Using VB2008 to acccess the Betfair API: A tutorial

[NFLMAN]

GetAllMarkets weird issue

Something weird is happening to my GetAllMarkets response.

This is my code:

With oMarketsReq
            .header = oHeaderUK()
            ReDim .eventTypeIds(0) : .eventTypeIds(0) = 1  'This selects soccer
            .fromDate = Now.AddMinutes(-10)
            .toDate = Now.AddMinutes(10)
End With
            oMarketsResp = BetFairUK.getAllMarkets(oMarketsReq)

This code should select all soccer markets that have started in the last 10 minutes or will start in the next 10 minutes.

It works fine mostly but occasionaly it will ignore my date parameters and just give me ALL soccer markets.

Any idea what could be causing this?

[Camper]

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

One more thing, lets say Lay odd 1 is 1.01 - there's no back odd in that selection but it will remain as 1.01.

If you do this

With .marketPrices
With .runnerPrices(0)
If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 0 Then
Back1 = .bestPricesToBack(0).price
Else
Back1 = ""
End If
End With

It will be fine I think.

[Camper]

I was wondering if we could use profit and loss values and the current bestprices to lay and back to determine the bets we need to place in order to green.

Is that possible?

[cfwnotlob]

Hi All

Thanks to mumbles for an excelent tutorial

i have read through all 74 pages and tried to get some of the code to work

wonder of wonders it works -- i did copy and paste so no typos

just a quick query as to how do i place a multiple bet -- did i miss this in the tutorial?

horse1 win -- horse 2 win -- horse 3 win
or
football match 1 draw -- football match 2 draw -- football match 3 draw
these = treble bet i think but how do i code this type of bet

any pointers would be great

[NFLMAN]

To place multiple bets on the same market you need to load up the .bets array with the details of each bet. You have already created this array in the PlaceBets section but it only holds the details of one bet at present - .bets(0).

So all you need is to loop through obets with the details of each bet and then add this to you .bets() array. Rinse and repeat until all bet details are added then send the bet in the usual manner.

Hope this makes sense - I can't provide actual code as I'm not at home so don't have access to it but if you're still struggling let me know and I'll post some code when I get home.

[Camper]

Could someone check what's wrong with this code?
I'm getting wrong price values when market is inplay.

