Skype IM message bug?

[deathtech]

Great application first of all i love it. I do think I found a bug maybe?

I use the Skype plugin to control my equipment via the IM feature of Skype and VC. One thing i found is when i use the Skype.Chat.cmsReceived as an event, it does work. but not 100% of the time.

I may have to type in the same IM several times, usually no more than 3 times before Voxcommando picks up the event. It does show up immediately on Skype on my PC, however not in the history events of Voxcommando, until the 2nd or third attempt. Which obliviously my macro doesn't occur until the event is triggered.

I have noticed that once the event has been triggered once, it will work 100% of the time there after. Until its been idle and i haven't issued a command in sometime from there.

Any thoughts?

I have to keep coping and pasting my IM in several times before it goes off, it does make it kinda of annoying.

[nime5ter]

Hi deathtech, welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the report. So far we can't re-create the problem, so it's hard to know if it's a bug or not.

- Are you able to re-create the problem on a second computer?

- What version of Skype are you using?

- Is the "auto-connect" checkbox selected in the Skype plugin options? If not, for sure you'll want to have auto-connect selected for your needs.

It seems like it might be some kind of connection issue, where you're first not connected to Skype, but then somehow you are based on the fact that it's working after you send the first message, but I'm not sure what's causing it to connect at that point.

[deathtech]

I was affarid that maybe the case, someone not able to duplicate the issue. I'll try again on another computer and see if it repeats.

I did check and autoconnect was enabled. Also, i'm running the latest version of VC. On a windows 7 Ultimate 32bit os.

As you suggested i'll try on another computer and see if the results can be duplicated for me.

[deathtech]

I did try and sadly i got the same results, but on this computer i got even worse. This is a Windows 7 Enterprise laptop 64bit. This time i had to do it many times before the received event would actually kick in. I created a screenshot trying to show as much information as possiable.

You can see from the timestamps on skype and on voxcommando that the received event didnt occur until after so many text messages read.

EDIT: i would use chatread as an event, but it appears this only works if the skype window is actually infocus. if out of focus it wont occur. Hence why i'm using received. (so its behaving this way for me anyway)

[nime5ter]

Hm. The only thing that I can see offhand is that you seem to be sending the skype IM from a mobile device (which we haven't tried). Is that the case?

If so, what kind of device? I will try that variable here.

[nime5ter]

Still no luck, sorry. When you have the time, perhaps you can enable logging in VC, restart VC, reproduce the problem and post the voxLog text file as an attachment if you don't mind.

http://voxcommando.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Log

Basically, though, it looks as though Skype is not generating the chat.cmsreceived event when it should in whatever version you're using, which is a Skype bug that we won't be able to do anything about, particularly as they've stopped supporting the api. 

I am succesfully using Skype 6.11.0.102 on this VC computer and I will check later on some of our other machines. Don't know if version checking will help.

[deathtech]

Hm. The only thing that I can see offhand is that you seem to be sending the skype IM from a mobile device (which we haven't tried). Is that the case?

If so, what kind of device? I will try that variable here.

Correct i am! I'm using an Iphone 4s to send these messages, via the Skype app. Sorry i did leave that part out.

I've looked in the log before, but it just shows exactly what the history shows no more. But i can still attach if wanted.

[nime5ter]

Check which version of Skype you're using too.

It may be as simple as finding and installing the same version as I mention above on your VC machine, if you can find it on a safe site.

[deathtech]

K, let me attempt that. I am running the latest, but as you're thinking i want to duplicate what you have. I'l let you know.

[nime5ter]

Yes. Skype announced last fall that they were getting rid of their desktop api, which is what VC relies on. It's very likely the culprit. We have previously recommended on the forum that people try to avoid upgrading if they can (on their VC machines). So far that is working for us.

http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2013/11/06/skype-tweaks-desktop-api-plans-chat-still-going-away-call-recording-device-compatibility-stay-now/#!xNCLB

[deathtech]

I found and installed the same version as yourself, and have same results. I'm guessing it has something to do with the mobile part of this, since it works 100% for you using the non mobile version via IM.

[nime5ter]

OK. I cannot reproduce the problem from our Android mobile devices, but I sort of did with our iPod Touch after installing the Skype for iPhone app.

Using that device, the first time I send a chat message it does not generate the chat received event, but the second one always worked immediately after. I tried this about 15 times.

As well, even once working, if I waited 5 minutes without sending anything, and then sent another IM, again the first attempt does not generate the chat received event right away until I sent the second IM. The second IM always worked for me.

That's all I can report so far. I'll pass the info on to James, but I doubt there's anything that can be done on the VC side of things.

[Update: "upgrading" to the new versions of Skype mobile on Android devices causes the same issue as with the iOs version. Older versions work fine--it is only the post December 2013 versions of the Skype apps that don't trigger an event with the first IM sent. The 2nd IM is received properly.]

[deathtech]

Ok, Thank you very much for the help btw!

And you nailed what i'm seeing pretty much spot on.

Thanks again for your time

[nime5ter]

Sorry I don't have better news for you.

This issue is unlikely to be a priority given major development activities that are in the works right now and the probability that the problem is external to VC, but when it's feasible we will try to verify the exact culprit to see if something can be done.

In the meantime, I hope you can still find other means to accomplish what you want with VoxCommando.

[nime5ter]

I use the Skype plugin to control my equipment via the IM feature of Skype and VC.

Just one last thing: If you perhaps would like to describe to us more precisely the scenario for which you're currently relying on the Skype plugin, there may be some other way to accomplish the same thing with VC that we could recommend.

No guarantees, but you never know.