SPECIAL.HELPIRC

.cm last change by lynx -- nov 94
 
                 _______
               *|^^^^^^^|*           The Internet Relay Chat client
               *| rxIRC |*        program for VM/CMS systems written
               *|_______|*         in RexX by Carl "LynX" v. Loesch.
                 ^^^^^^^
 
Special features of rxIRC:
 
Variables:
  rxIRC has it's own particular implementation of variables. You can
  set variables with /set or /expr, then use them anywhere within a
  command line like this:
 
     set c #rxIRC
     join $c
     expr date date()
     echo $(date)
     set helpkey 1
     pf$(helpkey) immed /help
 
  Note how you can use variables even within command names. Variables
  can be used with or without the braces. However, without braces only
  the first character is considered part of the name. So 'echo $date'
  will probably only output 'ate' since '$d' is not defined yet.
  This is compatible to the way the make program handles variables.
 
  With rxIRC variable names are case sensitive!
 
  rxIRC provides a set of predefined variables which is compatible
  to ircII. Here goes a list:
    $,   the nickname that last sent you a message, notice or invitation
    $:   the nickname that last joined your channel
    $A   your current away message
    $C   your current channel (or rather 'target' in rxIRC-speak)
    $H   last protocol command or numeric received
    $I   channel you were invited to last
    $K   the command character (usually '/')
    $N   your IRC nickname
    $Q   current query nickname
    $S   current IRC server's name
    $T   your query partner, if you are in a query, or otherwise
         your target (channel usually)
|   $U   URL of your builtin httpd, if active
    $V   rxIRC version
    $Z   current time
    $$   the $ symbol itself
 
Multiple commands:
  You can execute multiple commands in a row by putting '::' between them.
  Like this:
     /smile::grin::giggle
 
  Notice how the slash is valid for all three of the commands!
  You need not and may not call something like "/smile::/grin".
 
Bitnet support:
  rxIRC now fully supports BITNET messaging, first you have the /tell
  and /yell commands for traditional way of sending bitnet messages,
  but you also have /msg +nickname (or /query +nick, /target +nick).
  When a message target begins with a leading plus sign, rxIRC will
  not send the message to IRC, but instead send it to the BITNET
  user specified. So you can easily query a bitnet user with /query +.
 
  BITnet message receivers can be specified by nickname from NAMES
  file or with <userid>@<node> or '<userid> at <node>' or <local_userid>.
 
  rxIRC handles incoming BITnet messages properly and will
  display them as neat as possible. It also checks for /ignore
  by both nickname and userid@node. If you are /away, also bitnet
| users are informed of this when they talk to you, but only once.
 
  rxIRC is capable of sending messages over alternative routes
  than BITnet allows by default. To achieve this you need to
  specify "via <node>" at the beginning of a message and all following
  messages will be forwarded through that node. For instance:
 
  /m +strange via psuvm hello!
 
  This will send 'hello!' first to PSUVM which then forwards it to MAINE.
 
  You can also generate local CP SMSG or CP SEND by specifying "smsg" or
  "send" as arguments to "via".
  You can remove a 'via' redirection with "via none".
  You can set up different via's for each userid@node.
 
  To speed up operation, rxIRC keeps internal mappings from nickname to
  userid@node and from userid@node to nickname. That is, your NAMES file
  is only queried once. So should you change the userid@node information
  in your NAMES file from within rxIRC for a nickname that has already
  been read in, you'll have to restart rxIRC.
 
Escape characters:
  There are two escape characters in rxIRC. One is the rxIRC command
  character, which is by default a slash ('/'). Two is the CMS command
  escape character '!'. You can abbreviate /exec by just typing !<command>.
 
Default PF keys:
  rxIRC stores your regular CMS PF-keys setup and re-defines it with
  leading ! symbols which is the command escape of rxIRC. That means,
  your normal CMS PF setup works also within rxIRC, unless you redefine
  keys during your rxIRC session. When leaving, rxIRC puts the PF key
  settings back as they were before (or almost).
 
Special commands of rxIRC:
 
/ABort
   You may leave your session non-caring about the status of your TCPIP
   connection. Use this only when you can't get out with /bye.
 