Private Sub BetFairUK_getMarketPricesCompressedCompleted(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal e As BFUK.getMarketPricesCompressedCompletedEventArgs) Handles BetFairUK.getMarketPricesCompressedCompleted
        Dim tot1, tot2 As Double
        id0 = CInt(Val(bSelecid.Text))
        id1 = CInt(Val(bSelectid1.Text))
        Try
            If Not e.Cancelled Then
                With e.Result
                    CheckHeader(.header)
                    If .errorCode = BFUK.GetMarketPricesErrorEnum.OK Then
                        Dim oMarketPrices As New UnpackMarketPricesCompressed(.marketPrices)
                        With oMarketPrices
                            If .delay > 0 Then
                                inplay()
                            Else
                                inplay0()
                            End If
                            For i = 0 To .runnerPrices.Length - 1
                                With .runnerPrices(i)
                                    If .selectionId = id0 Then
                                        tot1 = CDbl(FormatNumber(.totalAmountMatched, 0))
                                        If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 0 Then
                                            Dim graphvalue As Double
                                            graphvalue = .bestPricesToBack(0).price
                                            aB0.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToBack(0).price), ",", ".")
                                            aBA0.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToBack(0).amountAvailable))
                                            pgraph0.Add(graphvalue)
                                        Else
                                            aB0.Text = "Offer"
                                            aBA0.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 1 Then
                                            aB1.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToBack(1).price), ",", ".")
                                            aBA1.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToBack(1).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            aB1.Text = ""
                                            aBA1.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 2 Then
                                            aB2.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToBack(2).price), ",", ".")
                                            aBA2.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToBack(2).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            aB2.Text = ""
                                            aBA2.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToLay.Length > 0 Then
                                            Dim graphvalue As Double
                                            graphvalue = .bestPricesToLay(0).price
                                            aL0.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToLay(0).price), ",", ".")
                                            aLA0.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToLay(0).amountAvailable))
                                            prgraph2.Add(graphvalue)
                                        Else
                                            aL0.Text = ""
                                            aLA0.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToLay.Length > 1 Then
                                            aL1.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToLay(1).price), ",", ".")
                                            aLA1.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToLay(1).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            aL1.Text = ""
                                            aLA1.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToLay.Length > 2 Then
                                            aL2.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToLay(2).price), ",", ".")
                                            aLA2.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToLay(2).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            aL2.Text = ""
                                            aLA2.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                    End If
                                    If .selectionId = id1 Then
                                        tot2 = CDbl(FormatNumber(.totalAmountMatched, 0))
                                        If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 0 Then
                                            Dim graphvalue As Double
                                            graphvalue = .bestPricesToBack(0).price
                                            bB0.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToBack(0).price), ",", ".")
                                            bBA0.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToBack(0).amountAvailable))
                                            pgraph1.Add(graphvalue)
                                        Else
                                            bB0.Text = "Offer"
                                            bBA0.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 1 Then
                                            bB1.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToBack(1).price), ",", ".")
                                            bBA1.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToBack(1).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            bB1.Text = ""
                                            bBA1.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToBack.Length > 2 Then
                                            bB2.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToBack(2).price), ",", ".")
                                            bBA2.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToBack(2).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            bB2.Text = ""
                                            bBA2.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToLay.Length > 0 Then
                                            Dim graphvalue As Double
                                            graphvalue = .bestPricesToLay(0).price
                                            bL0.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToLay(0).price), ",", ".")
                                            bLA0.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToLay(0).amountAvailable))
                                            prgraph3.Add(graphvalue)
                                        Else
                                            bL0.Text = ""
                                            bLA0.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToLay.Length > 1 Then
                                            bL1.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToLay(1).price), ",", ".")
                                            bLA1.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToLay(1).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            bL1.Text = ""
                                            bLA1.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                        If .bestPricesToLay.Length > 2 Then
                                            bL2.Text = Replace(CStr(.bestPricesToLay(2).price), ",", ".")
                                            bLA2.Text = CStr(Int(.bestPricesToLay(2).amountAvailable))
                                        Else
                                            bL2.Text = ""
                                            bLA2.Text = ""
                                        End If
                                    End If
                                    Dim x As String
                                    x = FLogin.bCurrency.Text
                                    If x = "Euro" Then
                                        HeaderTM.Text = ("Total Matched:" & " " & tot1 + tot2 & " €")
                                    Else
                                        HeaderTM.Text = ("Total Matched:" & " " & tot1 + tot2 & " £")
                                    End If
                                End With
                            Next
                        End With
                    End If
                End With
            End If
        Catch ex As ApplicationException
        End Try
    End Sub

[BigSprout]

Camper,

hmmmm - Inplay hasn't been covered in this tutorial so Mumbles may wish to cover it as a new step.

I don't bet "Inplay" so my knowledge is gained from generally reading other posts, so my advice may not be absolutely correct.

My understanding is that the delay reflects the state of the market and when delay > 0 then a delay is placed on placing new bets and increasing the size of a bet placed - it does not affect the market prices.

I would be looking to the sub inplay() as causing the problem if market prices go haywire after delay > 0 - what does it do, why is it required? (same with inplay0())?

You need to show what this code does:

                            If .delay > 0 Then
                                inplay()
                            Else
                                inplay0()
                            End If

[davecon]

Hi Camper - Bigsprout
Bigsprout is correct regarding the Delay - .delay simply returns the amount of Seconds Delay when placing a bet in running (eg 1 sec for UK Racing) Cancelling a Bet is still instant
This does not affect the prices in Any Way
So the Delay is 0 until the "Off" then this Changes to 1
But it Remains at 1 until the Market is Closed (It does not revert to 0 when Suspended at the end of the race!!)
I use the .delay along with various combinations of the .marketStatus (which returns whether the market is Active - Suspended or Closed), For Example I use these as Identifiers in a Heading label and to use a Gas() Sub to up my Prices Timer Speed to 1100 for In Running and back to 2000 once Suspended (Free api restriction) It reverts back to speed if reopens again for Photo etc then Back again etc
You can also use it to cancel any "Kept" bets at the Off for instance
Does your Code work ok if you Comment out the delay code highlighted by Bigsprout?
If you want it to work differently when "In Running" you will have to incorporate your code directly into your InPlay Subs
Hope this helps a bit
Dave

[Camper]

Camper,

hmmmm - Inplay hasn't been covered in this tutorial so Mumbles may wish to cover it as a new step.

I don't bet "Inplay" so my knowledge is gained from generally reading other posts, so my advice may not be absolutely correct.

My understanding is that the delay reflects the state of the market and when delay > 0 then a delay is placed on placing new bets and increasing the size of a bet placed - it does not affect the market prices.

