it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.extensions
Class ExtensionHelper

java.lang.Object
  it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.extensions.ExtensionHelper

public class ExtensionHelper
extends java.lang.Object

The ExtensionHelper class provides the main access to the server side API in Java. It is recommended to always keep a reference to the class in your Extension.

A good practice is to create such reference in the init() method of your extension:

 private ExtensionHelper helper;
 
 public void init()
 {
        helper = ExtensionHelper.instance();
 }
 

Author:

(c) 2004-2008 gotoAndPlay() -- www.gotoandplay.it

Field Summary

static int	MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ROOM
static int	MOD_MESSAGE_TO_USER
static int	MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ZONE

Method Summary

void	addBuddy(java.lang.String buddyName, User user) Add a buddy to a user buddy list Based on the BuddyList configuration this may immediately add the buddy to the user list or send a buddy request that the target user must respond to.
void	addModerator(java.lang.String zoneName, java.lang.String modName, java.lang.String modPass) Add a new moderator to a Zone
void	banOfflineUser(java.lang.String userName) Banishes an offline user by name
void	banUser(User user, int delay, java.lang.String farewellMessage, int banType) Disconnects and bans a user.
User	canLogin(java.lang.String nick, java.lang.String pass, java.nio.channels.SocketChannel ch, java.lang.String zone) Checks if a connected client can log in the requested Zone.
User	canLogin(java.lang.String nick, java.lang.String pass, java.nio.channels.SocketChannel ch, java.lang.String zone, boolean forceLogin) Checks if a connected client can log in the requested Zone.
void	clearBuddyList(User user) Deprecated.
User	createNPC(java.lang.String userName, java.lang.String ipAddress, int port, java.lang.String zoneName) Creates an NPC (Non-Player Character) or BOT User that can be used for automated tasks, game AI etc...
Room	createRoom(Zone z, java.util.Map params, User creator, boolean sendUpdate, boolean broadcastEvent) Create a new dynamic room.
Room	createRoom(Zone z, java.util.Map params, User creator, java.util.HashMap roomVars, User varsOwner, boolean setOwnership, boolean sendUpdate, boolean broadcastEvent) Create a new dynamic room.
static void	destroy()
boolean	destroyRoom(Zone zone, int roomId) Destroys a server room.
void	disconnectUser(User u) Disconnects a client from the server.
void	dispatchPrivateMessage(java.lang.String msg, Room r, User sender, User recipient) Dispatch a private message.
void	dispatchPublicMessage(java.lang.String msg, Room r, User u) Dispatch a public message.
java.lang.String	getGuestName() Return a guest name in the format of "guest_nn" where nn is an autoincrement long value
java.lang.String	getSecretKey(java.nio.channels.SocketChannel channel) Return the unique secret key for this socket channel For further info about this method and its usage check the "Secure Login Tutorial" found at chapter 8.9 of the documentation.
User	getUserByChannel(java.nio.channels.SocketChannel sc) Return a User object from its socket channel
User	getUserById(int id) Return a User object from its numeric id
Zone	getZone(java.lang.String zoneName) Return a Zone object from its name
static ExtensionHelper	instance() Get an instance of the ExtensionHelper class
boolean	joinRoom(User usr, int currRoom, int newRoom, boolean leaveRoom, java.lang.String pword, boolean isSpectator, boolean broadcast) Join a room from a server side extension
void	kickUser(User user, int delay, java.lang.String farewellMessage) Kicks a user allowing to specify a delay before the task is executed and an admin message.
void	leaveRoom(User u, int roomId, boolean broadcastEvent) Force a user to leave a room.
void	logoutUser(int id, boolean fireClientEvt, boolean fireInternalEvt) Logout a user from the current Zone
void	logoutUser(User user, boolean fireClientEvt, boolean fireInternalEvt) Logout a user from the current Zone
void	rebootServer() Performs a soft reboot of the server, just like hitting the "Restart" button in the Admin interface.
void	removeBanishment(java.lang.String param, int mode) Removes a banned user from the ban-list, allowing him/her to be able to login again
void	removeBuddy(java.lang.String buddyName, User user) Removes a buddy from a user buddy list.
void	removeModerator(java.lang.String zoneName, java.lang.String modName) Removes a moderator user from a Zone
void	requestAddBuddyPermission(User sender, java.lang.String targetUserName, java.lang.String optionalMessage) Requests permission for adding the target user in the sender buddy list.
void	sendBuddyListUpdate(User user) Send an update about the specified User to all clients that have him/her in their buddy list.
void	sendGenericMessage(java.lang.String message, java.nio.channels.SocketChannel sender, java.util.LinkedList channelList) Send a generic text or XML message.
void	sendModeratorMessage(java.lang.String message, User sender, int type, int id) Send a moderator message to a single user, a room or an entire Zone.
void	sendRoomList(java.nio.channels.SocketChannel sc) Send a room list in default format (XML) This will fire a onRoomListUpdate event on the client.
void	setBuddyBlockStatus(User user, java.lang.String buddyName, boolean isBlocked) Set the isBlocked flag of a buddy in the User's buddy list.
void	setBuddyVariables(User user, java.util.Map<java.lang.String,java.lang.String> variables) Set the buddy variables of the specified user.
void	setRoomVariable(Room r, User u, java.lang.String vn, java.lang.String vt, java.lang.String vv, boolean pr, boolean ps, boolean setOwnership, boolean broadcastAll) Deprecated.
void	setRoomVariables(Room r, User u, java.util.HashMap vars, boolean setOwnership, boolean broadcastAll) Set one or more Room Variable The vars parameter requires a Map of RoomVariables where the key is the variable name and the value is the RoomVariable object.
void	setUserVariables(User u, java.util.HashMap vars, boolean broadcastAll) Set one or more User Variables.
void	switchPlayer(User u, int roomId, boolean brodcastEvent) Switch a player into a spectator, if possible (game rooms only) Fires an onPlayerSwitched event on the client side.
void	switchSpectator(User u, int roomId, boolean brodcastEvent) Switch a spectator into a player, if possible (game rooms only) For more details about switching spectators to players you should check the SmartFoxTris game example.

