"name does not exist in the current context" error

Question

I am coding a rcon message tool for a game server in C#. However I've run across a error:

"The name 'm' does not exist in the current context"

By now you're shouting at your screen NOOB! and yes I admit I am; I have little real coding experience.

I've played with MFC C++ and OpenGL and I'm a fairly respected cod modder "script is gsc loosely based on c++" so I hope I can learn quickly, basically I tried to access an instance of b. outside of the main loop but it gave me the error:

The name b does not exist in the current context

so I made a new messages function that started a new connection in a new instance. Then I tried the access that in another function stopmessages() but I still get the error.

Sorry for the newb question. I've googled long and hard about this and I just don't understand.

Here's my code - it uses Nini.dll for config file access and BattleNET.dll for access to rcon for the game -

#region

using System;
using System.Net;
using System.Text;
using BattleNET;
using Nini.Config;
#endregion



namespace BattleNET_client
{

internal class Program
{
    
   private static  void Main(string[] args)
    {
        bool isit_ok = true;
        
        Console.OutputEncoding = Encoding.UTF8;
        Console.Title = "rotceh_dnih's DayZ servermessages";
        BattlEyeLoginCredentials loginCredentials = GetLoginCredentials();
        Console.Title += string.Format(" - {0}:{1}", loginCredentials.Host, loginCredentials.Port);
        IBattleNET b = new BattlEyeClient(loginCredentials);
        b.MessageReceivedEvent += DumpMessage;
        b.DisconnectEvent += Disconnected;
        b.ReconnectOnPacketLoss(true);
        b.Connect();
        
        while (true)
        {
            startmessages();
            string cmd = Console.ReadLine();

            if (cmd == "exit" || cmd == "logout" || cmd == "quit")
            {
                Environment.Exit(0);
            }

            if (cmd == "restart")
            {
                stopmessages();
            }
            if (cmd == "startstuff")
            {
                startmessages();
            }

            if (b.IsConnected())
            {
                if (isit_ok)
                {
                    
                }
                isit_ok = false;
                b.SendCommandPacket(cmd);
            }
            else
            {
                Console.WriteLine("Not connected!");
            }
        }
    }

    private static BattlEyeLoginCredentials GetLoginCredentials()
    {
       
        IConfigSource source = new IniConfigSource("server/admindets.ini");
        string serverip = source.Configs["rconlogin"].Get("ip");
        int serverport = source.Configs["rconlogin"].GetInt("port");
        string password = source.Configs["rconlogin"].Get("rconpwd");
        var loginCredentials = new BattlEyeLoginCredentials
                                   {
                                       Host = serverip,
                                       Port = serverport,
                                       Password = password,
                                   };          
        return loginCredentials;
    }

   public static void startmessages()
    {
       BattlEyeLoginCredentials loginCredentials = GetLoginCredentials();
        IBattleNET m = new BattlEyeClient(loginCredentials);
        m.MessageReceivedEvent += DumpMessage;
        m.DisconnectEvent += Disconnected;
        m.ReconnectOnPacketLoss(true);
        m.Connect();

        IConfigSource messagesource = new IniConfigSource("messages/servermessages.ini");

        int messagewait = messagesource.Configs["timesettings"].GetInt("delay");
        string[] messages = messagesource.Configs["rconmessages"].Get("messages1").Split('|');
    //    for (;;)
      //  {
      
            foreach (string message in messages)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(message);
                 m.SendCommandPacket(EBattlEyeCommand.Say,message);
                 System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(messagewait * 60 * 1000); 
                
            }
     //   }
       
    }


   public static void stopmessages()
   {
       
       m.Disconnect();
   }


    private static void Disconnected(BattlEyeDisconnectEventArgs args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(args.Message);
    }

    private static void DumpMessage(BattlEyeMessageEventArgs args)
    {
        Console.WriteLine(args.Message);
    }
}
}

Answer 1

You need to put the declaration of m into the class scope:

internal class Program
{

    // declare m as field at class level
    private static IBattleNET m;

    private static  void Main(string[] args)
    {
        ....
    }


    public static void startmessages()
    {
       BattlEyeLoginCredentials loginCredentials = GetLoginCredentials();


        // JUST SET THE VALUE HERE
        m = new BattlEyeClient(loginCredentials);
        m.MessageReceivedEvent += DumpMessage;
        m.DisconnectEvent += Disconnected;
        m.ReconnectOnPacketLoss(true);
        m.Connect();

        IConfigSource messagesource = new IniConfigSource("messages/servermessages.ini");

        int messagewait = messagesource.Configs["timesettings"].GetInt("delay");
        string[] messages = messagesource.Configs["rconmessages"].Get("messages1").Split('|');
    //    for (;;)
      //  {

            foreach (string message in messages)
            {
                Console.WriteLine(message);
                 m.SendCommandPacket(EBattlEyeCommand.Say,message);
                 System.Threading.Thread.Sleep(messagewait * 60 * 1000); 

            }
     //   }

    }

Answer 2

The stopmessages() method won't be able to access m as the variable m only exists within the startmessages() method

Answer 3

Move the declaration of IBattleNET m

To outside the main function and make it static:

static IBattleNet b;

Then in your main you just do m = new BattlEyeClient(loginCredentials);

Answer 4

m is declared in scope of static method startmessages but then you are trying to use it in stopmessages, where it is not in scope. You should move the variable to class scope, and define it as static (since your methods are static).

Hopefully your client app is single-threaded, otherwise you will need to consider thread safety issues as well.

Answer 5

what you could do is after you declared your class, so bevore the static void main declare your m value

internal class Program
{
    IBattleNET m;

then in the startMessages method add

m = new BattlEyeClient(loginCredentials);

this will make the m value available to all the methods inside your class

Answer 6

I'm assuming m should refer to this:

IBattleNET m = new BattlEyeClient(loginCredentials);

in the method startmessages(). What you need to do is declare IBattleNET m outside the method body:

static IBattleNET m;
public static void startmessages()
{
    //etc