Skype - How to get started?

Question

I spend lot of time. And the whole Skype forum seems broken or dead or they don\'t have technical guys to handle those sectors.

Getting started code examples are no

Answer 1

1. Add a reference to the skype COM library
2. Add the following class and start exploring skype.

code (include using SKYPE4COMLib;, it screws up stackoverflow syntax highlighting)

namespace Example
{
    class SkypeExample
    {
        private SkypeClass _skype;

        public SkypeExample()
        {
            _skype = new SkypeClass();
            _skype.MessageStatus += OnMessage;
            _skype._ISkypeEvents_Event_AttachmentStatus += OnAttach;
            _skype.Attach(7, false);
        }

        private void OnAttach(TAttachmentStatus status)
        {
            // this app was successfully attached to skype
        }

        private void OnMessage(ChatMessage pmessage, TChatMessageStatus status)
        {
            // dont do anything if the message is not received (i.e. we are sending a emssage)
            if (status != TChatMessageStatus.cmsReceived)
                return;

            // simple echo service.
            _skype.get_Chat(pmessage.ChatName).SendMessage(pmessage.Body);
        }

        public bool MakeFriend(string handle)
        {
            for (int i = 1; i <= _skype.Friends.Count; i++)
            {
                if (_skype.Friends[i].Handle == handle)
                    return true;
            }

            UserCollection collection = _skype.SearchForUsers(handle);
            if (collection.Count >= 1)
                collection[1].BuddyStatus = TBuddyStatus.budPendingAuthorization;

            return false;
        }
    }
}

Answer 2

Try This: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=142821

Answer 3

In addition to what jgauffin said, here's the (singleton) wrapper class that I used to use (C# 3):

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using SKYPE4COMLib;

namespace SkypeR
{
    public class SkypeApplication
    {
        private static readonly SkypeApplication TheInstance = new SkypeApplication();
        private readonly Skype _skype = new Skype();

        private SkypeApplication()
        {
            _skype.OnlineStatus += SkypeOnlineStatus;
            _skype.UserStatus += SkypeUserStatus;
            _skype.UserMood += SkypeUserMood;
        }

        private void SkypeUserMood(User puser, string moodtext)
        {
            FireUserMood(puser.GetUserInfo(), puser.OnlineStatus.GetStatusValue(), moodtext);
        }

        public string MyMood
        {
            get { return _skype.CurrentUserProfile.MoodText; }
            set { _skype.CurrentUserProfile.MoodText = value; }
        }

        public static SkypeApplication Instance
        {
            get { return TheInstance; }
        }

        public bool Running
        {
            get { return _skype.Client.IsRunning; }
        }

        public string Information
        {
            get { return String.Format("v{0}", _skype.Version); }
        }

        public Status MyStatus
        {
            get { return _skype.CurrentUserStatus.GetStatusValue(); }
            set { _skype.CurrentUserStatus = value.GetTUserStatusValue(); }
        }

        public IEnumerable<Contact> ContactList
        {
            get
            {
                UserCollection friends = _skype.Friends;
                return from User user in friends select new Contact
                                                            {
                                                                UserInfo = user.GetUserInfo(),
                                                                Status = user.OnlineStatus.GetStatusValue()
                                                            };
            }
        }

        private void SkypeUserStatus(TUserStatus status)
        {
            FireUserStatus(status.GetStatusValue());
        }

        private void FireUserStatus(Status status)
        {
            if (OnStatusChange != null)
            {
                OnStatusChange(this, new StatusChangedArgs {Status = status, Time = DateTime.Now});
            }
        }

        private void SkypeOnlineStatus(User puser, TOnlineStatus status)
        {
            FireUserStatus(puser.GetUserInfo(), status.GetStatusValue(), puser.MoodText);
        }

        public void Start()
        {
            if (!_skype.Client.IsRunning)
            {
                _skype.Client.Start(true, true);
            }
        }

        public void Shutdown()
        {
            if (_skype.Client.IsRunning)
            {
                _skype.Client.Shutdown();
            }
        }

