Prompting your preferred game format when challenged

[yafred]

At the moment, the choice of the challenge is entirely to the challenger.
I wonder if it would be a good idea to give some power to the challengee.
For example: some streamers use Lichess to play 'educational' games with their audience and they ask for specific challenges.

I have implemented a simple scenario to illustrate that.

Lola likes to play Casual 30 minutes games

• She challenges Boris who has NOT set his preferred format yet: the prompt show Lola's usual Casual 30 minutes
• Boris goes to preferences and set his preferred game format: Rated 3+5
• Lola challenges Boris, the prompt now shows Rated 3+5
• Lola challenges Vera, the prompt shows Casual 30 minutes

https://youtu.be/uZcW47aAjG0?si=ZIAik441otOOGnjf

I don't think it is ready for a Pull Request yet (especially the configuration of the preference which is a simple hack of the challenge)

But you may have some comments and suggestions (I can see a lot of possibilities)

[TBestLittleHelper]

A big usecase here is probably BOT accounts. Maybe this is a good way to solve #9545 ( would require fen/ from position support )

[yafred]

Thanks for the link, it confirms a few ideas I had in mind: the choice between different challenges for example. May be it is also requiring client side and server side validation of the challenge (another thing I had in mind)
Basically, updating the challenge would be disabled in the UI and if you try (via the API) you would get an error.

ornicar wrote

We want a way to create challenge blueprints that can be shared. It should be more user friendly than constructing a URL with query parameters.

I wonder if it is about having the information in the URL or are having to write the url manually ?

In my firsts implementation, I was requesting the information from lila each time the dialog was created. Then I thought that could generate too much traffic while it was fairly easy to put it in the challenge link (which I did)

http://localhost:9663/?user=Ana&challenge-pref=%7B%22variant%22%3A%22standard%22%2C%22timeMode%22%3A%22realTime%22%2C%22gameMode%22%3A%22casual%22%2C%22time%22%3A10%2C%22increment%22%3A0%2C%22days%22%3A2%2C%22fen%22%3A%22%22%7D#friend

[TBestLittleHelper]

As I see it, there are two parts to it. Challenges that are initiated on Lichess by clicking ⚔️ and challenges that start by clicking the link.

I don't think we need the info in the URL, since they are so long anyway, and very few will read them. If we have a much shorter URL like https://lichess.org/@/TBest/play/1 , that's alot easier to put in twitch streams etc.. ( Maybe you want the variant, ie, /blitz/ ).

Regardless of how you get there, in both cases we probably want to show the same UI. I mean, in my head a ( very quick) before after UI would be something like this.

PS. The other thing to keep in mind is that we have https://lichess.org/account/preferences/privacy#letOtherPlayersChallengeYou , and we probably want all challenge options in the same place? So either move the old one? Or have the new option under the old one?

Anyway, I think you are tracking the right way, but since you asked I added my ramblings :P

Basically, updating the challenge would be disabled in the UI and if you try (via the API) you would get an error.
And yes, but as I suggested in my "after" , maybe a dropdown with the custom options? Presumebly sorteable?

[yafred]

By clicking the link, you mean one the 3 links in the lobby ? (Create a game, play with a friend, play with the computer)
In this case, the current behaviour (unchanged) is to pull your preferences (from the browser storage)
At this stage, we don't know yet who is challenged ...

You have a point with the length of the url ... technically, it is not an issue (I think it can go up to 2000 chars). However, it does not look nice when you share it.

I think your idea is great: offering a redirect on a shorter url would be possible
However, a key would be better than a number because you have to know it the challenge still exists ... food for thoughts