Using the DirectX Protocol in an Application

This section covers how you can use the features of the Microsoft?DirectPlay?protocol in your application.

You can use five DirectPlay interfaces to send messages.

• IDirectPlay8Peer
• IDirectPlay8Client
• IDirectPlay8Server
• IDirectPlay8LobbyClient
• IDirectPlay8LobbiedApplication

Depending on which interface your application is using to send messages, you send a message by calling a method named either Send, or SendTo. While the usage of these five methods is similar, they vary in detail. Refer to the appropriate reference pages for further discussion.

The Send/Sendto method's parameters might allow you to control many of the DirectPlay protocol's features. For example, the dwFlags field of IDirectPlay8Peer::SendTo allows you to specify:

• The message's priority level.
• Whether the message is reliable or unreliable.
• Whether the message is sequential or non-sequential.

Refer to the appropriate method reference for further details.

When your application receives a message, your callback function will receive a DPN_MSGID_RECEIVE message. The associated structure contains a pointer to the data block, along with information such as the source of the message.