webweaving: a little more ported over to the new bot

Starting to port over the old plugin code to the new bot, which of course means that the old filesystem-based checks need to be converted to use the database instead.

And the old text file storage methods need to be converted to use the database instead.

All the old member/admin/department checks need to be converted to use the database instead. Profiles, signature files, encryption/decryption keys, logon status, user access level, so on and so forth... ad nauseum.

And let's not forget that since I didn't *exactly* replicate the other bot's core, that some of my fly-by-night functions don't use the same parameters. So things won't run right out of the box, but they will run with some tweaking.

Might still decide to just go with a web-based messaging system, and try to code a little client app to access it. Won't run through the game's chatserver, but if the website goes kablooey, then the messaging clients won't work.

Better still would be to offer a GUI client that would synchronize with the web database, and relay any locally made changes to the site. Do the whole backup/SQL logging thing, like the current bot's supposed to do. So the clients would synchronize with the site- and the bots would also synchronize with the site. Not to mention that the bots relay SQL to each other. Multiple interfaces to the same data.

miscellany: working on db stuff, more planning...

So switched from MySQL to SQLite 2, and then to SQLite 3. Meant a bit of going back and recoding for proper functionality.

Made a queue for the queries that can write to the db, so that changes will be done one at a time.

Now, need to start thinking about backup functionality. Was thinking of doing daily backups of the SQL (again, only saving queries that write to the db) and a full backup every week. Have to see how best to go about it.

Also trying to come up with a better db design than the hack-and-slash noob one that's being used currently. Reading a bit about data modelling. So the time to start screwing with the db schema is when the sucker's empty, not a few months in when it'll have some badly stored data in it.

Went to the co-op with the family today. All in all, a very pleasant 35th.

miscellany: embedded help working (sort of)

Got the embedded help to return an infowindow with the old plugin format help information, and it processes some of the templating tags, too. Took a little to iron out, but it looks all right so far.

The command syntax check is functional. Since the bot won't be echoing messages to any channels, it doesn't matter if the first word gets mangled. Might be a more elegant way to do this, but it works for now.