GENERAL INFORMATION

What's IRC?
IRC (Internet Relay Chat) are conversations retransmitted in internet, it's a system written originally in Finland by Jarkko Oikarinen in 1988 and is now used worldwide. IRC is a multi-user chat system that allows encounters in virtual spaces called "channels" or "rooms" in order to converse privately or in groups.

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How does IRC work?
The concept is supplier of a service (server) and consumer of the same (client). In our case the server is the computer (and program) that permit various clients to connect and thus utilize the IRC service. Through a client installed in the computer itself it is possible to connect to an IRC server and be able to chat. There are many types of clients, in our case it is a small Java application (applet) that is downloaded in a few seconds and will connect you directly to a "channel" or "room", posted by the owner of the website you are in.

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Who are IRC Admins?
An operator of the server (IRC Administrator) is one who manages the server and has access to all the channels, he can be recognized by the red square before his name and also by writing /whois (his nickname) you will see the following message: is a Services Administrators (IRCop) In most cases they are not available to resolve problems existing in channel. The operators of the server have more important things to do then interfere in the personal disputes of a channel. They will however intervene when a user in a channel refuses to leave and disturbs others in the process or when the general rules of the server are not respected.

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General server rules
There are basic rules on our server and the IRC Admins will make sure they are respected

No Mass Advertising (channels, webpages, etc...)
No DOS or DDOS attacks.
No Cloning, Flooding, Hacking, Nuking, or Spoofing.
No War Scripts or Channels.
No Ban evasions.
No IRC Operator Begging or Impersonating.
No Transmission of Virally infected files or kiddie porn.
No Unauthorized Bots.

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What is a nickname or nick?
A nickname, commonly called a 'nick', is a user's name. It's the name that everyone else sees talking when that person talks. On some clients, a user can also change his nick while chatting.

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What is a channel or room?
A channel, commonly called a 'chan', is also referred to as a 'room'. The latter term will be used throughout this document. A room is where everyone goes to talk to one another. A room always has a founder, the person who registered the room. A room will almost always have room operators, as well.

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General IRC Commands
By command we mean typing an order to the server to execute a specific action. The symbol which identifies a command is the forward slash / followed by the name of the command to be executed and the characteristics of that command. The first symbol is always the forward slash /. If this symbol is not present the server will not recognize it as a command and everything will be sent in chat as a usual message, pay close attention when sending a command.

Please note: Frequently used commands are available also in the popup menu.

The following is the updated list of commands. The command to execute is in bold:

