Using VB2008 to acccess the Betfair API: A tutorial

[mbrylski]

re: getAllMarkets problem

Thx Mumbles0

I found it this in App.config after changed value to 999999999 everything working correctly

<readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="999999999" maxArrayLength="16384" maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />

[Mumbles0]

App.config file

My App.config file hasn't got this line in it. Could you please post a copy of your App.config for my information.

[mbrylski]

RE: App.config file

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<configuration>
    <startup>
        <supportedRuntime version="v4.0" sku=".NETFramework,Version=v4.0,Profile=Client" />
    </startup>
    <system.serviceModel>
        <bindings>
            <basicHttpBinding>
                <binding name="BFGlobalService" closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
                    receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" allowCookies="false"
                    bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
                    maxBufferSize="999999999" maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxReceivedMessageSize="999999999"
                    messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" transferMode="Buffered"
                    useDefaultWebProxy="true">
                    <readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="999999999" maxArrayLength="16384"
                        maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
                    <security mode="Transport">
                        <transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
                            realm="" />
                        <message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
                    </security>
                </binding>
                <binding name="BFGlobalService1" closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
                    receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" allowCookies="false"
                    bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
                    maxBufferSize="999999999" maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxReceivedMessageSize="999999999"
                    messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" transferMode="Buffered"
                    useDefaultWebProxy="true">
                    <readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="999999999" maxArrayLength="16384"
                        maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
                    <security mode="None">
                        <transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
                            realm="" />
                        <message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
                    </security>
                </binding>
                <binding name="BFExchangeService" closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
                    receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" allowCookies="false"
                    bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
                    maxBufferSize="999999999" maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxReceivedMessageSize="999999999"
                    messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" transferMode="Buffered"
                    useDefaultWebProxy="true">
                    <readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="999999999" maxArrayLength="16384"
                        maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
                    <security mode="Transport">
                        <transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
                            realm="" />
                        <message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
                    </security>
                </binding>
                <binding name="BFExchangeService1" closeTimeout="00:01:00" openTimeout="00:01:00"
                    receiveTimeout="00:10:00" sendTimeout="00:01:00" allowCookies="false"
                    bypassProxyOnLocal="false" hostNameComparisonMode="StrongWildcard"
                    maxBufferSize="999999999" maxBufferPoolSize="524288" maxReceivedMessageSize="999999999"
                    messageEncoding="Text" textEncoding="utf-8" transferMode="Buffered"
                    useDefaultWebProxy="true">
                    <readerQuotas maxDepth="32" maxStringContentLength="999999999" maxArrayLength="16384"
                        maxBytesPerRead="4096" maxNameTableCharCount="16384" />
                    <security mode="None">
                        <transport clientCredentialType="None" proxyCredentialType="None"
                            realm="" />
                        <message clientCredentialType="UserName" algorithmSuite="Default" />
                    </security>
                </binding>
            </basicHttpBinding>
        </bindings>
        <client>
            <endpoint address="https://api.betfair.com/global/v3/BFGlobalService"
                binding="basicHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="BFGlobalService"
                contract="BFGlobal.BFGlobalService" name="BFGlobalService" />
            <endpoint address="https://api.betfair.com/exchange/v5/BFExchangeService"
                binding="basicHttpBinding" bindingConfiguration="BFExchangeService"
                contract="BFUK.BFExchangeService" name="BFExchangeService" />
        </client>
    </system.serviceModel>
</configuration>

[Alth79]

Placing a bet

Hi Mumbles0
Wow - what a brilliant tutorial, thanks for your time and effor!

I have pulled together a basic bot following your advice and am kean to progress this further. I have completed all of your steps upto step 19 - the placing a bet section.

This might seam like a stupid problem but I cannot place a bet because i receive an error message stating:

"Name 'TheBetID' is not declared

Sorry if this is something trivial which I should be aware of!

If you could let me know how to deal with this it would be much appreciated

Cheers

[Mumbles0]

Alth79,

In step 19 TheBetId is the name of a variable accessed from within the PlaceBet sub. Make sure that you have declared it outside the sub with a line like this:

Dim TheBetId As Long

(In step 19 this has been declared in the code for the test call.)

[gvigliani]

Hi Mumbles0,
excuse if you do not write well in English but I hope to be able to make myself understood. I can first declare that I have learned more by following your posts you read all the books on Betfair.
I was trying to do a test on Step 23. Changing Beth.
my program that works well, but with this function fails giving error:

BetPrice = .newPrice
BetSize = .newSize 'Update with the new values
nudPrice.Value = .newPrice
nudSize.Value = .newSize

1) BetPrice is not Declared
2) BetSize is not Declared

I checked Function Placebet and is identical to the one you published and this, with the button and place your bets bPlaceBet works but the function UpdateBet gives me those errors. May depend on what?
Thanks

[gvigliani]

Hi Mumbles0,

I put the following dim in Class Test Forms

Dim TheBetId As Long 'The betId (returned from placeBets)
Dim BetPrice As Decimal = Nothing 'Your desired odds
Dim BetSize As Decimal = Nothing 'Your bet amount in currency units

the problem is gone but I know if it is justified and then do exactly this way.

