Project Overview

Currently, TopCoder Competition Engine used a customized way for communication between the client side (Arena applet) and the backend listeners. We are planning to implement a Web-based Arena based Web Socket protocol.

Previously, we have run contests to build a standalone web socket listener, which provides a good solution by using the combination of socket.io (web client)  and netty.io (server side). 

We are continuing to support more features needed by the new Web-Based Arena.

Competition Task Overview

This contest is going to implement web socket messages for Getting Active Users and Coder Info.

General Approach

We'd like to make the web socket listener as a wrapper over the main listener, the main logic should be implemented inside the main listener, we will provide the winning submission for Module Assembly - TopCoder Competition Engine - Connecting Web Socket Listener and Main Listener for reference (provided in forum), the code is already checked in github repositories.

Please check the Tips.txt file as a base knowledge to connecting the web socket listener and main listener, and follow the same approach to implement,  any improvement is welcome.

Please reuse existing functionality used in main listener as much as possible.

Get Active Users

For active users, it means the users currently login through arena applet and web arena.

From the previous Module Assembly - TopCoder Competition Engine - Connecting Web Socket Listener and Main Listener, it has implement the stub code, you are expected complete it.

The data should be from the main listener.

Here are the request and response for the existing functionality.

• com.topcoder.netCommon.contestantMessages.request.ActiveUsersRequest

Get Coder Info

This message is going to return the coder info, similar as in arena applet. from the UI, following should be returned. like

User name:             FireIce
Rating (highest):      828 (989)
Rated events:          4
Last event:            Jan 21, 2006
Member since:          May 14, 2005
Country:               China
Coder type:            Professional
Default language:      Python
Quote:                 Stay Focus, Stay Folish

for new members, some of the information may not be present, like

User name:             whocome
Rating (highest):      Not Rated
Rated events:          0
Member since:          Mar 29, 2014
Country:               United States
Coder type:            Professional

Here are the request and response for the existing functionality.

• com.topcoder.netCommon.contestantMessages.request.CoderInfoRequest

• com.topcoder.netCommon.contestantMessages.response.UserInfoResponse

• com.topcoder.netCommon.contestantMessages.UserInfo

Web Demo

In order to demonstrate your solution, you are expected to update the demo, to demonstrate the communicate the messages can be properly used in web demo, and display the user information.

About Code Base

For the code under /home/apps/dev directory, some are hosted in internal svn repositories, some are hosted in private repositories in github.

You can check Source Code Management For TopCoder Competition Engine - TopCoder Wiki

For SVN Access, please send request to support@topcoder.com, For github access, please post your github account in forum to ask PM to grant you access.

Arena VM

Before asking your own VM, you need to have a public key on your profile before asking for the VM.

You can find more details on how to generate a key http://apps.topcoder.com/wiki/display/projects/Generate+SSH+Key and how to connect using it http://apps.topcoder.com/wiki/display/projects/Connect+Using+SSH+Key.

To use the Arena VM, please follow http://apps.topcoder.com/wiki/display/docs/Competition+Engine+VM+Setup

Currently, we moved several main projects to github, please check http://apps.topcoder.com/wiki/display/~fireice/Source+Code+Management+For+TopCoder+Competition+Engine

If you want to have local access to github, please create your own github account, and ask access in forum.