Using VB2008 to acccess the Betfair API: A tutorial

[Monairda]

Sorry Mumbles,

Maybe I am not properly explained. I do not want the data that shows column To Back or To Lay. I want the data that appears in the column Amount Matched, attached an image.

I understood that this data showed the call to getMarketTradedVolumeCompressedCompleted, print the table of odds and amounts matched.
That's why I wondered whether there was any call that returns a datatable

I would like to do this table:

Marketid | SelectionId | totalAmountMatched | lastPriceMatched | bestPricesToBack(0).price | bestPricesToBack(0).amountAvailable | tradedVolume(j).totalMatchedAmount (Sum amount matched From Odds 1.01 to 2.40 in this image) | tradedVolume(j).totalMatchedAmount ( Sum amount matched From Odds 2.42 to 1000 in this image)

I had thought to cross the information of the two calls (getmarketTradedVolumCompressedCompeted +getMarketPricesCompressedCompleted) and set up a datatable, but I do not know how to pass information from one call to another

Thanks

[Mumbles0]

Processing data from 2 async calls.

Monairda,

Perhaps your problem is when to process the data from the 2 responses. This is what I do:
Define a call counter to count the responses, clear it, the send the 2 async requests:

[COLOR="Gray"]Private oMarketPrices As UnpackMarketPricesCompressed
Private oTradedVolume As UnpackMarketTradedVolumeCompressed
[COLOR="Black"]Private CallCount As Integer[/COLOR]

Private Sub GetMarketData()    'Sub to send the requests
  [COLOR="Black"]CallCount = 0  'Clear the call count
  [I]Call getMarketPricesCompressedAsync (as per step 14)[/I]
  [I]Call getMarketTradedVolumeCompressedAsync (as per step 24)[/I][/COLOR] 
End Sub[/COLOR]

The API now sends back the 2 responses. Problem is we don’t know which one comes back first, so we count them in the event handlers. When both responses have been received CallCount = 2, so now we call a sub to process the 2 unpacked data objects.

[COLOR="Gray"]Private Sub BetfairUK_getMarketPricesCompressedCompleted(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As BFUK.getMarketPricesCompressedCompletedEventArgs) Handles BetfairUK.getMarketPricesCompressedCompleted
  .........
  [I](Code similar to Step 14)[/I]
  .........
  If .errorCode = BFUK.GetMarketPricesErrorEnum.OK Then
    oMarketPrices = New UnpackMarketPricesCompressed(.marketPrices)   'Unpack the market prices data
    [COLOR="Black"]CallCount += 1    'Count this response
    If CallCount = 2 Then BuildDataTable()   'Process responses when both received[/COLOR]
  End If
  .........
  .........
End Sub

Private Sub BetfairUK_getMarketTradedVolumeCompressedCompleted(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As BFUK.getMarketTradedVolumeCompressedCompletedEventArgs) Handles BetfairUK.getMarketTradedVolumeCompressedCompleted
  ........
  [I](Code similar to Step 24)[/I]
  ........
  If .errorCode = BFUK.GetMarketTradedVolumeCompressedErrorEnum.OK Then
    oTradedVolume = New UnpackMarketTradedVolumeCompressed(.tradedVolume)  'Unpack the traded volume data
    [COLOR="Black"]CallCount += 1  'Count this response
    If CallCount = 2 Then BuildDataTable()  'Process responses when both received[/COLOR]
  End If
  .........
  .........
End Sub

[COLOR="Black"]Private Sub BuildDataTable()
  [I]Builds a data table from data contained in oMarketPrices and oTradedVolume objects[/I]
End Sub[/COLOR][/COLOR]

Sub BuildDataTable is only called once, from the event handler which handles the second response (whichever that is). This ensures that both responses have arrived before output processing commences.

[Monairda]

Mumbles,

Thank you very much, I will try to implement it

Best Regards

[Aitor]

Why doesnt work with Champions League

Hello!I have a small problem using this function. y put the name of a football team there like "equipo" and the code is the football code, this is correct when i put a name of for example a spanish football team, but the problem is that one team is playing champions league, this doesn´t appear. what is hapening???what is wrong?