Greetings

[Mumbles0]

Declaring variables

gvigliani,

Your Dim statements are OK (but there’s no point in setting the values to Nothing).

The variables BetPrice, BetSize, etc. were declared previously in Step 19. I did not re-declare them in step 23. These variables are declared outside the Subs that use them. Perhaps this has caused some confusion.


Declaring variables

All variables that you use must be declared somewhere within your program. The first thing the complier does is build a list of variables declared within your program. When you use a variable, the compiler looks for its name in this list. If it doesn’t find it, it gives the 'name' is not declared error.

For example, if you have a simple assignment statement:

BetPrice = 3.5

and you see the message 'BetPrice' is not declared in the error list, this is telling you that the complier does not know what BetPrice is. You must tell the compiler what BetPrice is before you use it. You do this with a declaration statement, for example:

Dim BetPrice as Decimal

The "not declared" error should now disappear.

We can combine these two statements into one:

Dim BetPrice as Decimal = 3.5

Here we declare the variable BetPrice and initialize it to 3.5 in one line. This can be handy.

You can declare several variables in one Dim statement:

Dim BetPrice As Decimal, BetSize As Decimal, TheBetId As Long

Because BetSize and BetPrice are both of type Decimal you can simplify this to:

Dim BetPrice, BetSize As Decimal, TheBetId As Long

This is same as writing:

Dim BetSize As Decimal
Dim BetPrice As Decimal
Dim TheBetId As Long

These declarations are said to be non-executable statements. They simply instruct the compiler to reserve space in memory for the variables. However, if you initialize a variable, for example:

Dim BetSize as Decimal = 2

you now have an executable statement - the value 2 is assigned at run time.


Variable access

You can use the Private, Friend or Public keywords instead of Dim for variables declared outside a sub or function:

Private BetPrice, BetSize As Decimal, TheBetId As Long

If the declared variable are to be accessed by code anywhere in your project (e.g. from another form) use Friend or Public. Use Private or Dim for variables that are only accessed by code within the current class.

Variables declared within a procedure (a procedure is a sub or function) can only be declared with Dim. These variables are local to the procedure and cannot be accessed from outside the procedure directly.

Variable access (variable scope) is a fairly large topic, This is just a brief introduction.

[gvigliani]

Thank you

Dear friend Mumbles0,
You have absolutely right and the program works perfectly and without any problems.
I thank you for the fast reply.

Gvigliani

[gvigliani]

MyApiProg

Thank's for All!!!



This is just the beginning but I like and I'm proud.

gvigliani

[gvigliani]

Bet < 2

[QUOTE=supunsilva.;2181] I have found how to place low amount(Stake<2) bets.

Hi friend,

I'm also looking for a way to bet <2. Can you explain what method you used? Thanks

[Alth79]

Placing a bet

Hi Mumbles0

Thanks for getting back to me about ste 19 - placing a bet.

I am still struggling to get this working - I have changed my code as you suggested and no longer receive an error message. I am still not able to place a test bet on my application.

Below is the code which i have (the market, and id's were correct at the time of testing.

(CODE):
Private Sub PlaceBet(ByVal YourMarket As Integer, ByVal YourSelection As Integer, ByVal YourBetType As BFUK.BetTypeEnum, ByVal BetPrice As Decimal, ByVal BetSize As Decimal)
Dim oPlaceBetsReq As New BFUK.PlaceBetsReq
Dim oPlaceBetsResp As BFUK.PlaceBetsResp
Dim oBet As New BFUK.PlaceBets
With oPlaceBetsReq
.header = oHeaderUK()
With oBet
.asianLineId = 0
.betCategoryType = BFUK.BetCategoryTypeEnum.E
.betPersistenceType = BFUK.BetPersistenceTypeEnum.NONE
.betType = 0
.marketId = 101599071
.price = 8.8
.selectionId = 3804941
.size = 2.0
.bspLiability = 0
End With
ReDim .bets(0)
.bets(0) = oBet
End With
oPlaceBetsResp = BetFairUK.placeBets(oPlaceBetsReq)
With oPlaceBetsResp
CheckHeader(.header)
Print("ErrorCode = " & .errorCode.ToString)
If .errorCode = BFUK.PlaceBetsErrorEnum.OK Then
For i = 0 To .betResults.Length - 1
With .betResults(i)
Print(.resultCode.ToString)
If .success Then
Print("BetId = " & .betId)
TheBetID = .betId
End If
End With
Next
End If
End With
End Sub
Dim TheBetID As Long
(CODE END)

If you could take a look at this to see where I am going wrong I would be most grateful.

Cheers

[Mumbles0]

PlaceBet

Alth79,

I don't know why you're not using the sub's calling parameters, but it works!

Is anything being "printed"? If not, the Sub is not being called.

[Mumbles0]

Your app

gvigliani,

You have been very busy. Nice work!

[waldjunge]

I placed a Lay bet which had a price of 5.9 with 7.9 instead. The following ".errorCode = BFUK.PlaceBetsErrorEnum.OK" gave me OK.

However the .PlaceBetsResults.success was not successful and I have gotten "INVALID_INCREMENT"

What does this INVALID_INCREMENT exactly mean? The bet was not matched because of this error (message), what did I do wrong, and how can I prevent this in future?

thanks,

Waldjunge