/ Recalls the previous command entered in the current window.
/! Recalls the last command typed in any window.
/action <action text> Sends the specifed action to the active channel or query window.
/add [-apuce] <filename.ini> Loads aliases, popups, users, commands, and events.
/alias <alias name><command(s)> Adds the given alias to the Tools/Aliases list.
/ame <action text> Sends the specifed action to all channels which you are currently on.
/amsg <text> Sends the specifed message to all channels which you are currently on.
/auser [-a] <level><nick|address> Adds a user with the specified access level to the remote users list.
/auto [-r] [on|off|nickname[ type]|address] Adds <-r removes> auto-opping of a nick or address or sets it on or off totally. The type determines the used address syntax.
/away <away message> Sets you away leave a message explaining that you are not currently paying attention to IRC.
/away Sets you being back.
/ban [#channel] <nickname>[type] Bans the specified nick from the curent or given channel.
/beep [<number> <delay)] Locally beeps 'number' times with 'delay' inbetween the beeps.
/channel Pops up the channel central window <only works in a channel)
/clear [nickname|channel] Clears the entire scrollback buffer of the <given>window.
/clearall Clears all text in all open windows.
/close -icfgms [nick1] [nickN] closes inactive, chat, fserve, get, message or send windows.
/closemsg <nickname> Closes the query window you have open to the specified nick.
/creq [ask | auto | ignore] Sets your DCC 'On Chat request' settings in DCC/Options.
/ctcp <nickname><ping|finger|version|time|userinfo|clientinfo> Does the given ctcp request on nickname.
/ctcpreply <nickname><ctcp>[message] Sends a ctcp reply message to nickname.
/ctcps [on|off] Sets the Tools/Remote/Commands setion on or off or checks its status.
/dcc send <nickname>[file1] [file2] [file3] ... [fileN] Sends the specified file(s>to nick.
/dcc chat <nickname> Opens a dcc window and sends a dcc chat request to nickname.
/dde [-r] <service><topic><item [data] Allows DDE control between mIRC and other applications.
/ddeserver [[on [service name] | off] To turn on the DDE server mode, eventually with a givem service name.
/describe <#channel><action text> Sends the specifed action to the specified channel window.
/disable <#groupname> De-activates a group of commands or events in the remote section.
/disconnect Forces a hard and immediate disconnect from your IRC server. Use it with care.
/dlevel <level> Changes the default user level in the remote section.
/dns <nickname | IP address | IP name> Uses your providers DNS to resolve an IP address.
/echo [N] <-s|a|[=]nickname|#channel> <text> Displays the given text only to YOU on the given place <status, active window, query or channel> in color N.
/enable <#groupname> Activates a group of commands or events.
/events [on|off] Shows the Tools/Remote/Events section status or sets it to listening or not.
/exit Forces mIRC to shutdown and close.
/finger <nickname | address> Does a finger on a users address... also if his nick is given.
/flood [<numberoflines> <seconds> <pausetime>] Sets a crude flood control method.
/flush [levels] Clears all nicknames from the Remote/users list that are currently not on your channels.
/flushini <filename> Forces the specified INI file to be saved to disk.
/font Activates the font selection dialog.
/fsend [on|off] Shows fsends status and allows you to turn dcc fast send on or off.
/fserve <nickname><maxgets><homedirectory>[welcome text file] Opens a fileserver.
/groups [-e|d] Shows all <enabled or disabled>groups defined in the remote sections.
/guser [-a] <level><nick>[type] Adds the user to the user list with the specified level and address type.
/help <keyword> Brings up the Basic IRC Commands section in the mIRC help file.
/ial [on|off] Turns the Internal Address List on and off.
/identd [on|off] [userid] Activates the IdentD server with the given usedid.
/ignore [-rpcntiu#][on|off|nickname|address] [type] Ignores a nick or address or sets ignore on or off totally. -r to remove.
/invite <nickname><#channel> Invites another user to a channel.
/join <#channel> Makes you join the specified channel.
/kick <#channel><nickname> Kicks nickname off a given channel.
/links Shows the entire list of IRC servers in the network you are currently connected to.
/list [#string] [-min #] [-max #] Lists all currently available channels, evt. filtering for parameters.
/load <-a|p<c|n>|r<u|v|s><filename.ini> Loads Aliases, Popups, Remote items or Variables into mIRC.
/loadbuf [lines] <window><filename> Loads lines from a text file into the specified window. <like echo)
/log [on|off] [windowname] Shows the logging status or sets it on or off for the window.
/me <action text> Sends the specifed action to the active channel or query window.
/mode <#channel|nickname>[[+|-]modechars [parameters]] Sets channel or user modes.
/msg <#channel|nickname><message> Send a private message to this user without opening a query window.
/names <#channel> Shows the nicks of all people on the given channel.
/nick <new nickname> Changes your nickname to whatever you like.
/notice <nick><message> Send the specified notice message to the nick.
/notify [-sh][-ar][on|off|nickname] Toggles notifying you of a nick on IRC or sets it on or off totally.
/onotice [#channel] <message> Send the specified notice message to all channel ops.
/omsg [#channel] <message> Send the specified message to all ops on a channel.
/part <#channel><message> Makes you leave the specified channel.
/partall <message> Makes you leave all channels you are on.
/perform [on|off] Toggles the File/Options/Perform <on startup>section.
/play [-cp q# m# rl# t#] [channel/nick] <filename>[delay|linenumber] Allows you to play text files to a channel. Read the help !
/pop <delay>[#channel] <nickname> Performs a randomly delayed +o on a not already opped nick.
/protect [-ar][on|off|nickname|address] Toggles protection of a nick or address or sets it on or off totally.
/query <nickname><message> Open a query window to this user and send them the private message.
/quit [reason] Disconnect you from IRC with the optional byebye message.
/quote [-q] <raw command> Sends any raw command you supply directly to the server. Use it with care !
/raw [-q] <raw command> Sends any raw command you supply directly to the server. Use it with care !
/remote [on|off] Sets the entire Tools/Remote setion on or off or checks its status.
/remove <c:\path\filename> Will delete the requested file.
/rlevel <access level> Removes all users from the remote users list with the specified access level.
/run <c:\path\program.exe> [parameters] Runs the specified program, evt. with parameters.
/ruser [-r] <nick[!]|address> [type] Removes the user from the remote users list.
/save [-apuce] <filename.ini> Saves remote sections into a specified INI file.
/savebuf [lines] <window> <filename> Saves lines from the buffer of a window to a file.
/say <text> Says whatever you want to the active window.
/server [server # | server address [port] [password]] <Re)connects to the server or a newly specified one.
/sound [nickname|#channel] <filename.wav> <action text> Sends an action and a fitting sound request.
/speak <text> Uses the external text to speech program Monologue to speak up the text.
/splay <c:\path\filename.ext> Plays .wav and .mid files to you. (like /wavplay)
/sreq [ask | auto | ignore] Sets your DCC 'On Send request' settings in DCC/Options.
/strip [+-burc] Turns removal of color codes <see Options dialog>on/off.
/time Tells you the time on the server you use.
/timer[N] <repetitions> <interval in seconds> <command> [| <more commands>] Activates a timer.
/timestamp [-a|e|s] [on|off] [window] For Turning on/off timestamping in windows or globally. <-s = for status window, -a = for active window, -e = for every window)
/titlebar <text> Sets mIRC's titlebar to the specified text.
/topic <#channel> <newtopic> Changes the topic for the specified channel.
/ulist [<|>]<level> Lists all users in the remote list with the specified access levels.
/unload <-a|-rs> <filename> This unloads the specified alias or remote script file.
/url [-d|on|off|hide] Opens or closes the URL window that allows you to surf the www parallel to IRC.
/uwho [nick] Pops up the user central with information about the specified user.
/version Tells you the version of the IRC server you use.
/wavplay <c:\path\filename.ext> Locally plays the specified wave or midi file.
/who <#channel> Shows the nicks of all people on the given channel.
/who <*address.string*> Shows all people on IRC with a matching address.
/whois <nickname> Shows information about someone in the status window.
/whowas <nickname> Shows information about someone who -just- left IRC.
/window This allows you to create and manipulate custom windows.
/write [-cidls] <filename> [text] To write the specified text to a .txt file.
/writeini <inifile> <section> <item> <value> To write to an .ini file.

