Chat Setup How-To

by Starweaver Blue

This tutorial is for installing X-Chat 2.0.10c under Windows (any version as far as I know. I can testify that it works on XP). If you already have X-Chat, open the Server List dialogue (X-chat menu, first option) and skip to the configuration section below.

Note to Linux users: I'm not going to assume that because you're running foonix, you know everything about everything. I know at least Fedora comes with X-Chat, so check for that. If so, follow the instructions here starting at Configuration — the Server List dialogue box is layed out the same for you. If you have problems or don't know what to do, PM me and I'll try to help. (I'm good at finding info like that.)

Introduction

We're currently using an IRC channel to host our chat. Yes, this is a bit harder to get to than a webchat would be. However, we do not have the resources to host a web-based chat system at this time -- our alternative would have been to use AIM chatrooms.

However, getting someone setup and registered on AIM for the first time just to get them into our chat-room, would take at least as much (and I would guess considerably more) time and effort as getting this set up. You should be able to finish this in five minutes or less (download time aside) while following this guide, and after that, if you follow the three optional steps in the instructions, you will just have to start the program and it will automatically connect, log in, join the channel, etc, and will be from that day on easier to get to than about anything else ;).

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The client I'm basing this guide on is X-Chat, specifically X-Chat 2.0.10c for windows. This is the one that I'm currently using, so I'll be most able to help people with it.

It's also the last free version for windows. The author has released 2.4 as shareware for windows (and free for other platforms -- or if you can compile it for windows yourself). This has caused an ugly wave, from people who don't like him doing it to people debating where and how and if he's breaking the GPL, over on the X-Chat site forums. But 2.0.10c will do everything we need.

Installation

1. Download the installer for X-Chat 2.0.10c for windows (direct file link)

This will place an .exe file on your computer in a location of your choosing.

2. Run the installer program.

This is a wizard-type installer, and for the most part you just have to hit "next". Just note that on the "optional components selection screen", if you select "White background theme", it won't add an optional theme, it will set your default colors to black on white. If you leave it unchecked, your default colors will be white on black. Also, you may as well uncheck "Show Readme" on the last page.

When the installer is done, you should have an X-Chat folder in your start menu's programs folder, and you should have an X-Chat icon on your desktop. The latter is probably easier to get at ;).

3. Run X-Chat

You'll immediately be confronted with the Server List dialog, which is where you want to be for the next part . . .

Configuration

1. Open the Server List dialog. (Automatic if you've just installed the program.)

If you're running X-chat for the first time, you'll see something like this (note: I'm using a custom dark windows theme — you'll see the same shapes, but in greys if you haven't changed your theme at all):



2. Set your preferred nicknames.

These are first, second, third choice across the top. User Name defaults to your windows user name — if it happens to be blank add something, otherwise leave it. Real Name is entirely up to you, it can be left blank or "not real" ;).



3. Add a new server to the list.


You'll now have a "New Network" at the bottom of the big list.

4. (Technically Optional:) Click the New Network listing, wait a few seconds, and then click it again, to activate "Rename Mode" (like you would do in Windows Explorer). Then type: WorldIRC

5. Click the Edit Mode checkbox.


The dialogue will now drastically change, opening up a new area with many more options. These are all options for the server selected on the left side, so make sure that "WorldIRC" stays selected.



6. Click-wait-click on the "newserver/6667" to put it in Rename Mode,

7. then type irc.worldirc.org/6667.


The next two steps are optional. If you do the following one, then the program will automatically connect to our chat channel whenever you log into this server. If you don't do this you will have to type /join #sffmuse or use "Join Channel..." in the "Server" menu to join it.

8. (Optional:) Click in the box to the right of "Join Channels:" and type #sffmuse.


The next optional step will cause X-chat to bypass the Server List screen and and immediately login to WorldIRC when you start it. If you also use the previous optional step, the combination will make it so you go directly from clicking the X-Chat icon to being in our chat channel.

9. (Optional:) Click the "Auto connect at startup" and "No server list no startup" checkboxes.

