[Facksy]

Hey guys, I just would like to know what is the difference between GetClientSerial() and GetClientUserId(), I mean which one is the more useful, what's the difference?

[Weetabix]

They do the same thing.

[ddhoward]

Originally Posted by Weetabix They do the same thing.

No, they do not.

GetClientUserId() returns the User ID, which is provided by the engine, and is viewable via the status command. This number is the most useful in that it is used elsewhere. For example, a person who has the user ID 456 can be targeted in this manner:

sm_slay #456

Additionally, the user ID is used in some hookable events to identify the player in question.

User IDs are passed out sequentially, with the first connection being 1, the second being 2, and so on. This is reset back to 0 when the server restarts. Further, these IDs loop back to 0 once they get to 65535.


Client serials are, IIRC, generated by Sourcemod itself. Unlike the User ID, these are guaranteed to be unique for the life of the server until its next boot, even if more than 65535 connections have been made. These cannot be used to target players, and have no use other than to verify that a given client index is the same player, on the same connection, as at a previous point in time.

[Neuro Toxin]

I perfer userids as they are commonly used throughout the engine.