How to Reactivate Weblin with 2 XML Files

In the forum of the Open Virtual World project someone posted a way to reactivate Weblin. Based on this information and after my own tests I can confirm, that it works.

It is even simpler and works without programming. All you need is a Web space to put some files.

You create a Jabber account on a public Jabber server, (e.g. http://register.jabber.org). Then put some files on your Web space and configure Weblin to use them. You need 2 XML files and an image as avatar. If you want an animated avatar then you need an additional XML and some animated GIFs.

Quick Try:

Enter in the Windows registry ...

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\zweitgeist\Firebat\2.0.0\Config\Operation]
PlatformLoginURL=http://ydentiti.org/test/Planta/login.xml

Restart Weblin .. and you are Planta. But, we do not want to be Planta, therefore to create your own...

HowTo:

The 2 most important files are login.xml and identity.xml. I have put both as examples on my web server:

http://ydentiti.org/test/Planta/login.xml
http://ydentiti.org/test/Planta/identity.xml

In login.xml is the URL of identity.xml and you have to enter the Jabber account: Jabber passwort ("secret"), Jabber user name ("planta") und Jabber server ("jabber.org").

In identity.xml is a link to the avatar image:

http://ydentiti.org/test/Planta/still.gif

Now you tell Weblin to use login.xml at startup. You set the registry key like this:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\zweitgeist\Firebat\2.0.0\Config\Operation]
PlatformLoginURL=http://ydentiti.org/test/Planta/login.xml

Of course, that's the URL of your web space.

Where do you get the software from? Just copy the folder "C:\Program Files\weblin" from a friend. There is no installer required.

For Advanced Users:

Because the PlatformLoginURL is public, anyone can use this avatar (and the Jabber account). The Weblin login screen requests a password. It sends the password, but your web space probably returns the login.xml without checking the password. If you want to protect your login.xml, then you must create a login.php instead of the login.xml. Your login.php can check the HTTP Basic Authentication. You could also protect the login.xml with .htaccess. Attention: .htaccess protects the entire folder. Do not accidentally deny access to the other files. Anyone must be able to fetch your identity.xml and avatar image. You can put login.xml into a separate folder and set PlatformLoginURL accordingly.

For Advanced Users:

identity2.xml has an additional link to an animation file:

http://ydentiti.org/test/Planta/avatar.xml

which links to animated GIFs. This provides your weblin with actions and animations.

Required:

<config xmlns="http://schema.bluehands.de/character-config" version="1.0">
  <sequence group="idle" name="idle1" probability="1000" type="status" in="standard" out="standard">
    <animation src="still.gif" />
  </sequence>
  <sequence group="moveleft" name="moveleft1" probability="1000" type="basic" in="moveleft" out="moveleft">
    <animation dx="-100" src="left.gif" />
  </sequence>
  <sequence group="moveright" name="moveright1" probability="1000" type="basic" in="moveright" out="moveright">
    <animation dx="100" src="right.gif" />
  </sequence>
</config>

For the start copy this file and use your own GIFs. The XML and the GIFs are cached by the client. If you change something, you have to delete the client cache (C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\Application Data\zweitgeist\cache).

avatar.xml format in short:

• <config> has multiple <sequence>
• <sequence> has one <animation>
• <sequence> has an attribut "group". This is the action, walk, stand, sleep, wave. If there are multiple actions in the same "group", then Weblin searches a <sequence> randomly controlled by the relative "probability".
• <sequence> has an attribut "name". Must be unique, but can be anything.
• <sequence> has an attribut "probability": relative frequency of the <sequence> in a "group"
• <sequence> has an attribut "type" with values "status", "basic", "emote". "emote" appear as actions in the avatar-menu.
• <sequence> attributes "in" and "out" can be ignored. They are for advanced uses with automatic selection of transitions between actions.
• <animation> has only the attribut "src". An animated GIF URL absolute or relative the XML file

_happy_reviving()