Private Function TeamEvents(ByVal fecha As Date, ByVal fechaini As Date, ByVal equipo As String, ByVal cod As String) As List(Of MarketDataType)
Dim Names As String(), Equipos As New List(Of MarketDataType)

Dim oMarketsReq As New BFUK.GetAllMarketsReq
Dim oMarketsResp As BFUK.GetAllMarketsResp
With oMarketsReq
.header = oHeaderUK()
ReDim .eventTypeIds(0) : .eventTypeIds(0) = cod
.fromDate = fechaini
.toDate = fecha 'Today.AddDays(2) esto seria hoy y mañana
End With
oMarketsResp = BetFairUK.getAllMarkets(oMarketsReq) 'Call the UK API

With oMarketsResp
CheckHeader(.header)
Print("ErrorCode = " & .errorCode.ToString)
If .errorCode = BFUK.GetAllMarketsErrorEnum.OK Then
Dim AllMarkets As New UnpackAllMarkets(.marketData)
With AllMarkets
For i = 0 To .marketData.Length - 1
If .marketData(i).menuPath.Contains(equipo) Then
Names = .marketData(i).menuPath.Split("\") 'Lo filtramos segun su /
Equipos.Add(.marketData(i)) 'Añadir un mercado a la lista
End If
Next
End With
Equipos.Sort(New CompareMarketTimes) 'Ordenamos los mercados por fecha
End If
End With
Return Equipos
End Function

[Mumbles0]

Reply to Aitor (re: getAllMarkets filter)

Your function works OK for me. When I make the test call:

Private Sub bTestAitor_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles bTestAitor.Click

  With TeamEvents(Today.AddDays(7), Today, "Real Madrid", 1)
    For i = 0 To .Count - 1
      With .Item(i)
        Print(.menuPath & "*" & .marketName)
      End With
    Next
  End With

End Sub

the function returns all 28 markets with .menuPath =

\Soccer\UEFA Champions League\Fixtures 10 March\Real Madrid v Lyon

and all 37 markets with .menuPath =

\Soccer\Spanish Soccer\Primera Division\Fixtures 14 March\Valladolid v Real Madrid

Make sure that the date limits you use include days when your team (equipo) is playing in a Champions League match.

[Aitor]

Thanks a lot Numbles0 i was doing bad writting questions, your help was very importatn for me, i don´t mean thtat the paths were diferents.
Thansk a lot

[Aitor]

problem with session token

i have a trouble with session token
Betfair3._0.BFUK.GetMarketPricesErrorEnum.API_ERRO R
MpriceResp.errorCodeField{4}
and header_field [error_code{8}

i am calling the betfair.getmarketprices from another class, what is hapenning with the session token?what its wrong?

[Osprey]

A vote of thanks ...

Really great thread Mumbles,

I have been trying to make the painful transition from VB6 to VB.Net+++ for quite some time now, your tutorial has added that extra whatsit, making the journey much easier and more interesting to boot!

Thus far, touching wood, I have successfully followed all of your tutorials/suggestions and therefore have code that can potentially be extended to money making uses. :-)

One related idea occurred to me however, under the heading of "what next", it seemed to me that LINQ could simplify a lot of the 'housekeeping' that you have been describing. If you agree, perhaps a tutorial on LINQ implementations would be useful?

Osprey

[Mumbles0]

Linq

Osprey,

Thanks for the kind words.

LINQ allows you to query a data source using convenient VB-language statements. Data sources can be in-memory objects, XML files or SQL databases.

At this stage I don’t know much LINQ, not enough to write an authoritative tutorial. There are, of course, many articles about LINQ on the web.

[jaybeeb]

Loving this tutorial and making a good stab at extra things myself now but having an issue with the times returned, not sure if its after the clocks went forward but with the code in this thread for the todayscard() all the race times are an hour behind??