Use the TAB button to complete a nick.
Use the up/down arrows to repeat the last 10 lines.

Copy and paste public or private conversations:
Highlight the text that you wish to save, a second window will open containing this text already highlighted and ready to be copied by pressing CTRL+C, subsequently you can paste it in any text based program by pressing CTRL+V

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What is a room operator?
A room operator, sometimes called a 'moderator' or 'op', is someone who has the power to kick/ban users, voice users, and set room modes. The term 'op' will be used throughout this document.

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Who are channel operators?
A channel operator has an @ in front of his nick. The channel operators are those who make sure that the rules and regulations of that channel are respected. This means that they are at liberty to distance you from their channel for various reasons if necessary. If you do not agree you have the option of creating your own channel and becoming operator yourself. Remember that when you enter a channel it’s as if you are entering someone’s home, you are a guest and you must respect the rules of the owner.

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What is voice?
Voice is what a room op can give a user so that the user can always talk, even if the room is mode +m (strictly moderated). It usually shows up as a + next to the user's nick.

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What is a SOp?
An SOp is a Super Op, a type of room op who has the power to permanently give or take room op or voice in a room.

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What is a channel Manager?
Channel manager is CO-Founder, higher than sop. Channel manager is can add and remove sop or manager, also can set all channel options.

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What is a room mode?
A room mode is an option that room ops can set for the room. A room op can set room modes with this command:
        /mode #<room> <mode>

Here's a short list of common room modes:

+m - Strictly moderates the room. That means that no one who isn't a room op or voice can talk.
+c - Users cannot talk in color.
+d - Users cannot change their nicks in the room.
+i - Makes the room invite only. That means that a room op must invite non-ops in. An op can invite himself with this command:
        /cs invite #<room>
+l N - Limits the room. That means that only N people can be in the room at a time.
+L - Language filter. Strips many vulgar words that may be sent to the room. The word will be replaced with asterisks.

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What is a user mode or umode?
A user mode is similar to a room mode, except that it is for a user, not a room. A user can set a user mode for himself with the following command:
        /umode <mode>

Here is a short list of common user modes:

+x - People cannot see the user's real IP address or host. This is set by default and cannot be removed.
+m - People can't send private messages to the user.

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What is an IRCop, network operator, or netop?
An IRCop is someone who administrates the chat server. Other terms are 'network operator' or 'netop', for short. The latter will be used throughout this document. A netop can disconnect a user, ban a user, or reset a password if it is lost, among other more technical duties. If online, a netop can be found in #services

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What is a client?
A client is a program used to connect to the chat server. Popular clients include mIRC, pIRCh, and xIRC. Many people also use Java clients, which can be accessed from websites. UnitedChat only allows connections from Java clients. Users can chat using the Java client on our website here.

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What is a server?
A server is the very center of any chat service like UnitedChat. It's what a user's client connects to in order to chat. A chat service may have many servers, which are all connected to make a chat network. To chat on that network, a user can connect to any of the network's servers with a client.

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USERS
In this section you will find instructions and answers to frequently asked questions by the users of this service.