10. We're done. Click the big Connect button to join!

Orientation

When you're looking at the X-Chat window, the very bottom line will be a tab-bar (like the windows taskbar). This shows you all of the sub-windows open in the program. If you've followed the optional steps above, on starting you'll have "WorldIRC" which displays server messages, and "#sffmuse" which is the actual chat channel, and the latter will be highlighted

Immediately above that is a a line with your name, and a large box. This box is where you type what you want to say, or any command like /join. Above that is the big box where all the messages you're getting appear — newest on the bottom, old ones scroll up.

If you're looking at a channel, then on the right of this is the userlist. (This won't appear on the server tab or on private messaging tabs.) Cannel Operators (AKA ops, AKA moderator) are listed first with green dots next to their names; brown dots indicate Voiced status, which means they can talk if the channel is silenced overall. (Which it probably never will be.)

Above the output area is the topic bar, which displays the current topic of the channel, and then the menubar, and that's about it.

A Few Commands

With X-Chat, you can do most everything from (a) one of the menus above, like I mentioned using Server/Join as an alternative to the /join command, or (b) by right clicking on something. In particular, if you right-click on someone's name, either in the userlist or in the chat output, you'll get a menu which will allow you to do just about anything to that user that you could.

Nonetheless, there are a few things that you should probably be aware of.

First off, if you directly address someone in chat or put their full nick in your line of text anywhere (as in "StarBlue: i'm trying to talk to you!"), then that line will be highlighted in color on their screen. If they're using X-chat, it will also flash the taskbar button if the program is minimized. It's a clue that the message is for them ;).

/me [message] — Does an emote; e.g.: "/me falls asleep." -> "* StarBlue falls asleep."

/msg [nick] [message message] (Or: right-click nick and 'open dialogue window', then type message) — This will (in X-Chat) open a separate tab (see: On Tabs below) for the person you target and send them the message privately, from which time you can continue talking privately. It's essentially the same as an using an IM window, but it's built into the IRC system, so there's no need to give the other person any information about you.

/notice [nick] [message message] — Also sends a private message to the target, but doesn't open a new window for either of you; they'll just see the message in the same window as the chat, but with a different marking. Like most webchat /msg commands.

/nick [nick] (Or: Click your current name by the entry box) — Changes your nick (name) to what you specify. If the name is invalid, not allowed, or taken, you'll get an error message on the server tab (see: On Tabs below).

/away [message] (Or: IRC menu, Marked Away) — Greys out your name in the userlist and autoresponds to /msg's with the message if you write it out.

/join [#channel] (Or: Server menu, Join Channel...) — Joins another channel, opening it in a new tab.

/part [#channel] [reason reason] (Or: Server menu, Leave Channel) (Or: Right-click tab, close tab) — Leaves the channel. If you type it out you get to specify a "reason" which will be printed in your "leaving" message as the last thing the channel members see from you. If you type or use the menu, the tab will stay there (useful if you still want to read the backlog), and can be closed via the tab right click.

/quit [reason reason] (Or: Server menu, Disconnect) — Disconnects you from the server. Again, if you type it out you get to specify a "reason", which anyone who sees your logoff message will see. Does not close the program.

On Tabs

If you've gotten private messages in X-chat, you'll notice that you're now looking at the person you're talking to instead of the channel. You can switch between them by clicking, but there are a few more subtleties that you should know.

First, if a tab you're not looking at becomes red, this means that something has happened in there since you last looked at it. If it becomes blue, that means someone in there has addressed you by name as mentioned above. You'll see this in particular with the server tab turning red because of a response from /nick, /away, /whois, and such, because that's where non-channel messages get put.

If you right click on a channel tab and close it, you'll leave that channel. If you do the same to a server tab, you'll be disconnected from that server. Nothing particularly special happens if you close a private message window

Finally, if you right-click on a tab and select "Detach Tab" (or same from the X-Chat menu), then the contents of that tab will appear in a separate window. This would be useful for keeping a private message and a channel on the screen at the same time, and similar. To re-attach a tab, go to the detached window's X-Chat menu and select "Attach Tab"

Conclusion

I think that's just about significantly more than everything you need to know to chat on the channel. If you want more info about IRC and IRC commands, check out IRChelp.com. Note that some of the tutorials seem to be written more for people using unix commandline clients, which is why I decided to go into this much detail at the end of the setup.

Welcome to #sffmuse.