Using VB2008 to acccess the Betfair API: A tutorial

[JayBee]

Viewing horse races the night before...

Mumbles0,

On the Betfair website you can view tomorrow's races and any early betting.

I would like to do this with the application you have been building in this thread.

Currently, the night before, if I click the markets button then nothing is returned.

How do I get a list of tomorrow's races in my Tree View?

Thank you.

[Mumbles0]

Tomorrow‘s markets

JayBee,

The TreeView example of Step 15 uses data obtained from the getAllMarkets call made in Step 5. Here the properties .fromDate and .toDate define the time window for the returned markets. In other words, getAllMarkets only returns markets whose start times lie between these limits.

So to get tomorrow’s UK racing markets try this:

[COLOR="Gray"]  Dim oMarketsReq As New BFUK.GetAllMarketsReq
  Dim oMarketsResp As BFUK.GetAllMarketsResp
  With oMarketsReq
    .header = oHeaderUK()
    ReDim .eventTypeIds(0) : .eventTypeIds(0) = 7
    ReDim .countries(0) : .countries(0) = "GBR"
[COLOR="Black"]    .fromDate = Today.AddDays(1)    'Midnight tonight
    .toDate = Today.AddDays(2)      'Midnight tomorrow night[/COLOR]
  End With
  oMarketsResp = BetFairUK.getAllMarkets(oMarketsReq)
  .........[/COLOR]

Note that the Today method returns your local time.

[JayBee]

Thank you Mumbles0, works perfectly.

JayBee,

The TreeView example of Step 15 uses data obtained from the getAllMarkets call made in Step 5. Here the properties .fromDate and .toDate define the time window for the returned markets. In other words, getAllMarkets only returns markets whose start times lie between these limits.

So to get tomorrow’s UK racing markets try this...

[Tachikoma]

cant find Async version of getM

Hi Mumbles0, thanks for your great work.

Referring to your Step 9. Making Async API Calls.

BetFairUK.getMarketPricesAsync(MpricesReq)

Why I can't find the Async version of getMarketPrices method?

[JayBee]

Colouring cells dependent on value...

Having started programming in 1981 on a Tandy TRS-80, I have yet to evolve the ability to perform object-oriented programming.

I have a working program now and am certain it would give a younger programmer a heart attack.

What I would like to do now is use the existing code in this excellent thread but colour code individual cells dependent on value range.

Any ideas?

I would prefer not to do a complete rewrite of all the excellent work already done in this thread.

Thanks.

[JayBee]

Found a solution after a day of hair pulling...

Using the existing variable ref for currently selected grid...

Public WithEvents SelectedGrid As RunnerGrid 'A variable to hold a reference to the currently-selected grid

I added this event handler...

Private Sub dataGridView1_CellFormatting(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As DataGridViewCellFormattingEventArgs) Handles SelectedGrid.CellFormatting
If Me.SelectedGrid.Columns(e.ColumnIndex).Name = "F-B" ThenIf e.Value > 0 Then
e.CellStyle.BackColor = Color.LightGreenEnd If
End If

End Sub

Having started programming in 1981 on a Tandy TRS-80, I have yet to evolve the ability to perform object-oriented programming.

I have a working program now and am certain it would give a younger programmer a heart attack.

What I would like to do now is use the existing code in this excellent thread but colour code individual cells dependent on value range.

Any ideas?

I would prefer not to do a complete rewrite of all the excellent work already done in this thread.

Thanks.

[JayBee]

New Problem...

I want to add a new row to the bottom of my table, into which I can place totals.

Any ideas?

I've tried row.add() but it adds the row above the last runner.

I have no idea why it does this.

[Mumbles0]

Reply to Tachikoma

Hi Mumbles0, thanks for your great work.
Referring to your Step 9. Making Async API Calls.
BetFairUK.getMarketPricesAsync(MpricesReq)
Why I can't find the Async version of getMarketPrices method?

It’s there.

If you have declared the service object BetFairUK as:

Private WithEvents BetFairUK As New BFUK.BFExchangeService 'The UK ExchangeService object

then when you type:

BetFairUK.

the getMarketPricesAsync method should appear on the Intellisense list.

[Mumbles0]

Reply to JayBee (using DataGridView)

Cell colouring

That’s the way to go. The CellFormating event fires whenever a cell’s value changes, allowing you to change the cell’s colour depending on its new value (as you’ve done).