        public event EventHandler<UserSomethingChangedArgs> OnUserStatusChange;
        public event EventHandler<StatusChangedArgs> OnStatusChange;
        public event EventHandler<UserSomethingChangedArgs> OnUserMoodChange;

        private void FireUserStatus(UserInfo user, Status newStatus, string userMood)
        {
            if (OnUserStatusChange != null)
            {
                OnUserStatusChange(this,
                                   new UserSomethingChangedArgs
                                       {
                                           Contact = new Contact {UserInfo = user, Status = newStatus, Mood = userMood},
                                           Time = DateTime.Now
                                       });
            }
        }

        public void FireUserMood(UserInfo user, Status userStatus, string newMood)
        {
            if (OnUserMoodChange != null)
            {
                OnUserMoodChange(this,
                    new UserSomethingChangedArgs
                        {
                            Contact = new Contact { UserInfo = user, Status= userStatus, Mood = newMood },
                            Time = DateTime.Now
                        });
            }
        }
    }

    public class StatusChangedArgs : EventArgs
    {
        public Status Status { get; set; }
        public DateTime Time { get; set; }
    }

    public class UserSomethingChangedArgs : EventArgs
    {
        public Contact Contact { get; set; }
        public DateTime Time { get; set; }
    }

    public enum Sex
    {
        Female,
        Male
    }

    public enum Status
    {
        Online,
        Away,
        Offline,
        Unknown,
        DoNotDisturb,
        NotAvailable,
        SkypeMe,
        SkypeOut
    }

    public struct UserInfo
    {
        public string Name { get; set; }
        public Sex Sex { get; set; }

        public static bool operator ==(UserInfo i1, UserInfo i2)
        {
            return (i1.Name.Equals(i2.Name) && i1.Sex.Equals(i2.Sex));
        }

        public static bool operator !=(UserInfo i1, UserInfo i2)
        {
            return (!i1.Sex.Equals(i2.Sex) || !i1.Name.Equals(i2.Name));
        }

        public bool Equals(UserInfo other)
        {
            return Equals(other.Name, Name) && Equals(other.Sex, Sex);
        }

        public override bool Equals(object obj)
        {
            if (ReferenceEquals(null, obj)) return false;
            return obj.GetType() == typeof (UserInfo) && Equals((UserInfo) obj);
        }

        public override int GetHashCode()
        {
            unchecked
            {
                return ((Name != null ? Name.GetHashCode() : 0)*397) ^ Sex.GetHashCode();
            }
        }
    }

    public class Contact
    {
        public UserInfo UserInfo { get; set; }
        public Status Status { get; set; }
        public string Mood { get; set; }
    }

    public static class Extensions
    {
        public static string GetSomeName(this User user)
        {
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(user.FullName))
                return user.FullName;
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(user.DisplayName))
                return user.DisplayName;
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(user.Handle))
                return user.Handle;
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(user.Aliases))
                return user.Aliases;
            return "unbekannt";
        }


        public static Sex GetUserInfoSexValue(this TUserSex sex)
        {
            return sex == TUserSex.usexMale ? Sex.Male : Sex.Female;
        }

        public static string ToLocalString(this Status status)
        {
            switch (status)
            {
                case Status.Online:
                    return "online";
                case Status.Away:
                    return "abwesend";
                case Status.Offline:
                    return "offline";
                case Status.Unknown:
                    return "unbekannt";
                case Status.DoNotDisturb:
                    return "nicht stören";
                case Status.NotAvailable:
                    return "nicht verfügbar";
                case Status.SkypeMe:
                    return "Skype Me!";
                case Status.SkypeOut:
                    return "Skype out";
                default:
                    return String.Empty;
            }
        }