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object

equals, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, toString, wait, wait, wait

Field Detail

MOD_MESSAGE_TO_USER

public static final int MOD_MESSAGE_TO_USER

See Also:

Constant Field Values

MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ROOM

public static final int MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ROOM

See Also:

Constant Field Values

MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ZONE

public static final int MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ZONE

See Also:

Constant Field Values

Method Detail

instance

public static ExtensionHelper instance()

Get an instance of the ExtensionHelper class

Returns:

the instance of the ExtensionHelper

destroy

public static void destroy()

canLogin

public User canLogin(java.lang.String nick,
                     java.lang.String pass,
                     java.nio.channels.SocketChannel ch,
                     java.lang.String zone)
              throws it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.LoginException

Checks if a connected client can log in the requested Zone.
If the Zone is full, or a user with the same name already exist a LoginException will be thrown.
Before logging in a Zone a client has a very limited set of actions that can perform with the server.
Once the login phase is successfully passed, a User object is created and added to the Zone allowing the user to interact with the server.
You can learn more by checking the PixelGame example found at chapter 8.10 of the docs.
The Java extension source can be found under the {path-to-your-sfs-folder}/Server/javaExtensions/ folder under the it.gotoandplay.extensions.examples package

Parameters:

nick - the nickname you want to use to log in

pass - an optional password

ch - the SocketChannel of the connected client

zone - the zone name

Returns:

a User object

Throws:

it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.LoginException - if there are problems with the login

canLogin

public User canLogin(java.lang.String nick,
                     java.lang.String pass,
                     java.nio.channels.SocketChannel ch,
                     java.lang.String zone,
                     boolean forceLogin)
              throws it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.LoginException

Checks if a connected client can log in the requested Zone.
If the Zone is full, or a user with the same name already exist a LoginException will be thrown.
Before logging in a Zone a client has a very limited set of actions that can perform with the server.
Once the login phase is successfully passed, a User object is created and added to the Zone allowing the user to interact with the server.
You can learn more by checking the PixelGame example found at chapter 8.10 of the docs.
The Java extension source can be found under the {path-to-your-sfs-folder}/Server/javaExtensions/ folder under the it.gotoandplay.extensions.examples package

Parameters:

nick - the nickname you want to use to log in

pass - an optional password

ch - the SocketChannel of the connected client

zone - the zone name

forceLogin - attempts to drop a previous existing connection and logs in again

Returns:

a User object

Throws:

it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.LoginException - if there are problems with the login

dispatchPublicMessage

public void dispatchPublicMessage(java.lang.String msg,
                                  Room r,
                                  User u)

Dispatch a public message.
This method is usually invoked when handling a pubMsg internal event.
The server fires the event when a client has requested to send a public message in his current room.
You can handle the message before it gets dispatched, log it, process it and finally dispatch it to the room.

