Plans to move away from Skype desktop API?

[racingcow]

Hi @RReverser,

I setup hubot-skype4com today and it works great. I got this message, however, in the Skype client...

Clicking the link to the FAQs takes you to https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA12349/skype-says-my-application-will-stop-working-with-skype-in-december-2013-why-is-that, which says that they are retiring the Skype Desktop API at the end of 2013.

As a result of this, do you have any plans on switching to Skype URIs or some other way of getting Hubot to communicate with Skype?

[RReverser]

Oh shit. Looks like they gonna break almost everything including Skype4COM, Skype4Py, and so on and so on, including all the applications that counted on integration with Skype...
Skype URIs don't work for us since they allow just invoke some command on Skype, not to receive messages.
Need to look deeper inside, probably together with @netpro2k and other authors of Skype-integrated apps, for possible workarounds.

[netpro2k]

Hmm this does not look good. I assume they are going to provide some sort of alternative.. but not sure what it will be.

[RReverser]

As far as I can see, everybody is frustrated about such decision and no alternatives are created nor found nor even announced so far.

[RReverser]

@netpro2k Oh yeah, they do. "Use Skype URIs, they are consistent across mobile and desktop platforms.". Like it can really help with any more or less complicated stuff.

[netpro2k]

Hah.. I assume that will be basically limited to initiating a
call/conversation, and thats about it.

On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 6:30 PM, Ingvar Stepanyan
notifications@github.comwrote:

@netpro2k https://github.com/netpro2k Oh yeah, they do. "Use Skype
URIs, they are consistent across mobile and desktop platforms.". Like it
can really help with any more or less complicated stuff.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/2#issuecomment-25734462
.

[RReverser]

Yeah, looks like that. Probably time to start thinking about WinAPI hooks if we want to have ability to interact more deeply.

[netpro2k]

Or just time to move over to a more scriptable chat solution :)

On Fri, Oct 4, 2013 at 6:49 PM, Ingvar Stepanyan
notifications@github.comwrote:

Yeah, looks like that. Probably time to start thinking about WinAPI hooks
if we want to have ability to interact more deeply.

—
Reply to this email directly or view it on GitHubhttps://github.com//issues/2#issuecomment-25735265
.

[RReverser]

There is a lot of. But it's not about our convenience as developers, it's all about users' choice, convenience and popularity.

[racingcow]

Thanks for the quick response/discussion guys. It would be super appreciated if some alternative could be implemented. We just started using Hubot with hubot-skype4com, and are pretty excited about it.

[RReverser]

@racingcow Even if not, there will be always an option just not to update Skype on server where Hubot is running.

[m9]

@RReverser @netpro2k i believe that for mac there could be some applescript-based workaround

[RReverser]

SkypeKit support is going to be deprecated together with Skype Desktop API.

[RReverser]

One more related issue in another project: taksan/skype-java-api#40

[vito-c]

Well MSFT did it they ruined skype anyone have a solution to use this?

[RReverser]

@vito-c Use older Skype version on hubot server. Nothing better for now.

[sandeeprock12]

Hi @RReverser, @netpro2k,

I am using the Skype for Java API for building a customized Skype Bot. After the latest Skype update for Windows and MAC, there is an issue --> taksan/skype-java-api#45 [Look at the latest comment for my analysis] with the Skype Bot working on group chats created using the newer versions of Skype.

I was also wondering if there are any updates on the Skype URI front that you guys are aware so that I can rewrite my Skype bot using Skype URIs. Any pointers towards Skype URI tutorials/documentation are welcome.

Many thanks in advance!

[RReverser]

Nope, Skype URIs are just for opening Skype-related tasks (call someone, open chat with someone etc.) and not for real interaction with Skype instance that would allow to imitate user's behavior.

[sandeeprock12]

Thanks @RReverser,

Received confirmation from the Skype Developer community that the Skype URIs cannot be used for getting any information from Skype. It can be used only for the below functionalities as of now:

Start the client
start a chat (1:1 or group)
Start a call (1:1 or group)
Start a video call (1:1 or Group on a desktop)

It does not provide any information from Skype back to the 3rd party application. You can find out more about URIs here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/dn745878

[retorquere]

You can get much of this info by directly querying the Skype db, which is an SQLite DB in %appdata%/Skype/account

[sfm2222]

Can you tell the alternative of skype4com? They have rewritten the latest version with electron and this API does not work with the new version.

[mahakkjain]

sfm222: Did you get any alternative of Skype4com?