/ALias [<alias name> [[<argument catchers>] <command string>]]
   You may create your own abbreviations for simple or complex commands.
   Commands may not contain the command char. Multiple commands can be
   specified by separating them with '::'. User-provided arguments can be put
   into variables by writing as many '%<var>' as you need in front of the
   command string. Alias names are case insensitive.
 
   Some examples:
         alias ni msg nickserv@service.de
   This will convince rxIRC to send a message to NickServ with /ni <msg>.
 
         alias date expr date date()::echo $(date)
   This makes rxIRC output today's date. Notice how I first used the
   /expr command, then the /echo command.
 
         alias ctoggle %k %c pf$k imm /toggle $k |join $c|part $c
   This allows you to setup a PF key to join or leave a channel
   alternatingly simply by typing "/ctoggle 9 #PartyZone".
   Notice how it catches the two arguments and puts it into $k and $c.
   Then it calls pf$k which in our case is 'PF9', the rxIRC command
   to setup the PF9 key. The key then will immediately perform
   "/toggle 9 |join #PartyZone|part #PartyZone" which takes
   care of the alternating impact of the pf9 key. See /toggle for details.
 
         alias sgg smile::grin::giggle
   /alias is treated differently from all other commands, in the sense
   that the line following /alias is not preprocessed as usual.
   This means $(variable) is only replaced _when_ the alias is actually
   used, not when you define it. Also you can specify multiple commands
   within an alias by putting '::' between them. The commands will be
   executed in a row as soon as the alias is used.
 
         alias sgg
   Using /alias with just one argument will display the definition of
   that particular alias.
 
         alias
   Using /alias without arguments will list the aliases.
 
   Note: I have not provided a command to un-alias an alias as it's
     not really needed.
 
/CAtalog
   This command will show you a compact list of all channel names that have at
   least 5 persons on them. Unfortunately it takes quite some time to perform
   as it has to process a lot of data from the IRC server before being able
   to display the collected information.
 
/Channel <new channel>
   This command will automatically /part you from your previous channel
   before joining this new channel. If you don't want to get confused
   by multiple channels, better always use this command instead of /join.
   Without argument it will tell you what channel you are on.
 
/CHOP <nickname> [<nickname> [<nickname>]]
   Make people channel operators of the current channel.
   A shorthand for "/mode $C +o <nickname>"
 
/CLear
   Clear the screen. Just in case you're not used to hitting PA2.
 
/CMdchar <character>
   Use another character than '/' to introduce commands.
 
/DEscribe <target> <description>
   This command generates a CTCP ACTION description like /ME and the
   other action commands, but you can specify where to send it to.
   Target can be a nickname or a channel, not a bitnet user of course.
 
/ECHO <text>
   Display a line of text to the screen. Typically used combined with
   variables like this:
     expr t left(time(),5)
     echo The time is $t
 
/Execute <command>    or more easily just:   !<command>
   You can execute CMS commands with this, but remember not to stay too
   long outside IRC or the IRC-server will most likely close your connection.
 
/EXPOrt <filemasks>
|  With this command you define which files can be accessed via WWW if you
|  activate the builtin httpd, using a <filename>.<filetype> notation as is
|  visible from WWW (hello.html being the file HELLO HTML *). Typical usage
|  is "/export *.html", remember that index.html is the file that is loaded
|  first when a user inspects your WWW server.
 
/EXPRession <varname> <rexx expression>
   This allows you to store the value of a rexx expression into a variable.
   You can use RexX builtin functions such as substr(), words() giving you
   a quite powerful medium to operate on variables.
   Some examples:
     expr time time()
     expr t left('$(time)',5)
     echo $t
   Notice the trick that makes the contents of $(time) a valid rexx
   string by putting '' around it.
 
/Follow
   If you have just been invited to a channel this is an easier way to
   join it. rxIRC will remember the name of the channel for you.
 
/IF <rexx condition expression> THEN <command>
   This will make rxIRC perform <command> only when <condition> is met.
   The <condition> must not contain spaces, in exchange it may contain
   RexX builtin function.. you can even make floating point calculus!
   Here goes an example:
     expr a 5/2
     if 2*$a=5 then echo People really win on IRC!
 