Parameters:

msg - the message

r - the target room

u - the sender user

See Also:

InternalEventHandler

dispatchPrivateMessage

public void dispatchPrivateMessage(java.lang.String msg,
                                   Room r,
                                   User sender,
                                   User recipient)

Dispatch a private message.
This method is usually invoked when handling a privMsg internal event.
The server fires the event when a client has requested to send a private message to another user
You can handle the message before it gets dispatched, log it, process it and finally dispatch it to the user.

Parameters:

msg - the message

r - the room of the sender

sender - the sender user

recipient - the recipient user

See Also:

InternalEventHandler

getGuestName

public java.lang.String getGuestName()

Return a guest name in the format of "guest_nn" where nn is an autoincrement long value

Returns:

the guest name

getSecretKey

public java.lang.String getSecretKey(java.nio.channels.SocketChannel channel)

Return the unique secret key for this socket channel
For further info about this method and its usage check the "Secure Login Tutorial"
found at chapter 8.9 of the documentation.

Parameters:

channel - the user socket channel

Returns:

the secret key

getUserByChannel

public User getUserByChannel(java.nio.channels.SocketChannel sc)

Return a User object from its socket channel

Parameters:

sc - a valid socket channel

Returns:

the User object

getUserById

public User getUserById(int id)

Return a User object from its numeric id

Parameters:

id - a valid user id

Returns:

the User object

logoutUser

public void logoutUser(int id,
                       boolean fireClientEvt,
                       boolean fireInternalEvt)

Logout a user from the current Zone

Parameters:

id - the user id

logoutUser

public void logoutUser(User user,
                       boolean fireClientEvt,
                       boolean fireInternalEvt)

Logout a user from the current Zone

Parameters:

user - the User object

sendGenericMessage

public void sendGenericMessage(java.lang.String message,
                               java.nio.channels.SocketChannel sender,
                               java.util.LinkedList channelList)

Send a generic text or XML message.
This method is rarely used, but it can be usefull for sending modified versions of the server system messages.

Parameters:

message - string or xml message

sender - the sender channel (can be null)

channelList - a list of recipient channels

createRoom

public Room createRoom(Zone z,
                       java.util.Map params,
                       User creator,
                       boolean sendUpdate,
                       boolean broadcastEvent)
                throws it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.ExtensionHelperException

Create a new dynamic room.

The params parameter can contain the following keys:

name		the room name
pwd		the room password (optional)
maxU		max number of users
maxS		max number of spectators (optional for game rooms)
isGame		a boolean flag. If true the room is a game room
isLimbo		a boolean flag. If true the room is in "Limbo mode"
uCount		a boolean flag. If true the room will receive the uCount update messages.
xtName		The name of the extension that will be attached to the room
xtClass		The name of the class (Java) or script (Actionscript) to load as extension. The file extension should only be specified for Actionscript files (.as)

For all the details about Rooms please refer also to the Application Architecture article found in Section A (white-papers) of the documentation

Parameters:

z - the Zone where the room will be created

params - a Map of params: name, pwd, isGame etc...

creator - the "owner" of the room. null = Server owned. A Server owned Room will be ignored by the default room management system and will be never removed, unless you it manually from your code.

sendUpdate - Update the clients about the new room created (true is recommended, otherwise clients will be out of synch with their Room Lists)

broadcastEvent - Broadcast the event internally.

Returns:

The new room

Throws:

it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.ExtensionHelperException

createRoom

public Room createRoom(Zone z,
                       java.util.Map params,
                       User creator,
                       java.util.HashMap roomVars,
                       User varsOwner,
                       boolean setOwnership,
                       boolean sendUpdate,
                       boolean broadcastEvent)
                throws it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.ExtensionHelperException

Create a new dynamic room.

