Re: [pbmserv-dev] Adding a command to a game

[Robert Barrell <games@rdbhn.org>]

Lyman Hurd wrote:

> I must say that adding a command to game.cpp is an
> ambitious step!  Given that sgf is a way to display a
> game, perhaps you might be able to set up a game
> option "I want to receive the game in sgf format" and
> then override the displayboard method?  This would not
> require any changes at the level of game.cpp (I could
> help step through the steps it would take).
>  
If I interpret your response correctly, that would mean that any game 
started with the sgf option would only (perhaps only for one player) 
deliver SGF for the duration of the game.  Unless there were a more 
direct interface between SGF and the PBM server (i.e. UGS or GMP 
protocol), that would be of limited usefulness. Even the client programs 
for IGS, NNGS, KGS, et al, don't work directly with SGF, however, but 
have commands to allow users to download SGF.  Thus, it's really more 
appropriate that the normal flow of the game continue as it is, but that 
there be a separate method by which SGF may be generated when wanted.  
If that kind of functionality may be accomplished in the manner you are 
offering, by all means, continue.

On the other hand, the only thing that doesn't work from my current 
coding of sgf as a command are having it work from within go.cpp, and 
adding code to return an error if the command is called for other games.

Would it be correct to say of C++ that, if the sgf function were created 
within the Game class, and set up to return 0, then every game would 
inherit that version of the function unless the game specifically 
contained its own instance of an sgf function to replace it?  If so, of 
my originally stated issues, the only one that would really need to be 
addressed is how to get the function to work from within the particular 
game module.

> It has been a while since I looked at sgf.  Is it in
> XML?
No idea: I have never looked at XML.  Here more info: 
http://www.red-bean.com/sgf/