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Table of Contents

• What's new
  Notice on Usage
• General Description
• Theory of Implementation
• Using TAgntSrvr
• Design Time Properties
• Event Properties
• AgntVal Executable
• File List in AgntSrvr.zip

This document is protected as described in the Freeman Labs copyright notice in the included copyright.txt or in the Freeman Labs copyright page.

This is the last version of TAgntSrvr to suport the old MSAgent version 1.5. Microsoft has changed the character file format, added more COM interfaces, and many other major changes. AgntVal.exe will work only with MSAgent version 1.5 or below.

TAgntSrvr 1.5 is only available for Delphi 3. Due to the way Inprise changed compiled component deployment procedures, along with the changes in MSAgent, a new version (2.1) of TAgntSrvr is available from Freeman Labs. SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILS.

• You do not claim it as yours.
• You do not modify or reverse engineer without my permission.
• Have fun.

All products are trademarks of their respective company. Including, but not limited to, the
following:
Microsoft Corp.
Borland International Inc.
Lernout & Hauspie
Freeman Labs

TAgntSrvr is a Delphi 3 component that directly implements the services of Microsoft's MSAgent COM automation server for desktop use. The server displays and manages the speech and gestures of interactive animated characters. The characters are stored as animation data and character data.

The freeware version is fully functional, but does not include source code. The requirements are as follows:

Component files:
TAgntArvr.dcu
AgntSink.dcu
AgentServer_TLB.dcu *
AgentDatProvider_TLB.dcu *

Additional:
Delphi 3.0 and above
IE 3.0 or above
MSAgent version 1.5
MSAgent Character file in the .acs format
Lernout & Hauspie(tm) text to speech engine (optional)

* Provided as a convenience. They are generated by the type lib editor.

MSAgent, characters, and accessories are available free from the Microsoft Agent home page at: http://www.microsoft.com/workshop/prog/agent/ .
Go there to see how to install the server.

The Agent Server is instantiated using OLE/COM API functions as they are declared in the Object Pascal language. Types use IUnknown instead of variants, which allows more flexability to interact with the server's interfaces during design time.

More events are available on the TAgntSrvr events page. The ActiveX version's events do not map well to Delphi's standard events for use in the object inspector.

Additional properties have been added that are unique to the Delphi component.

This component was built with Delphi 3.0. The type library conversions for the interface methods declares them as stdcall, without a return value option (hResult), as would be the case with the later Delphi versions. The component has been tested and installed after a new installation of the latest Delphi 3 version.

Please note that you are instantiating COM objects that may run outside your application environment and Delphi(tm). Therefore design time property settings may not react the way you want. If, for example, you show the MSAgent(tm) property sheet at design time by setting SrvrPropSheet to True. Then close the property sheet window by clicking on it's own close button(s), the TAgntSrvr's SrvrPropSheet will still indicate True. If you had set it to False instead, continuity in the design environment would have been maintained. Also note AgntSrvrConnect and ShowCharacter properties operation.

For the valid animation and state lists properties (optional), you run AgntVal.exe. This is a freely distributable Delphi program that verifies gesture and state names. It generates text files that contain valid animation and state lists from a list of possibilities that you can edit. The resultant list in the created text files contain valid names that can be viewed in the object inspector.

• AgntSrvrConnect - If the Agent Automation Server is not already running, it is started.Your are then connected to the server.
• CharacterFileName - A valid character file name with the .acs extension. These files contain both the character data and animation data. A URL path is not supported in this version.
• CharacterLeft - The left position of the character. Usually used to set the startup position of the character. When the field is exited the position is set. If the character is already visible, it is then hidden. Use the Move method to move a character at runtime.
• CharacterRight - The right position of the character. Usually used to set the startup position of the character. When the field is exited the position is set. If the character is already visible, it is then hidden. Use the Move method to move a character at runtime.
• IdleActive - Between the periods that you command a character gesture, the character goes into the Idle State. You can disable this by setting this property to False.
• InitAnim - Whenever the character is commanded to show, an initial animation gesture can be executed. The default is the Greet gesture. Leave this field blank if you do not want this feature and set InitAnimActive to False.
• InitAnimActive - Enables InitAnim.
• InitSpeak - Whenever the character is commanded to show, an initial message is spoken by the character. Leave this field blank if you do not want this feature and set InitSpeakActive to False.
• InitSpeakActive - Enables InitSpeak.
• Name - The name of your TAgntSrvr object.
• ShowCharacter - True shows the character, False hides the character. The Hide gesture is usually played automatically during hidding.
• SrvrPropSheet - Shows the Agent Server runtime property sheet where character and server options can be chosen.
• Tag - Dephi Tag\
• ValidAnim - A list of valid gesture animations that is tested and created by AgntVal.exe. AgntVal.exe can validate gestures and states.
• ValidState - A list of valid animation states that is tested and created by AgntVal.exe. AgntVal.exe can validate gestures and states.

• OnChClick - Ocuurs when character is clicked.
• OnChCommand - Occurs when a character command is sent.
• OnChDblClick - Ocuurs when character is double clicked.
• OnChDragEnd - Occurs when the mouse button is released at the end of a character drag operation.
• OnChDragStart - Occurs when the mouse button is pressed at the start of a character drag operation.
• OnChIdleChange - Occurs when the Idle state changes.
• OnChMove - Occurs when the character is moved.
• OnChVisibleChange - Occurs when the character visible state is changed.

• PlayAnimation(Value: String) - Passing an animation name in string format, commands the server to play the character animation.
• CharacterSpeak(Value: String) - Commands the server to initiate the speaking state. The character speaks the message passed in Value).
• CharacterMoveTo(x: integer; y: integer; MovingSpeed: integer) - Moves the character to the coordinates in x, y. Plays the moving gesture.
• CharacterGestureAt(x: integer; y: integer) - Has the character play a gesture in the direction of x and y.
• CharacterStop - Stops animation immediately.

AgntVal.exe -

This program can be distributed royalty free. The purpose of the program is to validate a character's animations and states as they were created in the Microsoft Agent Character Editor. The principle operation is simple. A master list of states and animations are each kept in a text file. The file was originally created by listing all known states and animations from published data on various characters. Several were added that most likely might be used by unknown or future characters. You can add items to the list to see if the animation is valid. Use notepad to permantly add the item. The file names are AvailAnim.txt and AvailState.txt.

To use - Open a file from the file menu. Click validate on the animation page or state page. Save the files for that character if desired. The files names are created in this format: "A<character name>.txt" for animations and "S<character name>.txt" for states. the files can be used by the TAgntSrvr component.

The only system requirements are AgntVal.exe, AvailAnim.txt, AvailAnim.txt, the character file (*.acs only).

install.txt
AgntSrvr.dcu
AgntSink.dcu
AgentServer_TLB.dcu
AgentDataProvider_Tlb.dcu
AGNTSRVR.dcr
AgntVal.exe
AvailAnim.txt
AvailState.txt

READ THE "install.txt" FILE BEFORE INSTALLING COMPONENT !

Use of this component is at your own risk. Freeman Labs takes no responsiblity for any damage to your system or loss of data. If it is any consolation, the component has always been well behaved, even with early Delphi 3 versions.