Socket MUD client script

[Terry Reedy]

Zamnedix wrote:
> I'm having trouble with this script I'm writing. I want it to connect
> to a MUD, which it does fine, but afterwards it displays the greeting
> and login prompt, and when I type in username the loop to receive and
> then send seems to stop.
> 
> 
> Here's my code:
> 
> #!/usr/bin/python
> import socket
> import sys
> a = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
> address = str(raw_input("HOST:PORT > "))
> address = address.split(":")
> a.connect((address[0], int(address[1])))
> print "CONNECTED"
> while 1:
>    print a.recv(4079)
>    print a.recv(4079)
>    msg = str(raw_input("MSG > "))
>    a.sendall(msg)
> 
> Here's what happens:
> $ python connect.py
> HOST:PORT > lofe.org:8000
> CONNECTED
> 
> 
>                                  ....._
> ((big ascii art greeting, staff info and stuff))
> 
> Enter your character's name, or type new:
> MSG > Xeythos
> 
> la la la la la la
> 
> ^CTraceback (most recent call last):
>   File "connect.py", line 18, in ?
>     print a.recv(4079)
> KeyboardInterrupt
> $
> 
> 
> 
> Also, I have to receive twice to get the whole greeting, and it comes
> really slowly in two pieces.
> I've looked around the internet for a good tutorial on python and
> sockets but haven't really found anything. Am I using the wrong type
> of socket, or what? Someone please help.

I suspect you are humg in the second a.recv since the response to the 
username is completely swallowed by the first one. That said, a mud 
client is basically a telnet client. So I recommend you use the 
telnetlib module. Telnet objects have a .read_until method, so your 
initial code wold mostly be replaced with

tn = telnetlib.Telnet(address[0], int(address[1], 30)
tn.real_until(b"or type new: ") #remove b prefix for 2.x

I recommend entering the loop until logged in. After that, you should 
get a consistent prompt to read up to.

Terry Jan Reedy