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Setting up your environment

Your environment is your computer and the tools installed on it to enable you to write and run computer programs like Chatbots. You will need to complete at least the following two steps in order to setup your environment, while the third step will instruct you how to use Windows Live Messenger with JAWS:

  1. Install Required Programs - make sure you have what you need to write, compile and run chatbots on your computer.
  2. Configure Your Programs - configure your programs up to make coding and testing easy.
  3. Learn about Using Windows Live Messenger with JAWS - learn helpful tips to be able to converse with and test your chatbots.

Program Installation

Please download and install the following list of software. The function of each piece of software is listed too, so if you have a favorite alternative that you're sure will work, you may use that instead.

  1. Windows Live Messenger (for chatting with your bots)
  2. Microsoft .NET 2.0 Framework (for compiling your code - includes C# compiler)
  3. TextPad (version 4.7.3) (for editing your code)
  4. Chatbots Code (for coding your bots). Once downloading is complete, unzip the file to a location you'll remember. You will code your chatbots inside the directory that is created by unzipping this file.

Program Configuration

This section will guide you through configuration of the programs used in coding chatbots:

Creating Your Windows Live Accounts

You'll need at least two Windows Live accounts to test your chatbots; one account for the chatbot, and one account for you to chat with the bot. You can sign up for these accounts here: Windows Live Messenger (limited) account signup. Signing up will not require you to enter any personal information, but does require you to complete an audio CAPTCHA.

C# compiler

  1. Verify that you have properly set up the C# compiler by installing the Microsoft .NET 2.0 Framework. Navigate to this path: C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\
  2. Look for a file called csc.exe. If you see it, the C# compiler is installed, and you can continue. If either the .csc file or the path from step one do not exist, please repeat step 1 of Program Installation.

TextPad

  1. Remove the preset command shortcuts.
    1. Open TextPad and press CTRL+Q, P. This will open the Preferences window.
    2. Navigate down the tree view in the Preferences window to Tools.
    3. Press tab until "Compile Java" is selected. Press delete 3 times to delete this command as well as "Run Java Application" and "Run Applet".
    4. Press Apply, and then OK.
  2. Set up the TextPad compile script shortcut (to CTRL+1).
    1. Open TextPad and press CTRL+Q, P. This will open the Preferences window.
    2. Navigate down the tree view in the Preferences window to Tools, then tab to the Add button/drop-down, press space, select Program... from the drop down, and press enter.
    3. Find compile.bat in the chatbots directory that was unzipped and press enter.
    4. Highlight the "Compile" option in the Tools window and rename this to "Compile Chatbots" by typing this and pressing enter.
    5. Press Apply (not OK, this will apply the changes, but keep the window open).
    6. Expand the Tools subtree and select "Compile Chatbots".
    7. Change the contents of the Parameters field to 
      $FileName
    8. Check the "Save all documents first" checkbox. This will automatically save your source files when compiling.
    9. Press OK.
  3. Set up the TextPad execute program shortcut (to CTRL+2).
    1. Open TextPad and press CTRL+Q, P. This will open the Preferences window.
    2. Navigate down the tree view in the Preferences window to Tools, then tab to the Add button/drop-down, press space, select Program... from the drop down, and press enter.
    3. Find ChatBot.exe in the chatbots directory that was unzipped and press enter.
    4. Highlight the "ChatBot" option in the Tools window and rename this to "Run Chatbots" by typing this and pressing enter.
    5. Press Apply (not OK, this will apply the changes, but keep the window open).
    6. Expand the Tools subtree and select the second item named "Run Chatbots".
    7. Change the contents of the parameters field to: 
      -m -b $BaseName -u username -p password
      where username and password are your Windows Live Account username and password. For example, if your username was numblox@passport.com and your password was fishies, the parameters field should be this: 
      -m -b $BaseName -u numblox@passport.com -p fishies
    8. Uncheck the "Sound alert when completed" checkbox. We'll reserve this sound for compilation.
    9. Press OK.

Using Windows Live Messenger with JAWS

Adding Contacts

In order to communicate with contacts using Windows Live Messenger, it is necessary to first add them to your contact list. This is done by sending a message to a contact requesting that they allow you to view whether they are online and communicate with them. It is not possible to exchange messages with a contact until he/she has accepted this request. The process of requesting a contact's details is described in the following steps:

  1. From the messenger window, press alt to navigate to the menu bar and right arrow until "Contacts" is highlighted. Down arrow to "Add a contact" and press enter.
  2. You are now in a box in which you will need to enter the instant messaging address of the contact you wish to add. Be sure that you know the correct address of the contact that you are adding, keeping in mind that this address may or may not be the same as that which the person uses for e-mail. For example, you may have a friend whose regular e-mail address is YouthSlam314@gmail.com but whose instant messaging address is YouthSlam314159@hotmail.com. Type in the correct address and press enter to return to the contacts list in the messenger window. The contact will appear in the "Online" section of your contacts list only after he/she has accepted your request.

Accepting an Add Request

If another Windows Live Messenger user sends you a detail request, a dialogue box will appear accompanied by a short tone. To accept the request, tab to and press the Ok button, making sure that the checkboxes for "allow this person to see you online and contact you" and "Add this person to my contacts list" are both checked.

Sending and Receiving Messages

  1. Make sure you are in your contacts list in the messenger window, which you can confirm by pressing the up and down arrow keys. You should be scrolling through your contacts. For each contact, JAWS will announce his or her display name, followed by whether that contact is online or offline. The contacts who are online will appear first in the list. Also note that in addition to the default "online" status, contacts who are online may also appear as "Busy", "Away", "Be right back" or "In a call"/"On the phone". If you are not in this list, tab until you hear "contact list."
  2. Go to the top of the contacts window and arrow down to the button titled "Other contacts." If the button is collapsed, press right arrow to expand it. Once the button is expanded, you should be able to navigate through the list of contacts that are online by pressing the up and down arrow keys.
  3. Highlight the contact you wish to message and press enter. You should now be in the message input box. Type your message and press enter.
  4. If the person to whom you sent the message chooses to respond while the focus of JAWS is in their conversation window, you should hear clicking noises which indicate when they are typing, followed by JAWS reading the message once they send it. If you receive a message when JAWS is not focused in their conversation Window, you will hear a series of three tones indicating that someone has sent a message. You will not hear the typing indicator for a particular person unless JAWS is focused in his or her respective conversation window.

Reviewing Messages

  1. While in a conversation window, you can view your message history with a particular contact. To do so, make sure you are in the conversation window for the person whose messaging history you wish to view and press shift-tab until you hear "History." You can then navigate the message history using the up and down arrow keys. If you wish to type a message to this contact while in the history field, simply begin typing. It is not necessary to tab back to the message input box.
  2. You can also choose to quickly view the most recent ten messages you have exchanged with a contact by pressing alt with numbers 1 through 9 and 0, with 1 being the most recent and 0 the tenth most recent message.
  3. To switch between conversation windows, press alt-tab until the correct one is highlighted.
Onto the tutorial
 
Comments to Jeffrey P. Bigham