GameClient.pl - XML Communication Client Example

Perl Tutorials - Herong's Tutorial Examples

∟GameClient.pl - XML Communication Client Example

This section provides a tutorial example on how write an XML communication client program to connect to a server, send and receive XML messages.

Now let's see a real client program, GameClient.pl:

#- GameClient.pl
#- Copyright (c) HerongYang.com. All Rights Reserved.

   use Socket;
   use XML::Simple;
   &init;
   $ref = $xs->XMLin("game_1.xml");
   $ref = &send($ref);
   $gid = $ref->{s}->[0]->{i}->[0];
   $ref = $xs->XMLin("game_2.xml");
   $ref->{c}->[0]->{i}->[0] = $gid;
   $ref->{c}->[0]->{n}->[0] = "39";
   $ref = &send($ref);
   $ref = $xs->XMLin("game_2.xml");
   $ref->{c}->[0]->{i}->[0] = "-1";
   $ref->{c}->[0]->{n}->[0] = "29";
   $ref = &send($ref);
   exit;
sub init {
   open(LOG,">> GameClient.log");
   select(LOG); $|=1;
   open(STDERR, ">&LOG") || die "Die: Setting STDERR to log file";
   open(REC,">> GameClient.rec");
   select(REC); $|=1;
   $xs = new XML::Simple(keeproot => 1, forcearray => 1,
      searchpath => ".");
   $host = "localhost";
   $port = "8080";
}
sub send {
   my ($ref) = @_;
   socket(SOCK,PF_INET,SOCK_STREAM,'tcp');
#   bind(SOCK, pack_sockaddr_in("1024", INADDR_ANY)); # no need
   $sAddress = pack_sockaddr_in($port,inet_aton($host));
   connect(SOCK, $sAddress) || die "Die: Connecting to $host $port";
   open(STDIN, "+<&SOCK") || die "Die: Setting socket STDIN";
   open(STDOUT, "+>&SOCK") || die "Die: Setting socket STDOUT";
   select(STDOUT); $|=1;
   my $xml = $xs->XMLout($ref);
   print STDOUT $xml;
   print REC "$xml\n";
   my ($tag,$fin,$msg);
   while (<STDIN>) {
      /<(\w+)>/ && ($tag=$1) unless $tag;
      /<\/$tag>/ && ($fin=$tag) if $tag;
      $msg = $msg.$_;
      last if $fin;
   }
   print REC "$msg\n";
   close(STDIN);
   close(STDOUT);
   return $xs->XMLin($msg);
}

This client program is also simple. It reads some XML message files prepared a game, and send them over to the server one at a time. There are two XML message files:

1. game_1.xml:

<c><m>Hello</m></c>

2. game_2.xml:

<c><i>0</i><n>0</n></c>

If you run the client program, you should get the following in the GameClient.rec recording file:

a<c>
  <m>Hello</m>
</c>

<s>
  <m>Welcome to Game Server!
I have a number between 0 and 99 for you to guess.</m>
  <i>1</i>
</s>

<c>
  <n>39</n>
  <i>1</i>
</c>

<s>
  <m>Your guess is too high.
 Please make another guess.</m>
  <i>1</i>
</s>

<c>
  <n>29</n>
  <i>-1</i>
</c>

<s>
  <m>Sorry. Your game ID doesn't exist.</m>
  <i>0</i>
</s>