Topic: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

For the past few weeks I've been coding an app that's triggered after you navigate to a webpage. After the browser's all done the app checks what the url is, and depending on that sorts through the source code and gathers the data inputing it into a database for storing. Then I have other various tabs available that display the data collected in the database.

Since the app does not make contact with IC's server, and does not affect the webpage at all, from my talks with mods about what is legal, there's no reason why it wouldn't be legal to use. Basically it's the same as copy/pasteing the page to silenz.org except it's automated and stores the data in a database for you.

When complete I'm hoping it will store owners of all planets when you view a system, track fam growths when you view rankings or family pages, record losses when you attack(estimating enemy fleet sizes for you based on that), tracking market prices, recording recent reports and fam news, record outgoing fleets when you look at your fleet page, and I'm hoping to make a shared database available so a family could share each other's info with each other. Basically it can record anything you see in the browser to a database that you can share with others possibly.

Atm, I've got it to store planet owners when you view a system, showing you if any of the owners changed, and how long ago it was that you saw the previous owner there. However I've been having some complications with the database. Seems some testers couldn't access the built-in database after installing, and some the setup wouldn't run, so there's some bugs in the setup that need work. Also I had a mySQL DB setup to use but I couldn't figure out how to configure the app to use the database correctly.

So I'm looking for a partner to help me finish this project, if only someone that has some experience programming that could point out mistakes and help debug. Since I'm only a sophomore undergrad CS major I only took real basic programming classes so far and all this was self-taught so most of my time is all spent researching why one thing works but another didn't.

The app is written in C#
using VS2008
.net framework 2.0 - 3.5
SQL server compact 3.5

Anyone available to give me a hand please leave your email, msn, or look for me on IRC.

And I will be making the app available for everyone to use once I'm done.

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

I'll ask my brother if he is interested. He knows C and shit:p.

Not many people know this, but I own the first radio in Springfield. Not much on the air then, just Edison reciting the alphabet over and over. "A" he'd say; then "B." "C" would usually follow...

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

If I had more time, I'd be glad to help out, but can't at the moment.

"When we hang the capitalists they will sell us the rope." - Joseph Stalin
Lemming of Disappearance and

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Any progress?

DH (ave/\/\an

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

why do you want to use C?
php should be the easyest for this or flash or java applet.


but how are you going to implement it?
you cant put the applet on ic

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Dont think DR has been back here for awhile tongue

Destiny is only for those too own to make their fate weak.

~ Geese

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Wouldn't the scripting used by Greasemonkey be a better fit then C# for this type of project? It'd then also work on any operating system with firefox and the greasemonkey extension installed.

Rehabilitated IC developer

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Depends how you wanted to work it...

...I doubt greasemonkey can connect directly to an SQL server.

I am sKoE
Do you know what the chain of command is here? It's the chain I go get and beat you with to show you who's in command.

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

rembers spooky3do had an ap like this.

We never needed find target planets that round rofl

i think his might of been illegal as let a noob host it.

anyways seems fishy and borderline the mods nowadays are dumb so will prob allow it ,but major advantage. and any unfair advantage is plain wrong.

Creator of Pretenders vs Contenders

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Well I just started playing IC again yesterday. Since I quit, I didn't bother working on this project at all.

But now that I'm playing again, I'll try to get what I got working and post the code, maybe someone else can pick it up and finish it.

For now it records planets and their owners, letting you know if the owner changed in the last 48hrs, telling you how many ticks they've been there.

And I got rid of the SQL server DB, instead i just have it read/write to a couple xml files.

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Did my post get deleted?

Psycho-Simple  says: sky/did you do some programming for stefan lately/coz IC is now *ed

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

it would appear so hmm

this seems like cool stuff to me!

13 (edited by DeAtH RiDeR 28-Sep-2010 05:16:26)

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Started playing IC again, and fixed a few of the major bugs. Need help testing the app.

Here's a link to the installer and a copy of the source code in case someone thinks I'm trying to steal their login info or something:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ickiller/

You need .NET Framework 2.0 installed, the installer should check and tell you if you don't have it.
You also need to edit your preferences in IC:
Check, No planet pictures in planet list.
Check, Less pictures in general.
Not sure what happens if you don't have those checked, haven't gotten around to it.


I'll idle in #ICkiller if anyone has questions or finds bugs for me to fix. But might be best if you just post as much as you can about it in here, so I don't have tons of peeps sending me msgs about the same thing.

14 (edited by DeAtH RiDeR 28-Sep-2010 05:27:54)

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

List of current features:
* records planet owners when you view a system
* if a planet owner changes it will tell you how many ticks since the last one
* you can color code planet owners, ally/nap/enemy/war
* if you click on the clock in the top corner it will warn you X minutes before the tick
* you can select and search core systems for recorded intruders
* get all the recorded planets for a fam
* records attack reports to html files. For now I haven't coded anything to delete them, need to do it manually.


Known Issues:
* time is off, everythings 0gmt. I originally meant to wire the browser up to a online database where a fam could share all the data and work more of a collective so I needed to use a universal time. Haven't gotten around to adjusting the displays to individual user's timezones.
* the system view doesn't highlight stuff like it should, only does after you sort it once.
* only way for it to know which galaxy your in is by viewing a system first
* it saves all the data when you close the app, so make sure you close it each time. And if you have alot of data to save it might take awhile to close.
* and a few that I mentioned above...

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

I updated the app on the website. Might need to reinstall the new version if you downloaded the old.

Changes to new version:
* Split screen happens every time you view a system instead of only when you view it from the map.
* Timer was off by a minute.
* Fixed the first row of views, it now can be selected like the rest of the rows.
* Battles folder now should be created with the install, so you can record battles.
* If battle report says Attacker win! then the planet records are updated recording you as new planet's owner.
* Find family search now displays the results without you having to click the button.

Re: Help Wanted, Making IC Browser App

Going back into retirement. At least this time I posted the app and source code.