Internet Relay Chat (IRC) has been around for a long time and allows people all over the world to discuss topics of interest in chat rooms, or "channels". One of the most popular programmes for accessing IRC is called mIRC, crated in 1995 by Khaled Mardam-Bey.
Following on from the article "What is Internet Relay Chat?" this article looks at some other useful commands and features of mIRC.
Text Colours
To change text colour whilst typing:
- Use the hotkey ctrl + k
- Click on the required colour or type the relevant number
- Continue typing
The /me command
The "me command" is a little bit of fun that can be included when typing. By typing: /me and then an action, /me is replaced by the users nickname. It can add a little humour and action to conversations.
Example: /me passes around sweets becomes: /redhorse passes around sweets
Private Messaging
A private message (or PM) allows one-on-one conversations in private, rather than in a public chat room. In any chat room there is a list of people down the right-hand side. There are two ways to PM one of them:
1) Double-click on the name of the user in the right-hand column
2) Right-click on their nickname, go to "DCC" and select "chat"
The first way opens an instant PM message between users and allows a person to start typing straight away. The second option sends the target user a request message which they need to accept before either party can start typing. It is slightly longer but considered more polite with people who are not known to the user.
How to DCC Files
Through mIRC it is also possible to send a person files such as word documents or pictures.
To do this:
- Right-click on the user's nickname
- Select "DCC" and "send"
- This will open your file browser
- Select the file you want to send and click "send"
A progress box will open showing how much of the file has been received.
How to Ignore Members
There are two easy ways to ignore a user:
- Type /ignore <user name>
- Right click over the user down the right-hand column then go to "control" and "ignore"
This prevents that user from contacting you. To undo the ignore, type /ignore <username> again.
Changing Nicknames
The user nickname can be changed by typing /nick <new nickname> if nobody else is using it, the nickname will change.
Adding Favourite Channels
A user can add new channels to their list of favourites by clicking the heart-shaped button along the top-left toolbar. This is the "Favourites" folder.
Simply:
- Click "Add"
- Type the channel name, don't forget to start with hash: #
- Then click "OK"
There is also a tick-box option to open that channel on start-up,which means it will open automatically after connecting to IRC.
