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Re: CF: Documentation - client/server protocol


	When you say "binary" you should know that standard Tcl/Tk will
not handle "\0".  I'd say that Tcl/Tk is your best bet for a portable
client.


-Kris




On Mon, 5 May 1997, John Klar wrote:

> >From the V-Desk of Isak Styf:
> > Chris Eleveld wrote:
> > > 
> > >         Is there any documentation on the network/client<->server protocol
> > > and if not would it be worthwhile for me to start hashing out documentation
> > > on it?
> > 
> > At least in the client package there is a file called Protocol that
> > outlines the C/S Protocol for Crossfire.
> > 
> > However, it can be made better
> 
> I've just reviewed the new Protocol file and I really must agree 
> that it can and should be made more client friendly
> 
> Since the formats are a known quantity (more or less), eutl's strong 
> typing is overkill, so we've gained some protocol efficiencies but 
> we can do better.  (As a small warning: I haven't yet read the actual 
> code and am basing most of my remarks on what's written in the 
> "Protocol" file.)
> 
> 	- Replace the text commands with a binary token
> 		If you're worried enough to cut the packet length word down to 2 
> 		bytes from 4, doesn't it make sense to cut down the 7 byte command
> 		string to 1 byte?  Most languages I know of support some form of
> 		a CASE/SWITCH or ON intvar GOSUB type flow control.
> 
> 	- PLEASE convert all numerical data passed as text BACK to binary
> 		That short time parsing text strings adds up over the hundreds of 
> 		updates per quantum handled by the client
> 
> 	- Optional, but would be really nice: Prepend text with a length
> 		I suppose we could ignore that in a few special cases:
> 			- fixed length field, client knows length
> 			- string last argument in packet
> 
> John "gah the Mage" soon "gah the Dustpile"
> [to unsubscribe etc., send mail to crossfire-request@ifi.uio.no]
> 

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