        public static Status GetStatusValue(this TOnlineStatus status)
        {
            switch (status)
            {
                case TOnlineStatus.olsOnline:
                    return Status.Online;
                case TOnlineStatus.olsAway:
                    return Status.Away;
                case TOnlineStatus.olsOffline:
                    return Status.Offline;
                case TOnlineStatus.olsDoNotDisturb:
                    return Status.DoNotDisturb;
                case TOnlineStatus.olsNotAvailable:
                    return Status.NotAvailable;
                case TOnlineStatus.olsSkypeMe:
                    return Status.SkypeMe;
                case TOnlineStatus.olsSkypeOut:
                    return Status.SkypeOut;
            }
            return Status.Unknown;
        }

        public static TUserStatus GetTUserStatusValue(this Status status)
        {
            switch (status)
            {
                case Status.Online:
                    return TUserStatus.cusOnline;
                case Status.Away:
                    return TUserStatus.cusAway;
                case Status.Offline:
                    return TUserStatus.cusOffline;
                case Status.Unknown:
                    return TUserStatus.cusUnknown;
                case Status.DoNotDisturb:
                    return TUserStatus.cusDoNotDisturb;
                case Status.NotAvailable:
                    return TUserStatus.cusNotAvailable;
                case Status.SkypeMe:
                    return TUserStatus.cusSkypeMe;
            }
            return TUserStatus.cusUnknown;
        }

        public static Status GetStatusValue(this TUserStatus status)
        {
            switch (status)
            {
                case TUserStatus.cusOnline:
                    return Status.Online;
                case TUserStatus.cusAway:
                    return Status.Away;
                case TUserStatus.cusOffline:
                    return Status.Offline;
                case TUserStatus.cusDoNotDisturb:
                    return Status.DoNotDisturb;
                case TUserStatus.cusNotAvailable:
                    return Status.NotAvailable;
                case TUserStatus.cusSkypeMe:
                    return Status.SkypeMe;
            }
            return Status.Unknown;
        }

        public static int GetImageIndex(this Status status)
        {
            switch (status)
            {
                case Status.Online:
                    return 0;
                case Status.Away:
                    return 1;
                case Status.Offline:
                    return 4;
                case Status.Unknown:
                    return 4;
                case Status.DoNotDisturb:
                    return 2;
                case Status.NotAvailable:
                    return 1;
                case Status.SkypeMe:
                    return 0;
                case Status.SkypeOut:
                    return 3;
                default:
                    return 4;
            }
        }

        public static UserInfo GetUserInfo(this User user)
        {
            // TODO: Maybe take from some database!
            return new UserInfo {Name = user.GetSomeName(), Sex = user.Sex.GetUserInfoSexValue()};
        }
    }
}

If you wish, extend it and maybe even post it back here if you want to.

Genaral usage:

Starting Skype

SkypeApplication.Instance.Start();

Registering for some events

SkypeApplication.Instance.OnUserStatusChange += UserStatusChange;
SkypeApplication.Instance.OnUserMoodChange += UserMoodChange;
SkypeApplication.Instance.OnStatusChange += StatusChange;

where, for example:

private void UserMoodChange(object sender, UserSomethingChangedArgs args)
{
  var listViewItem = new ListViewItem(new[]
    {
      args.Time.ToString(),
      args.Contact.UserInfo.Name,
      args.Contact.Status.ToLocalString(),
      args.Contact.Mood
    }, args.Contact.Status.GetImageIndex());

  listView1.Items.Add(listViewItem);
  listViewItem.EnsureVisible();

  NotifyStatus(args);
  RefreshContactList();

  LogIt(args);
}

As you can see there are some auxiliary extension methods to get image indices, status message texts (that need to be localized) and so on.

Setting my status

SkypeApplication.Instance.MyStatus = Status.Away;

In contrast to jgauffin, the wrapper I wrote does not modify anything, just read-only except for the status.

Finally, one small deployment issue: You must compile the executable to x86 for the SKYPE4COMLib to work correctly. IIRC this applies to all COM interop assemblies anyway.

Feel free to ask, if you have questions.

Answer 4

Since Microsoft bought Skype the Skype API is deprecated. You can't use it on new group chats.