Mega Code Archive
Programming with Microsoft Agent
<![CDATA[
Title: Programming with Microsoft Agent
Question: How do you get the agent (Paperclip) like in Office to pop up in Delphi ?
Answer:
This tutorial was originally done by Maarten van Gompel (Proycon). I must say thanks to him cause it taught me how to do it. Link to his tutorial is : http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/2118/thttagent4Delphi.htm
The next short part comes from Maarten van Gompel's tutorial.
What is Microsoft Agent ?
Microsoft Agent is an ActiveX Control (OCX) that makes you able to control little dudes that can do all sorts of things and can even speak. The Microsoft Agent looks very similar to the "Office Assistant" included with Microsoft Office 97 and above. You have several characters you can use with Microsoft Agent, you can even make your own Agent character with a special program from Microsoft! We're very lucky Microsoft made everything free! The most famous Agent character is Merlin the wizard I believe.
Links :
Microsoft Agent (required) (395kb) :
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-14480-100-897538.html?st.dl.redir.txt.tdtl
TruVoice Text2Speech Engine (837 kb) :
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-14480-100-874123.html?st.dl.redir.txt.tdtl
Without this you won't hear your Agent talking but you don't need it.
Microsoft Agent Character Editor (981 kb) :
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-14485-100-897540.html?st.dl.redir.txt.tdtl
This is the program, which let you make your own character. Not needed but nice to have.
Microsoft Agent Documentation :
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-14485-100-897544.html?st.dl.redir.txt.tdtl
The official documentation, it describes every aspect of the Agent Control. Nice to have.
On with the tutorial. After you have installed the Microsoft Agent you need to import the Active X Control into Delphi. In Delphi 5 it's under the Component Menu item. There is a menu item called Import Active X Control. Move down in the list box until you reach an item called Microsoft Agent Control 2.0 (Version 2.0). Select this item and click on install. Now you should have the component under your Active X Components on your component palette. Drop this component on your form.
First we have to declare an Instance variable. So put the next line in your private section of your from object.
MyAgent : IagentCtlCharacterEx;
Next we need to load the agent file (.acs) into memory. This we do in the form's FormCreate method. For the example I'm using the Merlin character cause I thinks his the coolest. The code below assumes that you have the acs file in the same directory as your source code.
Agent1.Characters.Load('merlin', '.\merlin.acs');
MyAgent := Agent1.Characters.Character('merlin');
After the agent is loaded you can make him visible by using the show command.
MyAgent.Show(0);
If you want your agent to show at a specific spot on the screen use the following 2 command - Set_Left and Set_Top. The Get_Width command gives you the width of your agent. Below I set the Agent to start in the right, top corner of my form.
MyAgent.Set_Left((Application.MainForm.Left+Form1.Width)-MyAgent.Get_Width);
MyAgent.Set_Top(Application.MainForm.Top);
To hide him again use the Hide command.
MyAgent.Hide(0);
To let your agent say something you use the Speak command. When you have the text to speech engine installed you will hear him saying what you typed in.
MyAgent.Speak('Hello my name is Merlin','');
To move the agent you use the move command. NOTE : The coordinates are screen coordinates and not your form's coordinates. The 10 is the speed at which it must travel to 320x240. Zero is at light speed.
MyAgent.MoveTo(320,240,10);
You can let your agent think as well, instead of speaking. When you use this the agent will have a thinking bubble above it's head and you would not hear him say it.
MyAgent.Think('Thinking of a new spell ... hmm ... ');
Every agent also have some animation it can perform. In the Agent documention there is list of all the animation each character can perform. Those made by Microsoft. To animate your character use the Play command.
MyAgent.Play('animationname');
Example : MyAgent.Play('Wave');
Some of the animation are looping animations and must be stopped by using the stop command. To use the stop command you need to store the variable returned by the Play command otherwise it does not know which animation it must stop.
AgentRequests : iAgentCtlRequest;
AgentRequests := MyAgent.Play('Processing');
MyAgent.Stop(AgentRequests);
Below is the source code for the whole example. Enjoy!!!
If all the source code below is to much for you, you can download the source code from here :
There are 2 files. One with the merlin.acs file included , is 2megs big and one without it is 190kb.
