How it works:

ChatManager expects to receive FLAPs containing SNACs through its "inbox". It recognizes certain types of SNACs. For these SNACS, ChatManager parses them, and sends the relevant data out to its "heard" outbox in tuple format. The following lists the SNACs ChatManager understands and the tuples that it consequently sends out:

The "buddy online" message contains a dictionary instead of just a text field for the buddy name because this will make it easier to add more buddy data to a "buddy online" message, such as online time or alias. The server sends this data, but right now ChatManager just discards it.

ChatManager also understands tuple-based commands sent to its "talk" inbox. The following lists the commands it understands, and the corresponding actions it takes.

Example Usage

Simple client with a truly horrible interface:

class AIMHarness(component):
    def main(self):
        self.loginer = LoginHandler('sitar63112', 'sitar63112').activate()
        self.link((self.loginer, "signal"), (self, "internal inbox"))
        self.addChildren(self.loginer)
        while not self.dataReady("internal inbox"): yield 1
        self.oscar = self.recv("internal inbox")
        queued = self.recv("internal inbox")
        self.unlink(self.oscar)

        self.chatter = ChatManager().activate()
        self.link((self.chatter, "heard"), (self, "outbox"), passthrough=2)
        self.link((self, "inbox"), (self.chatter, "talk"), passthrough=1)
        self.link((self.chatter, "outbox"), (self.oscar, "inbox"))
        self.link((self.oscar, "outbox"), (self.chatter, "inbox"))
        self.link((self, "internal outbox"), (self.chatter, "inbox"))
        while len(queued):
            self.send(queued[0], "internal outbox")
            del(queued[0])
        while True:
            yield 1

def tuplefy(data):
    data = data.split()
    if len(data) > 1:
        data = ("message", data[0], " ".join(data[1:]))
        return data

Pipeline(ConsoleReader(),
         PureTransformer(tuplefy),
         AIMHarness(),
         ConsoleEchoer()
        ).run()

class ChatManager(SNACExchanger)

ChatManager() -> new ChatManager component.