Start maptools server via batch

[SomePlayer]

Hello.

I'm running maptools 1.3b91 on a small Windows 7 Prof. PC that also runs a Ruby IRC bot for the channel with the people I RP with, and a website to access the logs from it. Thing is, since we're scattered around the globe, we have different times being online/awake, and we're also running multiple games with different people involved.

Until now, I've had maptools running the whole time as a server so that people could connect whenever they wanted, but there have been a lot of issues where it shut down for some reason or I accidently closed it.

Now, I can make the IRC bot react to triggers from the channel to run a batch file. I can probably manage to have it open maptool, but it wouldn't start up the server, only the program itself.

I already looked into this https://github.com/smaudet/maptool-StandaloneServer since it seemed like just what I needed, setting up a server on command, but I couldn't get it to compile. Errors of the sort of "package net.rptools.maptool.client does not exist"

So, does anyone know of a way how to "remotely" start up a maptools server? (Read: Start up a server via a batch file or other means that can be triggered by the IRC bot)

Thank you.

[wolph42]

Nope, currently not possible. But there is enough software around to remotely login on a client and then start the server that way

[aliasmask]

I know the MOTE people had this working but disabled it with the release. I haven't played with a headless server, but there are windows script programs that can do key strokes, click on specific spots of a screen and so on that are out there. Since it's not built in to MapTool, using a 3rd party program like that could do the trick. I have never used one, so you'll have to figure that out on your own.

[taustinoc]

I've just the JitBit macro recorder (https://www.jitbit.com/macro-recorder/), which could do this, but it's complicated, not free, and when you're scripting mouse clicks, you have to be certain of exactly where the window will open to be certain it takes place in the right spot.

http://freelabs.info/MacroRecorder.aspx looks like it's free, and will probably do the same thing, but I have experience with it.

It looks, however, like you could probably do it with only keystrokes, which is a lot simpler to record and much more reliable.

[SomePlayer]

Hello again.

As per your recommendations i looked into macroing and found what I needed with AutoIt. Neat little program that can even make standalone exes (though I haven'T tested yet if they work if the main program is not installed.)

I wasn't able to directly make it call the .jar, yet, but it can check if maptool is already running, and if not, it calls a bat that launches the jar, waits till the window is open and then gives it the necessary input to launch the server.

Not bad.