The params parameter can contain the following keys:

name		the room name
pwd		the room password (optional)
maxU		max number of users
maxS		max number of spectators (optional for game rooms)
isGame		a boolean flag. If true the room is a game room
isLimbo		a boolean flag. If true the room is in "Limbo mode"
uCount		a boolean flag. If true the room will receive the uCount update messages.
xtName		The name of the extension that will be attached to the room
xtClass		The name of the class (Java) or script (Actionscript) to load as extension. The file extension should only be specified for Actionscript files (.as)

For all the details about Rooms please refer also to the Application Architecture article found in Section A (white-papers) of the documentation

Parameters:

z - the Zone where the room will be created

params - a Map of params: name,pwd,maxU,maxS,isGame

creator - the "owner" of the room. null = Server owned

roomVars - an HashMap of variables to set on the newly created room (null if not needed)

varsOwner - the owner of the variables

setOwnership - true = all modified/created variables will be owned by the creator User, false = ownership is not changed

sendUpdate - Update the clients about the new room created (true is recommended, otherwise clients will be out of synch with their Room Lists)

broadcastEvent - Broadcast the event internally.

Returns:

The new room

Throws:

it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.ExtensionHelperException

joinRoom

public boolean joinRoom(User usr,
                        int currRoom,
                        int newRoom,
                        boolean leaveRoom,
                        java.lang.String pword,
                        boolean isSpectator,
                        boolean broadcast)
                 throws it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.ExtensionHelperException

Join a room from a server side extension

Parameters:

usr - the User object

currRoom - the id of the current room where the user is in

newRoom - the id of the room that the user wants to join

leaveRoom - if true the user will leave the current room once he successfully joined the new one

pword - an optional password for the room

isSpectator - if true the user is joined as spectator (for game rooms only)

broadcast - if true the onJoinRoom event is fired back to all clients (recommended)

Returns:

true if the room was successfully joined

Throws:

it.gotoandplay.smartfoxserver.exceptions.ExtensionHelperException

sendModeratorMessage

public void sendModeratorMessage(java.lang.String message,
                                 User sender,
                                 int type,
                                 int id)

Send a moderator message to a single user, a room or an entire Zone.
This will fire an onModeratorMessage event on the client side.

Parameters:

message - the text message

sender - the sender user

type - the type of message (ExtensionHelper.MOD_MESSAGE_TO_ constants)

id - the id of the recipient user or room. In case of a Zone message it will be ignored and the message will be sent to the current Zone.

sendRoomList

public void sendRoomList(java.nio.channels.SocketChannel sc)

Send a room list in default format (XML)
This will fire a onRoomListUpdate event on the client.

There is a specific "sequence" to keep in mind when the user is logging in:

1. Connect
2. Login
3. Handle room list
4. Join a room

You can see this in action by checking the PixelGame example found at chapter 8.10 of the docs.
The Java extension source can be found under the {path-to-your-sfs-folder}/Server/javaExtensions/ folder under the it.gotoandplay.extensions.examples package

Parameters:

sc - The SocketChannel that will receive the list

setRoomVariable

public void setRoomVariable(Room r,
                            User u,
                            java.lang.String vn,
                            java.lang.String vt,
                            java.lang.String vv,
                            boolean pr,
                            boolean ps,
                            boolean setOwnership,
                            boolean broadcastAll)

Deprecated.

Set a room variable

Parameters:

r - the Room

u - the User

vn - the var name

vt - the var type

vv - the var value

pr - private flag

ps - persistent flag

setOwnership - setOwnership flag (will set the variable owner to the User who sent the request)

broadcastAll - if true the onRoomVariablesUpdate() event will be fired (reccomended)

setRoomVariables

public void setRoomVariables(Room r,
                             User u,
                             java.util.HashMap vars,
                             boolean setOwnership,
                             boolean broadcastAll)

Set one or more Room Variable
The vars parameter requires a Map of RoomVariables where the key is the variable name and the value is the RoomVariable object.

For all the details about Rooms and RoomVariables please refer also to the Application Architecture article found in Section A (white-papers) of the documentation

Also check Chapter 5.11 of the docs for a complete example of usage of Room Variables

Parameters:

r - the target room, where variables should be set

u - the user, owner of the variables

vars - a java.util.HashMap of RoomVariables

setOwnership - setOwnership flag (will set the variable owner to the User who sent the request)

broadcastAll - if true the onRoomVariablesUpdate() event will be fired (recommended)

See Also:

RoomVariable

setUserVariables

public void setUserVariables(User u,
                             java.util.HashMap vars,
                             boolean broadcastAll)

Set one or more User Variables.
The vars parameter requires a Map of UserVariables where the key is the variable name and the value is the UserVariable.