Extra grid row

Try setting the RowCount property to one more than the number of runners.
Change these two lines in the RunnerGrid class:

[COLOR="Gray"][COLOR="Black"]  RowCount = Runners.Length + 1  'A row for each runner (plus extra row)
  For i = 0 To Runners.Length - 1[/COLOR]
    With Runners(i)
      Item(colRunner, i).Value = .name  'Add the runner name
      Item(colSelId, i).Value = .selectionId  'Add the selectionId
    End With
  Next[/COLOR]

(I don't know why the Rows.Add method inserts a new row before the last row)

[JayBee]

I used that method of adding a row and got the same problem as yourself, namely the row is in the wrong place.

That's not very helpful when it comes to totalling things up.

At the moment I am putting my totals into labels, elsewhere on the form.

Other ideas I have is to have label objects inside the tab or to declare a second grid view without headers and to pass data between the two or to sort the grid or to add a dummy runner.

Extra grid row

Try setting the RowCount property to one more than the number of runners.
Change these two lines in the RunnerGrid class:

[COLOR="Gray"][COLOR="Black"]  RowCount = Runners.Length + 1  'A row for each runner (plus extra row)
  For i = 0 To Runners.Length - 1[/COLOR]
    With Runners(i)
      Item(colRunner, i).Value = .name  'Add the runner name
      Item(colSelId, i).Value = .selectionId  'Add the selectionId
    End With
  Next[/COLOR]

(I don't know why the Rows.Add method inserts a new row before the last row)

[Mumbles0]

JayBee,

There is no problem !!!

If you increase the RowCount property by one you get an extra row at the bottom of the grid. Isn't this what you want?

[JayBee]

Sorry, I hadn't noticed that you changed the For statement from

For i = 0 To RowCount

For i = 0 To Runners.Length - 1

Thanks for your help. I have no idea how it works but as I learned in functional maths in my comp. sci. degree, "Don't ask why, it just is."

PS... My first live run, today, made two trades on a race and the field was completely green. Thanks again!

JayBee,

There is no problem !!!

If you increase the RowCount property by one you get an extra row at the bottom of the grid. Isn't this what you want?

[gunhero]

error: BET_IN_PROGRESS

Hi Mumbles0 and others,
I have some problem with an errorcode after the placeBetsReqest.
The errorcode is "BET_IN_PROGRESS". At betfair I read, that this means, that it's possible or not that the bet is placed. It's a very silly statement.

I will show you my Request:

'TestValues
handicap = 1
marketId = 101970857
selectionId = 285469
tempQuote = 5
tempStake = 100
betType = "B"

Dim oPlaceBetResp As New BFUK.PlaceBetsResp
Dim oBets(0 To 0) As BFUK.PlaceBets

oBets(0) = New BFUK.PlaceBets
        With oBets(0)
            .asianLineId = handicap
            .betCategoryType = BFUK.BetCategoryTypeEnum.E
            .betPersistenceType = BFUK.BetPersistenceTypeEnum.NONE
            If betType = "B" Then
                .betType = BFUK.BetTypeEnum.B
            ElseIf betType = "L" Then
                .betType = BFUK.BetTypeEnum.L
            End If

            .bspLiability = 0
            .marketId = marketId
            .selectionId = selectionId
            .price = tempQuote
            .size = tempStake

        End With

        With oPlaceBetReq
            .header = oHeaderUK()
            .bets = oBets
        End With

oPlaceBetResp = BetfairUK.placeBets(oPlaceBetReq)

If oPlaceBetResp.errorCode = BFUK.PlaceBetsErrorEnum.OK Then
' xxx
else
Print("Error: " & oPlaceBetResp.errorCode.ToString)
end if

I want to place a bet in the Total Goals market (Game: Aston Villa v Arsenal) at Back "1 goal or more".
I think the error is couse of the asian line ID. Can someone explain me the sense of this part? The error by handicap = -1 is "INCORRECT ASIAN_LINE_ID", by handicap = 1 is "BET_IN_PROGRESS".

How I have to change the code to place also bets at "Total Goals"?

Thanks for your help

gunhero

[gunhero]

The mistake was quiet simple
The Asian Line Id was wrong.

Greetings gunhero

[Mumbles0]

Gunhero,

The Total Goals market is treated as an Asian handcap, so the .asianLineId parameter in the placeBets request should be set to the corresponding value given in the .runners array returned by getMarket.