Using VB2008 to acccess the Betfair API: A tutorial

[davecon]

exe App

Hi 223
For a PC etc Use a Flash Drive or CD/DVD if you want to Install on another Computer besides your own
Or Just Install to a Folder on your Comp
Example Your Project Name is 'BFTest'
Either Way - Create a New Folder for your App (Say on Desktop if not in your Flash etc Name it eg "BFTest Install")
For First Time Install its Best to Add a Desktop ShortCut before Publishing So in VB2010 Main Menu Click
Project - "BFTest Properties" (Ignore Publish BFTest this Time)
In Properties - Select "Publish"
1-In the Top Publish Location Browse to your "BFTest Install" Folder
2- Select the "(Launchable from Start Menu") Option
3 - Click Options (You can Play with all this later )but for now
4- Click Manifests
5 - Tick "Create DeskTop Shortcut" (If you add or have added an icon to your project it will show this on your Desktop Do that from BFTest Properties -Application - Add Icon Link) for now it will just use the vb default - Click Ok
6 - then Click "Publish Now" It will show in your status bar publishing and if it succeeded
Finally go to your Installation Folder and Double Click the Setup.exe and it will install like any other Program
It will show a Desktop Icon and Start Menu and will also be in your Uninstall Programs from the Control Panel
After Doing the above you only need to Use the VB Main Menu
Project - Publish BFTest and Click Finish in the Dialogue
This will Update your Publication each time so you can just use Setup.exe to keep your application updated with your latest Project version you are working on
Also handy to Test your Project "live" while you can make any adjustments in the VBStudio in your project at the same time without the debugger
Hope this Helps
Dave
PS Forgot to mention you can also locate in your Project files
The Bin Folder and use the .exe file from The Release Folder (NOT Debug folder)

[I am the one and only223]

Thanks Dave. I had figured out how to create the exe file, but I went through your processes and created it again. But it still gives an error. When I run it in VS2010 it runs fine. It's just the simple login example with the 3 buttons "login", "logout" and "keepalive".

The login call gives the error:

Unhandled exception has occurred in your application. If you click Continue, the application will ignore this error...

And under Details:
System.Net.WebException: Unable to connect to the remote server ---> System.Net.Sockets.SocketException: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond 84.20.200.10:443

What might be the reason that the exe fails but not the project?

[NFLMAN]

Async calls and global variables

Hyperthetical question surrounding async calls and global variables.

I have a timer event that 'ticks' every minute.

Sometimes the tick event hnadler takes longer than one minute to process the information. What happens when the tick events overlap? Do they overlap? I'm particularly interested to know that if they do overlap then what happens to global variables when different tick events access them.

I'll give a scenario to explain what I'm getting at.

Timer has been started with a 1 minute interval.
1 minute elapses and the tick event is triggered (let's call it TickEvent1)
TickEvent1 assign global vatiable Var1 to 0
TickEvent1 does some processing and changes Var1 to 5
TickEvent1 does some more processing
TickEvent2 starts
TickEvent2 assign global vatiable Var1 to 0
TickEvent1 is still processing and uses the Var1 variable in a calculation
However, Var1 has been changed by TickEvent2 to 0 but Tickevent1 needs Var1 to be 5.
Can you see my problem?

[I am the one and only223]

The reason I need an exe file is that I want to call it from Excel VBA. If somebody could explain how I can create a dll in VB2010 so that I can use the methods in my Excel VBA application then it wouldn't matter why it fails!

[davecon]

Hi 223

Zip Folder Below for Sample Spreadsheet DLL

https://bdp.betfair.com/index.php?op...catid=59&id=11

Dave

[I am the one and only223]

Thanks Dave, now I need a tutorial on how to use the dll.

I'll have a go tomorrow. My brain is returning a "NO SESSION" error atm!

[I am the one and only223]

The BDPAPI6.dll doesn't seem to have all the API functionality. I specifically need to use the asynchronous placebets call, but the nearest call I can see in BDPAPI6.dll is placebetpage, which is not asynchronous. Anybody know if I can create a dll in VB2010 with just the login/logout/keepalive and placebetsasync calls?

[Camper]

I'm having two problems.

First I want to use a combobox to filter the markets by date.
I tried this with no luck:

Private Sub Main_Load(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Me.Load
        ComboBox1.Items.Add("Today")
        ComboBox1.Items.Add("Yesterday")
        ComboBox1.Items.Add("Tomorow")
    End Sub

Private Sub bMarkets_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles bMarkets.Click
        ListBox1.Items.Clear()
        [B]Dim tempo as Integer
        Select Case ComboBox1.SelectedIndex
            Case 0
                tempo = 0
            Case 1
                tempo = 1
            Case 2
                tempo = 2
        End Select[/B]
        Dim oMarketsReq As New BFUK.GetAllMarketsReq
        Dim oMarketsResp As BFUK.GetAllMarketsResp
        With oMarketsReq
            .header = oHeaderUK()
            ReDim .eventTypeIds(0) : .eventTypeIds(0) = 2
           [B] If tempo = 0 Then
                .fromDate = Today.AddDays(0)
                .toDate = Today.AddDays(0)
            End If
            If tempo = 1 Then
                .fromDate = Today.AddDays(-1)
                .toDate = Today.AddDays(-1)
            End If
            If tempo = 2 Then
                .fromDate = Today.AddDays(1)
                .toDate = Today.AddDays(1)
            End If[/B]
            .locale = "en"
        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)   'Create an object and unpack the string
                With AllMarkets
                    For i = 0 To .marketData.Length - 1
                        With .marketData(i)
                            If .marketStatus = "ACTIVE" Then
                                If .marketName = "Match Odds" Or .marketName = "Probabilidades" Then
                                    Dim Items As String() = Split(.menuPath, "\")
                                    Dim time, hour, min As String
                                    hour = .eventDate.Hour
                                    min = .eventDate.Minute
                                    time = hour & ":" & min
                                    Dim Q As New Market
                                    Q.id = .marketId
                                    Q.path = Items(UBound(Items))
                                    Q.hour = time
                                    ListBox1.Items.Add(Q)
                                End If
                            End If
                        End With
                    Next
                End With
            End If
        End With
    End Sub