The one with the .acs file :
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/1884/tut-big.zip
The small on :
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Haven/1884/tut-small.zip
This is the pas file's source code :
unit Unit1;
interface
uses
Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs,
StdCtrls, OleCtrls, AgentObjects_TLB;
type
TForm1 = class(TForm)
Agent1: TAgent;
GroupBox1: TGroupBox;
Edit1: TEdit;
Button1: TButton;
Button2: TButton;
GroupBox2: TGroupBox;
Button3: TButton;
Button4: TButton;
GroupBox3: TGroupBox;
Button5: TButton;
edtX: TEdit;
edtY: TEdit;
Label1: TLabel;
Label2: TLabel;
GroupBox4: TGroupBox;
Button6: TButton;
Edit2: TEdit;
Button7: TButton;
procedure FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button3Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button4Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button5Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button6Click(Sender: TObject);
procedure Button7Click(Sender: TObject);
private
{ Private declarations }
MyAgent : IagentCtlCharacterEx;
AgentRequests : iAgentCtlRequest;
public
{ Public declarations }
end;
var
Form1: TForm1;
implementation
{$R *.DFM}
procedure TForm1.FormCreate(Sender: TObject);
begin
Agent1.Characters.Load('merlin', '.\merlin.acs');
MyAgent := Agent1.Characters.Character('merlin');
end;
procedure TForm1.Button3Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
MyAgent.Set_Left((Application.MainForm.Left+Form1.Width)-MyAgent.Get_Width);
MyAgent.Set_Top(Application.MainForm.Top);
MyAgent.Show(0);
end;
procedure TForm1.Button4Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
MyAgent.Hide(0);
end;
procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
MyAgent.Speak(Edit1.Text,'');
end;
procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
MyAgent.Think(Edit1.Text);
end;
procedure TForm1.Button5Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
MyAgent.MoveTo(StrToInt(edtX.Text),StrToInt(edtY.Text),2000);
end;
procedure TForm1.Button6Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
AgentRequests := MyAgent.Play(Edit2.Text);
end;
procedure TForm1.Button7Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
MyAgent.Stop(AgentRequests);
end;
end.
You also need the form's source code, so here it is as well :
object Form1: TForm1
Left = 236
Top = 103
Width = 259
Height = 348
Caption = 'Form1'
Color = clBtnFace
Font.Charset = DEFAULT_CHARSET
Font.Color = clWindowText
Font.Height = -11
Font.Name = 'MS Sans Serif'
Font.Style = []
OldCreateOrder = False
OnCreate = FormCreate
PixelsPerInch = 96
TextHeight = 13
object GroupBox2: TGroupBox
Left = 8
Top = 8
Width = 233
Height = 65
Caption = 'Show or Hide'
TabOrder = 2
object Button3: TButton
Left = 16
Top = 24
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Show'
TabOrder = 0
OnClick = Button3Click
end
object Button4: TButton
Left = 144
Top = 24
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Hide'
TabOrder = 1
OnClick = Button4Click
end
end
object Agent1: TAgent
Left = 216
Top = 8
Width = 32
Height = 32
ControlData = {020200004F0300004F030000}
end
object GroupBox1: TGroupBox
Left = 8
Top = 80
Width = 233
Height = 81
Caption = 'Speak or Think'
TabOrder = 0
object Edit1: TEdit
Left = 8
Top = 18
Width = 209
Height = 21
TabOrder = 0
Text = 'Hello my name is Merlin'
end
object Button1: TButton
Left = 8
Top = 46
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Speak'
TabOrder = 1
OnClick = Button1Click
end
object Button2: TButton
Left = 141
Top = 48
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Think'
TabOrder = 2
OnClick = Button2Click
end
end
object GroupBox3: TGroupBox
Left = 8
Top = 168
Width = 233
Height = 57
Caption = 'Move Agent'
TabOrder = 3
object Label1: TLabel
Left = 13
Top = 24
Width = 13
Height = 13
Caption = 'X :'
end
object Label2: TLabel
Left = 69
Top = 24
Width = 13
Height = 13
Caption = 'Y :'
end
object Button5: TButton
Left = 149
Top = 20
Width = 75
Height = 24
Caption = 'Move'
TabOrder = 0
OnClick = Button5Click
end
object edtX: TEdit
Left = 32
Top = 21
Width = 32
Height = 21
TabOrder = 1
Text = '320'
end
object edtY: TEdit
Left = 85
Top = 21
Width = 28
Height = 21
TabOrder = 2
Text = '240'
end
end
object GroupBox4: TGroupBox
Left = 8
Top = 232
Width = 230
Height = 81
Caption = 'Animate'
TabOrder = 4
object Button6: TButton
Left = 16
Top = 46
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Start'
TabOrder = 0
OnClick = Button6Click
end
object Edit2: TEdit
Left = 16
Top = 16
Width = 121
Height = 21
TabOrder = 1
Text = 'Wave'
end
object Button7: TButton
Left = 136
Top = 47
Width = 75
Height = 25
Caption = 'Stop'
TabOrder = 2
OnClick = Button7Click
end
end
end
]]>