Also check Chapter 5.6 of the docs for a complete example of the usage of User Variables

Parameters:

vars - a map of UserVariables

u - the User object

broadcastAll - if true the onUserVariablesUpdate() event will be fired (reccomended)

See Also:

UserVariable

getZone

public Zone getZone(java.lang.String zoneName)

Return a Zone object from its name

Parameters:

zoneName - the name of the zone

Returns:

the Zone object

leaveRoom

public void leaveRoom(User u,
                      int roomId,
                      boolean broadcastEvent)

Force a user to leave a room.
Works only when the user is logged in more than one room at a time (multi-room mode)
Fires an onRoomLeft event on the client side.

For more details about the multi-room usage refer to Chapter 5.10 of the docs.

Parameters:

u - the user

roomId - the id of the room to leave

broadcastEvent - if true, the response event is fired (reccomended)

switchSpectator

public void switchSpectator(User u,
                            int roomId,
                            boolean brodcastEvent)

Switch a spectator into a player, if possible (game rooms only)
For more details about switching spectators to players you should check the SmartFoxTris game example.
In particular Chapter 8.8 of the docs is walk through in building a complete turn-based game with support for spectators. You will find the Java version of the game extension in {path-to-your-sfs-folder}/Server/javaExtensions/ folder under the it.gotoandplay.extensions.examples package
The game class is called SFSTris2.java

Parameters:

u - the user

roomId - the target room id

brodcastEvent - if true, the response event is fired (reccomended)

switchPlayer

public void switchPlayer(User u,
                         int roomId,
                         boolean brodcastEvent)

Switch a player into a spectator, if possible (game rooms only)
Fires an onPlayerSwitched event on the client side.

Parameters:

u - the user

roomId - the target room id

brodcastEvent - if true, the response event is fired (reccomended)

disconnectUser

public void disconnectUser(User u)

Disconnects a client from the server.

Parameters:

u - the user to kick

destroyRoom

public boolean destroyRoom(Zone zone,
                           int roomId)

Destroys a server room.
Rooms can be destroyed only if they don't contain any user.
Additionally rooms are auto-removed by the default room manager. The only rooms that are never removed are static rooms defined in the external server configuration file or dynamic rooms whose owner field is set to null

Parameters:

zone - the zone

roomId - the roomId

Returns:

true if room was destroyed

addBuddy

public void addBuddy(java.lang.String buddyName,
                     User user)

Add a buddy to a user buddy list
Based on the BuddyList configuration this may immediately add the buddy to the user list or send a buddy request that the target user must respond to.

If mutualAddBuddy is activated both users will be added to their respective buddy lists.

You can learn more about the Buddy List system by checking chapters 5.12, 6.10, and 8.16 of the docs.

Parameters:

buddyName - the name of the buddy to add

user - the user whose buddy list should be updated

Since:

1.6.0

removeBuddy

public void removeBuddy(java.lang.String buddyName,
                        User user)

Removes a buddy from a user buddy list.
If mutualRemoveBuddy is activated both users will be removed to their respective buddy lists.

You can learn more about the Buddy List system by checking chapters 5.12, 6.10, and 8.16 of the docs.

Parameters:

buddyName - the name of the buddy to remove

user - the user whose buddy list should be updated

Since:

1.6.0

requestAddBuddyPermission

public void requestAddBuddyPermission(User sender,
                                      java.lang.String targetUserName,
                                      java.lang.String optionalMessage)

Requests permission for adding the target user in the sender buddy list. This is already done by default if the mode of the buddy list is set to ADVANCED. In most of the cases you wouldn't need to call this method in your extension.

It could be used to implement an off-line permission request system, where the system stores the requests for off-line users in a database and sends the requests as soon as the target user logs in.

You can learn more about the Buddy List 2.0 system by checking chapters 6.10, 8.16 of the docs.

Parameters:

sender - the requester

targetUserName - the name of the target user

optionalMessage - an optional text message for the request. Use null if you don't need it.

Since:

1.6.0

clearBuddyList

public void clearBuddyList(User user)

Deprecated.

Clear a user buddy list. All the entries in the buddylist will be cleared.

Parameters:

user - the user whose buddy list should be cleared.

setBuddyVariables

public void setBuddyVariables(User user,
                              java.util.Map<java.lang.String,java.lang.String> variables)

Set the buddy variables of the specified user.

The variables Map contains all the variables to set, where the key is the name of the variable and the value represents the variable value.

