expected this is what i am getting:
1st of all my treeview loads like:
+Soccer
+Tennis
+Cricket
+HorseRacing
when i click on cricket it shows like :
-Cricket
+Group C
+Group C
+Group C
when i click on Group C then:
-Cricket
-Group C
+ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (some have childs)
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 (some dont have childs)
+ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
+ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
+ICC Cricket World Cup 2011
When i click on 1st +icc cricketworldcup 2011 it shows
+fixture 02March
When i click on 2nd +icc cricketworldcup 2011 it shows
+fixture 03March
why this is happening you have mention in your help that it is prefereble to use menu name instead of ids but when i run the for loop in populate treeview function in module unpack you had mention then i did'nt get any id for further getmarkets and other services please help me out

[Sports API + VB .Net]

Thanks mumble everything is fine on befairtester form but where to place this lines so that everytime when i double click on a market from treeviewer it display selectionids and their prices (as happens on betfair website)

With MpriceResp.marketPrices
For i = 0 To .runnerPrices.Length - 1 'Look up the runnerPrices array
With .runnerPrices(i)
If .selectionId = 3013615 Then 'selectionId match

'The price data for Rio Royale is available here

Exit For
End If
End With
Next
End With

one more thing i want to ask how to make treeview as same as betfair means where and when to fire getmarkets and other required services and what will be a piece of code to display data from respond array to grid (and also suggest me which grid of vb2010 is more efficient) i want to design a bot as same as betfair main website . please dont ignore i will be waiting for your kind reply Mumble.......

[1nner]

Session not expiring

Hi,

Thanks for the great tutorial, it's extremely helpful. One thing I noticed when loading the saved session ID is that it continues to successfully work (ie I don't have to re login) for many hours (10+) after I've been away from the computer. I thought it was meant to time out after 20 minutes for security. Do you have any idea why this might be happening?

Regards,

Andrew

[BigSprout]

Personally I find this quite dumb, but there is a better way using buffered graphics.

You're right, with a nice break and starting afresh, it kind of all fell into place - I do not know what I was doing wrong in not getting the graphics to display on another form, but after removing the parameter "dim g As System.Windows.Forms.PaintEventArgs"...etc it still all worked.

Moved on to now displaying graphs of the price changes and updating every second.

Eagerly awaiting future steps in displaying graphics to see how far off track I have gone.

cheers Les