IRC Tips and Tricks This information is intended for you to get more out of your mIRC program and acquaint you with some of its many

IRC Tips and Tricks

This information is intended for you to get more out of your mIRC program and acquaint you with some of its many features. You don't need this information to use mIRC, simply joining and typing will accomplish all you need to participate in the conversation in #CDJA however some of you have expressed a desire to know more and therefore.....

Communicating

Besides chatting in the channel you can also talk privately with anyone else who happens to be on IRC at the time so that your chat is visible only to you and the person with whom you wish to chat. You can accomplish this in two ways.

Query - by typing the command /query <nickname> you will cause a window to open on your desktop with the name of the person you wish to talk to at the top. (Caution - this may block out other windows you may have open so it is always a good idea to 'tile' your windows if you have more than 1 open). Once this window is open you may chat with that person and only the two of you will be able to see what you are saying.

DCC Chat - by typing the command /dcc chat <nickname> you will open a direct connection to the person whose nickname you have chosen. This connection bypasses the server (Starlink) and connects the two computers directly. There are two main advantages to this type of connection. 1-If there is any lag on the server a dcc connection is usually unaffected by it and 2-It is the most secure way to chat online. Since the two computers are linked directly there is little chance that anyone else can intrude on the conversation.

(Both 'query' and 'dcc chat' are also available to you by right clicking a highlighted name from the list on the right side of the channel and choosing from the resulting menu)

Lag

Sometimes it may appear that the person or channel you are trying to communicate with is very slow. In many cases this is accounted for by 'lag' or a delay in the communication between computers. You can check if this is the case by typing the command /ping <nickname> This will send a beep to the computer you have named and it in turn will send you a result, telling you how long it has taken your ping to reach their computer and return to you. A standard ping is about 1 to 4 seconds, beyond that you are dealing with some lag. Lag can be corrected usually by switching servers as it is often only one server that is affected. If you appear to be lagged from only one other user it is likely their problem. You can also check your status against everyone else on the channel by pinging the channel. The command is /ping #CDJA and this will return a ping result for everyone who happens to be on the channel at the time. If you are badly lagged from everyone then it would probably be wise to switch servers (a list of ALL Starlink servers appears elsewhere on this website).

Text Options

There are a few text options you can use when you wish to emphasize a point or simply break up the tedium of always typing in the same color or face. Among these are;

Colors - even if you are using the standard mIRC program (as opposed to a specialized script) you can make your text appear in color. Before you begin typing hold down the 'ctrl' key and press K. This will bring up a color menu. Clicking on any of the colors will cause your text to appear in that color.

Example: I am not angry. By typing 'i am not' then hitting 'ctrl K' and selecting '4' then typing 'angry' you will change the line so it appears in yours and everyone elses window as 'I am not angry'.

Bold Option

By typing the command 'ctrl B' before any text you can change the next section of text you type to 'bold'

Example: I am not angry. By typing 'i am not' then hitting 'ctrl B'and then typing 'angry' you will change the line so it appears in your and everyone elses window as 'I am not angry'. This will make everything you type after the command appear in bold so if you wish to make only one word bold you should close the bold command simply by repeating it after the word, (ie; I am not <ctrl B>angry<ctrl B>.

In the same manner as with the 'bold' option the following keys will have the following effects on your text....

ctrl r - causes your text to reverse (ie; the line you type after that command will have a black background and white lettering)

ctrl f - this is a search. If you are looking for something someone said by scrolling back and you can't find it, ctrl f will bring up a search window where you can look for a word or phrase in the channel window.

ctrl u - this will underline a word or a line. It remains in effect until you retype the command or hit enter to transmit your message to the channel

File Transfer

You can send any file to another irc user while you are both on the server. The command to accomplish this is /dcc send <nickname> and this will bring up a dialogue box with a space at the top for the nickname of the person you wish to send the file to and a file menu (like explorer or the file manager) below to select the file you wish to send that person. You select the file and click 'send'.

IMPORTANT - File transfers are one of the likliest ways to contract a virus on the 'net'. This applies to file transfers in any communications program (irc, icq, powow etc). NEVER accept a file from someone you don't know!!

Reccommendation - in your options menu under dcc options click the box that states you should be notified of any incoming dcc communication (if you can't find it don't worry, this is the default setting) What you want is the option that says "Show get dialogue" giving you the option of accepting or not and what you wish to avoid is "auto get" where you have no choice and the dcc process is automatic.

For those who wish to get into IRC in a more detailed way there are many scripts available for your IRC program that do all sorts of specialized things (ie; color popups, automated commands, control options etc.) You can check some of these out (they are all free) at http://www.mircx.com/

Having problems with your mIRC? We will try to solve any problem you have encountered. Simply EMAIL me putting 'IRC problems' in the subject line of your email. Thank you!

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