How do I track a program Internet Request in order to build an Msn bot? [closed]

Question

How do I track a program Internet Request? Like Windows Live Messenger, in order to make a bot that does the same thing. Because I'm making a application that verifies the number of users online, and chat with these people, but I would like to know, where does it connect to do that.

In Web I use the LiveHTTPHeader or FireBug to see where is the page sending GET/Post DATA too and which parameters are being sent. What about desktop applications? how do I do?

Answer 1

You should use a library, for instance in csharp: http://code.google.com/p/msnp-sharp/

Because tracking web request is irrelevant. if you want to make a bot, you should work with an Api.

Answer 2

Applications like Live Messenger, Skype etc do not normally use the http protocol to communicate with their servers or peers. Instead they mostly use their own, sometimes proprietary protocols over TCP/IP, over ports other than the default http port. In order to "listen" to what these programs are sending/receiving you would need a program that "sniffs" TCP data. I imagine however that these eavesdropping attempts will mostly prove futile, since many of the programs you are trying to understand also use encryption.

Answer 3

Use Wireshark to dump all your network traffic, then use filters so you keep only the data that Messenger sends.

http://www.wireshark.org/