[Mumbles0]

Local time

Jaybeeb,

I guess you are in the UK. All times returned by the API are UTC (or GMT if you like).

Use the ToLocalTime method to convert the event times to your local time.
Change the code in the Step 18 example to do this:

  [COLOR="Gray"]For Each Race In TodaysCard    'Print the card
    With Race
      Names = .menuPath.Split("\")
      Print(.eventDate[COLOR="Black"].ToLocalTime[/COLOR].TimeOfDay.ToString & " " & .marketId & " " & Names(3) & " - " & .marketName)
    End With
  Next[/COLOR]

[jaybeeb]

Thats the one Mumbles. Thanks

[Mumbles0]

Visual Basic 2010

Microsoft have recently released a new version of Visual Basic - VB2010. Like VB2008, an Express Edition is available free of charge. There are some new language features and the IDE has had a facelift. Any code you have developed using VB2008 should be fully compatible with the new compiler.

Existing projects created with VB2008 will require some conversion. For example, to run the Betfair tester project with VB2010 you can proceed along these lines:

Copy the solution folder BetfairX to a new location. Rename it to something like BetfairX2010. The original folder is retained as a backup.

Start VB2010 and from the File menu select "Open Project". Browse to BetfairX.sln in the new BetfairX2010 folder. Click Open. This launches the conversion wizard. Click Next. Select No to the backup question (because we already have a backup). Click Finish. The conversion is now done. Check “Show the conversion log” and close the wizard. Now run the project. The familiar Betfair TestForm should appear and operate as expected.

In general, the source files will not require conversion, but the solution file (*.sln) will. The means that, once converted, the solution cannot be loaded with VB2008.

I suggest that you install this new version and use it for future development. It has a very similar feel to VB2008. If you have problems post a comment.

M0.

[ribogio7]

Hello Mumbles0

First of all my english is not very good.

I try to write a method which it returns all the results of bet history.

        Dim oGBHReq As New BFExchange.GetBetHistoryReq
        Dim oGBHResp As New BFExchange.GetBetHistoryResp

        With oGBHReq
            .header = oHeaderUK
            .placedDateFrom = Now.AddDays(-7)
            .placedDateTo = Now
            .recordCount = 30
            ReDim .marketTypesIncluded(0) : .marketTypesIncluded(0) = BFExchange.MarketTypeEnum.R
            .sortBetsBy = BFExchange.BetsOrderByEnum.PLACED_DATE
        End With

        oGBHResp = BetfairUK.getBetHistory(oGBHReq)

        With oGBHResp
            CheckHeader(.header)
            MsgBox("ErrorCode = " & .errorCode.ToString)
            If .errorCode = BFExchange.GetBetHistoryErrorEnum.OK Then
                For i = 0 To .betHistoryItems().Length - 1
                    RichTextBox1.Text = .betHistoryItems(i).betId & .betHistoryItems(i).betType & .betHistoryItems(i).placedDate & .betHistoryItems(i).price & vbNewLine
                Next
            End If
        End With

It appears an Errorcode=No_Results. Please look this part of code.

[Mumbles0]

getBetHistory

ribogio7,

You need to include the .betTypesIncluded parameter in the request header. Use M or U for bets on open markets, or use S for settled markets.

For .marketTypesIncluded you are using R (for range markets). Do you have any bets on range markets? Perhaps try O (for Odds markets).

If you have placed bets on normal Odds markets in the past 7 days you should return some bet history with this request object:

With oGBHReq
      .header = oHeaderUK()
      .placedDateFrom = Now.AddDays(-7)
      .placedDateTo = Now
      .recordCount = 30
      .betTypesIncluded = BFExchange.BetStatusEnum.S
      ReDim .marketTypesIncluded(0) : .marketTypesIncluded(0) = BFExchange.MarketTypeEnum.O
      .sortBetsBy = BFExchange.BetsOrderByEnum.PLACED_DATE
    End With