I would be looking to the sub inplay() as causing the problem if market prices go haywire after delay > 0 - what does it do, why is it required? (same with inplay0())?

You need to show what this code does:

                            If .delay > 0 Then
                                inplay()
                            Else
                                inplay0()
                            End If

That code only changes a TextBox Text to inplay if the market is in play, nothing else.

The problem is not there I'm sure.

[Camper]

I don't know why this doesn't work, it's my code for greening a two selections market:

    Dim backgreen, laygreen, difference, sizeG, greened As Decimal
    Dim bettypeG, selectionG As Integer '0 Bak, 1 Lay
    Private Sub GreenStatus_Tick(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles GreenStatus.Tick
        If Val(aB0.Text) < Val(bB0.Text) Then 'Favorito A
            selectionG = id0
            backgreen = CDec(Val(aB0.Text))
            laygreen = CDec(Val(aL0.Text))
            difference = CDec(profitA - profitB)
            If laygreen > 0 Then
                If difference > 0 Then
                    bettypeG = 1
                    sizeG = CDec(FormatNumber(difference / laygreen, 2))
                    greened = CDec(profitA - sizeG * (laygreen - 1))
                End If
                If difference < 0 Then
                    bettypeG = 0
                    sizeG = CDec(FormatNumber(difference / backgreen, 2))
                    greened = CDec(profitA + sizeG * (backgreen - 1))
                End If
            End If
        Else 'Favorito B
            selectionG = id1
            backgreen = CDec(Val(bB0.Text))
            laygreen = CDec(Val(bL0.Text))
            difference = CDec(profitB - profitA)
            If laygreen > 0 Then
                If difference > 0 Then
                    bettypeG = 1
                    sizeG = CDec(FormatNumber(difference / laygreen, 2))
                    greened = CDec(profitB - sizeG * (laygreen - 1))
                End If
                If difference < 0 Then
                    bettypeG = 0
                    sizeG = CDec(FormatNumber(difference / backgreen, 2))
                    greened = CDec(profitB + sizeG * (backgreen - 1))
                End If
            End If
        End If
        If greened < 0 Then
            Panel3.BackColor = Color.Red
        Else
            Panel3.BackColor = Color.LightGreen
        End If
            Label18.Text = CStr(FormatNumber(greened, 2))
    End Sub
    Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
        If bettypeG = 0 Then
            prc = laygreen
            sid = selectionG
            sz = sizeG
            PlaceLet(markid, sid, BFUK.BetTypeEnum.L, prc, sz)
        End If
        If bettypeG = 1 Then
            prc = backgreen
            sid = selectionG
            sz = sizeG
            PlaceBet(markid, sid, BFUK.BetTypeEnum.B, prc, sz)
        End If
    End Sub

It correctly determines wich bet I need to place (back or lay) the selection and the amount. It's working fine but after i click the button to green nothing happens.

I get an OK error from the place bet don't know what I'm missing here.

EDIT: I figured it out. Thanks anyway.

[nanook]

Exporting data to excel

I'm a rookie VB programmer and have implemented Mumbles' code in VB 2010 (many thanks!). However I have been unable to figure out how to export data (eg. prices) to an excel worksheet which I would like to do so I can interact with some VBA programs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[neverfails]

Hi - I'm having the same issues - would be great if someone could advise.

Also does anyone has the code already setup in an Excel spreadsheet - that can pull in all the *UK win markets* only from the "Horse Racing - Todays Card"?

I would really appreciate if someone could share that.... Thanks!!

[neverfails]

Also.... is anyone in this forum based in London? If so I'd really like to meet up to discuss something I'm trying to do -- but I don't have the necessary VBA/VB.net programming skills to do.

Will pay for the project - so if anyone here is London-based and can help pls send me a private message! Tks!

[NFLMAN]

You can write data to a file using:

My.Computer.FileSystem.WriteAllText(filename,data, append)

filename = the name of the file to write the data too as a string
data = the data you want to write to the file, price, betID etc...
append = True/False value depending on whether you want to append the file or not

This will create/append a .txt file which Excel will open.

There are probably other ways to do this but this method works for my needs

[NFLMAN]

underlying connection was closed

I'm occasionaly getting the "ERROR: The underlying connection was closed: A connection that was expected to be kept alive was closed by the server." message but don't know how or where to catch it because my application doesn't stop. I get a JIT message and the program carries on working in the background. I just have to click 'continue' to get rid of the message. Annoying rather than a show stopper but I would still like to stop it happening.

My error handling knowledge is not great so where do I put the code to catch this error popping up and what would the code look like?

Thanks in advance