Since version 1.6.0 you can set off-line buddy variables by using a '$' sign as the first character of the variable name.
Example:

 Map variables = new HashMap();
 variables.put("$country", "Italy"); // an off-line buddy variable
 variables.put("invisible", "false"); // a regular buddy variable
 
 helper.setBuddyVariables( theUser, variables );
 

You can learn more about the Buddy List 2.0 system by checking chapters 6.10, 8.16 of the docs.

Parameters:

user - the User

variables - a map containing the variables to set

Since:

1.6.0

sendBuddyListUpdate

public void sendBuddyListUpdate(User user)

Send an update about the specified User to all clients that have him/her in their buddy list.
Normally you don't need to call this method. Updates are sent automatically when needed.
You may need to force an update if you're manipulating the buddy lists without using the regular commands (add, remove, etc...)

You can learn more about the Buddy List 2.0 system by checking chapters 6.10, 8.16 of the docs.

Parameters:

user - A User

Since:

1.6.0

setBuddyBlockStatus

public void setBuddyBlockStatus(User user,
                                java.lang.String buddyName,
                                boolean isBlocked)

Set the isBlocked flag of a buddy in the User's buddy list.
When the isBlocked flag is set to true the buddy won't be able to send any messages to the user.

You can learn more about the Buddy List 2.0 system by checking chapters 6.10, 8.16 of the docs.

Parameters:

user - the owner of the buddy list

buddyName - the name of the buddy to block / unblock

isBlocked - the status (true == blocked)

Since:

1.6.0

kickUser

public void kickUser(User user,
                     int delay,
                     java.lang.String farewellMessage)

Kicks a user allowing to specify a delay before the task is executed and an admin message.
The admin message should be handled on the client side via the onAdminMessage callback.

Parameters:

user - the user

delay - an amount of seconds before the actual task is executed

farewellMessage - an admin message that is sent immediately to the user

Since:

1.6.3

banUser

public void banUser(User user,
                    int delay,
                    java.lang.String farewellMessage,
                    int banType)

Disconnects and bans a user.
The banishment will be cleared after a certain amount of time as specified in the config.xml, in the <BanDuration> The admin message should be handled on the client side via the onAdminMessage callback.

Parameters:

user - the user

delay - an amount of seconds to wait before disconnecting the user

farewellMessage - an admin message that is sent immediately

banType - you can ban by Ip address or Name.

Since:

1.6.3

See Also:

BanTypes

banOfflineUser

public void banOfflineUser(java.lang.String userName)

Banishes an offline user by name

Parameters:

userName - the user name

Since:

1.6.3

removeBanishment

public void removeBanishment(java.lang.String param,
                             int mode)

Removes a banned user from the ban-list, allowing him/her to be able to login again

Parameters:

param - can be a user name or an ip address based on the 2nd argument

mode - the ban mode (by ip or by name)

Since:

1.6.3

See Also:

BanTypes

createNPC

public User createNPC(java.lang.String userName,
                      java.lang.String ipAddress,
                      int port,
                      java.lang.String zoneName)

Creates an NPC (Non-Player Character) or BOT User that can be used for automated tasks, game AI etc... It will be able to send and receive messages and it will be seen from client side as a real user.

NPCs need to be connected to a physical socket end in order to "trick" the server into thinking that it is a real connected client. This is done behind the scenes by running a connection to the localhost, so if you take a look at the Admin Tool you will notice that NPC connections all come from 127.0.0.1

NPCs are subject to the MaxIdleUserTime policy as any other connected users, so you will need to start a thread or add a Scheduled task (recommended) that invokes the updateMessageTime() method on each non-player character to avoid disconnections.

Parameters:

userName - name of the NPC

ipAddress - ip address of the socket end

port - TCP port number

zoneName - the zone in which the NPC should be logged in

Returns:

the User object

Since:

1.6.3

addModerator

public void addModerator(java.lang.String zoneName,
                         java.lang.String modName,
                         java.lang.String modPass)

Add a new moderator to a Zone

Parameters:

zoneName - name of the zone

modName - name of the user that will act as Moderator

modPass - password for the moderator

Since:

1.6.3

removeModerator

public void removeModerator(java.lang.String zoneName,
                            java.lang.String modName)

Removes a moderator user from a Zone

Parameters:

zoneName - name of the Zone

modName - name of the moderator user

Since:

1.6.3

rebootServer

public void rebootServer()

Performs a soft reboot of the server, just like hitting the "Restart" button in the Admin interface.
All connections will be closed and all extensions shut down and restarted.