POO Implementor's Guide

This Guide is intended for those who are starting their own POO server, perhaps for the first time.

1. Get Python up and running.

To run POO, you'll need Python version 1.4 or later. You also need a standard console interface; PythonWin may not work.

Python can be obtained from http://www.python.org/; it's free, and runs on just about any platform. PUB has been tested most extensively under MacOS and several flavors of Unix, but is intended to work on any machine which supports Python and network sockets.

2. Download the POO files.

Grab the files from the POO Home Page, and put them in their own directory for neatness' sake. Under this directory, you may also wish to create a subdirectory called "poofiles"; this is where POO-readable files (such as the welcome message) must be stored.

3. Try it out.

If you downloaded poo.dat, rename it or move it someplace out of the way. Run poodirect.py (by dragging it onto the Python icon, or by entering "python poodirect.py" at the command line). It should complain that it can't open poo.dat, and ask if you want to create a new database from scratch; let it do so. Enter the game with the user name "Implementor". You won't be able to do much, but you should be able to reproduce the following transcript:

poo>;print "spam" spam poo>;print me.location #3 poo>;print me.location.contents() [<User instance at 1738bcc>]

If your results look more or less like the above (don't worry about the actual number in the last line), then POO seems to be running properly.

4. Obtain or build a starting database.

POO does very little without a developed database. There are three ways to get one. First, you could build your own from scratch; this is very difficult and not recommended. Second, you can simply download poo.dat, put it in the same directory as the POO source files, and use it right out of the box. Finally, you can build your own database by using the bootstrap file.

The bootstrap file contains all the commands that were used to create the core database. Even if you're planning to use the core database without modifications, perusing the bootstrap file can be very educational. And if you do want to heavily customize the core database, the bootstrap file is definitely the way to go. To use it, simply copy the commands (in reasonably-sized blocks) from bootstrap.txt into your Python (poodirect) window (after you've logged in as Implementor).

However you get your data file, remember to set the password on the Implementor character (using @password in the standard core database) before you open the server to the public.

5. Set server options.

Edit poosock.py, scroll down a page, and examine the various options defined there. You may want to change the port number, or the maximum allowed connections. You should definitely change the magic words defined by SHUTDOWN and SAVE, so that only you and trusted comrades can invoke these operations.

6. Launch the server.

To run POO in network mode, run poosock.py. It will load the database and open the connection. Information on connection attempts, disconnections, etc. will be logged. In Unix, I use a command such as the following to run the server in the background, saving the log to a file:

     python poosock.py > poo.97-03-02.log &

You should now have your very own POO server up and running. The core database defines a @newuser command for creating new characters (enter "@newuser" with no arguments for a usage summary). If you have any difficulties, write to me and I'll do my best to help.

http://www.strout.net/python/poo/implementors.html
Last Updated: 3/02/97 . . . . . . Joe Strout