It's not working at all, I have no idea.

The other problem I have is here:

Dim time, hour, min As String
hour = .eventDate.Hour
min = .eventDate.Minute
time = hour & ":" & min
Dim Q As New Market
Q.id = .marketId
Q.path = Items(UBound(Items))
Q.hour = time
ListBox1.Items.Add(Q)

It shows the time in a wrong way, lets say the match is at 16:00, it only shows 16:0, if the match it at 03:15 it only shows 3:15.

Thanks in advance.

[I am the one and only223]

Hi Camper, I may know nothing about .exe and .dll files, but I know a bit of VB.

For your date/time problem use the format function:
x=format(Now,"hh:nn")

so x="15:58"

And for your selection problem I think it's not returning anything because the fromDate is the same as the toDate. If you want today's events I think you might have to have the toDate as tomorrow.

[Camper]

Thanks for the help.

Hour, min and time are strings so I can't format them using the method you said. I figured out, It was simple after all, I've just changed this:

hour = Format(.eventDate.Hour, "00")
min = Format(.eventDate.Minute, "00")

The second problem I have I cant figure it out.
To select from today, tomorow, and yesterday wich values must have .fromDate and .toDate ?

[Camper]

I guess I founded it:

Today:

.fromDate = Today.AddDays(-1)
.toDate = Today.AddDays(1)

Yesterday:

.fromDate = Today.AddDays(-2)
.toDate = Today.AddDays(-1)

Tomorow:

.fromDate = Today.AddDays(1)
.toDate = Today.AddDays(2)

[BigSprout]

Camper,
it's as 223 suggested

Dim Tme=format(.eventdate, "HH:mm") ="03:10"
or
Dim Tme=format(.eventdate, "HH.mm") = "03.10"

Dim Dte=format(.eventdate,"yyyyMMdd") = "20110824"
or
dim Dte=format(.eventdate,"dd/MM/yyyy") = "24/08/2011"
or any valid combination

use Format the same as currency,decimal etc

hope this helps

[Geierkind]

Hi there. I got a problem here, which is really over my head because I really can't think of an explanation.

I get prices for all Markets which fit a certain criteria (cleansheet or some other), with a modified showmprices-sub:

[examplary for 3-Way Match Odds]

Sub ShowMprices3(ByVal MpriceResp As BFUK.GetMarketPricesResp)
        Dim Back1, Back2, Back3 As String
        With MpriceResp
            CheckHeader(.header)

            If .errorCode = BFUK.GetMarketPricesErrorEnum.OK Then
                With .marketPrices
                    With .runnerPrices(0)
                        Back1 = .bestPricesToBack(0).price

                    End With
                    With .runnerPrices(1)
                        Back2 = .bestPricesToBack(0).price

                    End With
                    With .runnerPrices(2)
                        Back3 = .bestPricesToBack(0).price

                    End With
                    Print(.marketId & "µ" & Back1 & "µ" & Back2 & "µ" & Back3)
                End With

            End If
        End With
    End Sub

This is the Prices-Sub (which later works without problems, the above is the sub in question I think):

Private Sub b3wprices_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles b3wprices.Click
      
        With AllMarkets
            For j = 0 To AllMarkets.marketData.Length - 1
                If AllMarkets.marketData(j).marketName.Contains("Wettquoten") Or AllMarkets.marketData(j).marketName.Contains("Match Odds") Then
                    iMarket = j
              
                    ShowMprices3(BetFairUK.getMarketPrices(MpricesReq))    'Get market prices


                End If

            Next
          

        End With
    End Sub

So far so good. Now I can build this application and it seemingly works without errors, but when I actually get all those 3-Way prices (for example) after some time (may be 3 or 5 or even 10 minutes) the application (while getting all those prices) crashes with this error-message:

IndexOutOfRangeException was unhandled, with the following line of ShowMprices3 marked yellow:

 With .runnerPrices(0)

Now this is the point where I don't get it. How can the Error-Code be ok, but the .runnerPrices(0) be out of the Range of the .marketPrices array? Even with he first element?!

Plus, this Sub works for a few minutes like I said. All this is very confusing to me.

Thanks for any help.

[Camper]

You need to add this

With .marketPrices
With .runnerPrices(0)
[B]If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 0 Then[/B]
Back1 = .bestPricesToBack(0).price
[B]End If[/B]
End With

[Geierkind]

Haha, so it's really first level Thank you very much, before your solution I was confident that I already knew a little bit about it