/IGnore [ <nickname>|<address-mask> ] [ <more...> ]
   If you don't want to receive a person's messages, you can use /ignore
   on him. Use it again to remove the /ignore. Without arguments you
   get the list of people being ignored by you. The ignore function
   catches /msg's, /notice's and bitnet messages from the specified
   nickname. It also sends a notice back to the sender telling him that
   you are not receiving his messages unless you specify it to be silent with
   the rxIRC option "(Quiet". An <address-mask> is a string that will
   match a set of hosts from whom you don't want to hear anything.
   For example "*.ais.org" will keep any message from a user of that
   organization away from you. You can apply this to BITnet nodes aswell.
 
/INTerpret <rexx statement>
   This will simply execute a RexX statement.  A command for hackers.
 
/Invite <nickname> [<channel>]
   I made the channel argument optional. "/i lynx" will invite me to
   your current channel without hassle.
 
/K <nickname>
   The quick way to kick somebody off a channel. This is a shorthand
   for /kick $C <nickname>
 
/LAstlog [<number of lines>]
   This shows you the last messages you received, usually 12 lines, but
   you can request more (up to 50) or less.
 
/LIst
   Shows a list of channel names, number of users and topic.
   There must be at least 8 people on the channel for it to be listed,
   unless you are running in LIST_ALL mode (See options in SYNTAX).
 
/Localwho     (you may as well type /LCL)
   Shows you a list of IRC users that are from the same site as you or
   are using an IRC server which runs at your institution.
 
/LOgging [ON | OFF]
   You can switch the logging on and off. That means you get a transcription
   of your IRC session into the file IRC LOG A0 on disk.
 
/NAmes
   Shows a list of channels and people on them, but only those channels
   that have at least 7 visible persons aboard. This should be modified into
   something more flexible but for now it's like this. See also: /cat
 
/NF [ <nicknames> ]
|  Short form of /notify
 
/NOTIFy [ <nicknames> ]
|  With this command you can tell rxIRC to watch out for certain people to
|  show up on IRC. You will be informed within one minute when they sign on.
|  Using /notify on the nickname again will remove it from the list.
 
/OMit [ <nickname>|<address-mask> ] [ <more...> ]
|  This one lets you filter the communication on a channel by leaving the
|  lines out that were typed by people you aren't listening to anyway.
|  So it's much like an /ignore for channel talk.
 
/Query [ <nickname> | <channel> ]
   You can get into a dialogue mode with a person, all lines you type are
   sent as private message to this person. If you want to talk onto a
   channel you might be on at the same time you can do "/ <text>" without
   leaving the /query. To leave the /query use /query without arguments.
   If you want to use #-type channels you need to /query those, too.
 
/PF<n> <mode> <string>
   You can use /pf1 through /pf24 to setup your PF keys. This command is
   actually nothing but a short form of !cp set pf<n> <mode> <string>
   so better refer to the CP SET manual for details on usage.
   Ok, I will resume: <mode> can either be IMMediate or DELayed.
 
/Reply
   This is a shortcut to get into a /query with the person that last sent
   you a message, notice or invitation.
 
/Request <nickname> | <channel>
   Send a CTCP (Client To Client Protocol) Version Request to a person
   or a whole Channel. IRC program that have this implemented will
   automatically respond as does rxIRC when it gets such a request.
 
/SAY <words>
   Speaks to the channel. Useful for aliases and source-scripts.
 
/SErver <address> [ <port> [ <timeout> ] ]
   Switch to another IRC server. rxIRC will exit if the server does not
   respond.
 
/SET [<variable> [<value>]]
   Set or query the contents of a variable, or if used without arguments,
   give a listing of all user-defined variables.
 
/SKIP <number_of_lines>
   Tell rxIRC to skip the next <number> of lines of the file being
   sourced. Meaningless to be entered interactively. Lookup up /source
   for a practical example of skip's use.
 
/SOurce <filename>
   Looks for a file called '<filename> RXIRC *' on all linked disks,
   then attempts to read it and execute it line by line.
   /source PROFILE is automatically executed when you start up rxIRC,
|  /source CONNECT right after you have connected to the server.
   Lines are always treated as commands. The commands may not have the
   leading command character (the slash). Multiple commands can be specified
   in one line separated by '::' and lines can be indented.
   Especially interesting for scripts are the commands /if, /skip, /stop.
   For instance like this:
 
     expr month word(date(),2)
     if word(date(),1)/=1 then skip 2
       echo Hey! Today is the 1st of $(month)!
       skip 1
         echo Today is just another day of $(month)...
     echo Anyway.. what I really wanted to say...
 
   This shows how to make an if-then-else construct in an rxIRC script
   in a pretty assembler-like manner..      ;)
   Indenting improves readability slightly.
 
/STatus
   This outputs some of rxIRC's variables, tells you what channel you are
   talking to (Target), what query, where you got invited to last and who
   last sent a message to you.
   It also shows a /whois of yourself.
 
/STOP
   This command only makes sense within scripts. It stops rxIRC from
   executing scripts any longer. Might be useful combined with /if.
 
/T <topic>
   Set a topic on the current channel. Shorthand for "/topic $C <topic>".
 
/TAlkto <new target>
   This is the ONLY command to allow you to switch to another channel when
   you are on multiple channels! You can NOT use /join for that.
   However this command is even more flexible, you can use it with a nickname,
   then all you type is sent to that person, just like /query. The difference
   is: You can overlay two dialogues, by having two people in /talkto and
   /query, then talk to the queried directly and to the other with the '/ '
   command.
 
/TCPipstatus
   Gives some information about your connection to IRC. The number of bytes
   in the input buffer might be interesting. If there are any, then your
   connection to the server is probably suffering from netlag.
 
/TEll <nickname>|<user@node>|<user at node> [via <gateway>] message
   Use this command to send a message to a user in BITNet.
   See note about the bitnet support of rxIRC at the top of this file.
 
/TOGgle <key> <c><first command><c><second command>
   This is a tricky feature to allow you to program pf keys with alternating
   function each time you use them. <key> is the number of the pf key.
   <c> is the character used to separate the commands. I use '|' usually.
   Toggle performs <first command>, then sets up PF<key> to call the
   inverted command '/TOGGLE <key> <c><second command><c><first command>'
   Here's one practical example you can include in your PROFILE RXIRC:
 
     pf5 imm toggle 5 |query Nickserv@service.de|query
 
   This will set up the PF05 key to /query or un-/query NickServ.
   Look also for the 'ctoggle' alias described in /alias.
 
/Umode <mode switches>
   Change your "mode", that is change some flags in the IRC server
   concerning your connection. See IRC documentation about this.
   This is just a shorthand for "/mode <yournick> <switches>".
 
/UNCHOP <nickname> [<nickname> [<nickname>]]
   Remove channel operatorship of the current channel from some people.
   A shorthand for "/mode $C -o <nickname>"
 
/VIewlog
   A handy command to check out today's IRC log.
   Uses the CMS command 'BROWSE'. Hope that one exists on every CMS.
 
/WHO [<channel> | <nickname> | <matchstring>]
   The /who command can now be used without arguments, if you are talking
   to a channel, it will show you the WHO list of that channel.
   You can match hosts as well as real names with <matchstring>, so
   the normal way to get a list of e.g. all italians is to type '/who *.it'.
   The logic that displays WHO output has become very complex (and
   colourful if you have colours by the way). It will display the channel
   information only if it still fits into the line. Also, if there is still
   not enough space, it will truncate the hostname and put an '*' after the
   '@' to indicate that. But it will only truncate the hostname to a certain
   minimum, from then on it will shorten the real name information and
   indicate that with a pair of periods, but that only happens in extreme
   cases. /who should always give you as much info as possible without
   wrapping lines. If you however do need more info don't forget about /whois.
 
/Xamine
   Quicky to get a /whois of the person that lest sent you a message.
 
/Yell <arguments>
   This is just like /tell with one little difference. Yell prepends
   your own nickname in front of the message. Use it when it's likely
   that your dialogue partner is not running a message handling program
   and doesn't know your userid by heart.
 
* <remark>
   With this you can add CMS-style comments in your RXIRC source files.
   Lines beginning with * are skipped.