How do I change my nick?
To change your nickname, type /nick <newnick>

Example: /nick Ralph

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How do I register my nick?
Sometimes it's a good idea for a user to register his nick. With a registered nick, a user can be a room op or voice in a room. It also protects that user's nick from being used by other users.

To register a nick, it is easiest to use our nickname registration page. But if a user prefers typed commands, the following can be used:
        /attach <password> <e-mail>
where <email> is a valid email address, and <password> is a secure password. A user should NEVER give his password to anyone. The administrators of UnitedChat will never ask for a user's password.

After a user has registered his nick, he will want to identify to it every time he connects to UnitedChat. This means that he will be recognized as the real owner of that nick, and if he is a room op or voice he will have access to those privileges. To identify, type this command:
        /identify <password>
A user must be sure that he is currently using the nick that he wants to identify to. If he is not, he will have to change his nick first.

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Using a registered nick
A registered nick must always be followed by its password, separate the nick from password with one blank space.
- To enter in chat with a registered nick, in the nickname slot type: yournick yourpassword
- To change the nick with your registered nick, while you are in chat, type /nick yournick yourpassword

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Change the nick password
Command: /setpass <oldpass> <newpass>

You can modify your personal information at any time. Enter in configure nickname registration, login by typing you nickname and password.

To change your nick password click here: Nickname Account Management

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I lost my password
No problem, Go to our password help channel and wait for an oper's assistance.

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Help! Someone took over my nickname and/or channel, what can I do?
Please find a CSOp or above or e-mail ucadmins@unitedchat.net with as much information as possible with as the nickname and/or channel name, when it was takenover, the e-mail address on the nickname, etc.

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Private messages
Private messages cannot be seen by anyone and only you must decide whether you wish to receive them or not and whom to receive from.
There are commands that allow you to control your private messages:

Inviting a user for a private chat
By double clicking on a nickname a private window will open up where you can converse privately with that user.

Ignoring
If for any reason you do not wish to view the private and public messages of a user, highlight his nick then right click and select ignore, from that moment on you will no longer be able to view his messages. You can attain the same results by typing in chat /ignore hisnick. To cancel this action you need only repeat the same steps and the command will be removed.

Disabling private window popup
If you do not wish to have private windows popping up when others call on you, in chat type /umode +m this way you will see any private messages in the main window of the chat in the form of a private message for you that can be seen only by you. To cancel this action you need only repeat your steps and the command will be removed. This does not in any way prevent you from inviting others into a private conversation. It basically allows you to decide whom to answer by opening the private window if you wish to do so.

Protection against private messages from other channels
It is possible to receive and send private messages to a user in another channel of the server. The command is /msg nick <message> (found in commands list). To avoid being disturbed in private by users from other channels an already active protection is present that does not permit users from other channels to contact you in private. You can disable this protection by typing in chat /extmsg and enabling it by repeating the same step.

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Coloring your messages
To colour your text click on the colours that are shown at the bottom up of the chat screen.
 

How to colour your messages in public (and private) chat without using the normal commands of the channel:

Colors code:
0 = White
1 = Black
2 = Dark Blue
3 = Green
4 = Red
5 = Brown
6 = Purple
7 = Orange
8 = Yellow
9 = Light Green
10 = Teal
11 = Light Blue
12 = Electric Blue
13 = Violet
14 = Dark Grey
15 = Light Grey

Example: |2,8 test (this command visualizes the word “test” in blue with yellow background )

The pipe '|' (first symbol that composes the string of commands) can be obtained by pressing shift backslash \ ('\' found at the top left section of the keyboard - beneath the esc button).
The first number before the pipe (the number 2 in the example) determines the colour of the text. The second number (the one after the comma – the number 8 in the example) determines the colour of the background.

Changing the numbers after typing the pipe '|' will also change the color of the text that follows the command.
Other examples (you can try these examples in a private chat window substituting the “your message” with your own message):

|8,2 your message
|7,1 your message
|0,1 your message

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Help, I have been banned!
You must speak to the operators of the channel and only to them. The operators of the channel do not need to have “reasons” to ban you, they decide what happens in the channel. Complaining to the Operators of the server for having been distanced or expelled from a channel is considered extremely childish and will not change the outcome. The Operators of the server will not interfere in the rules of the channel, this is the sole responsibility of the operator of the channel itself. If you have been distanced or expelled from a channel you are free to create your own and decide your own rules and regulations. Consider every channel as if it were a home: the owner of that home has the right to share it with others or not and it is he who decides whom to let in and whom to exclude. In your home you decide, you are free to create your channel and establish your own rules.

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How do I join a room?
To join a room, use this command:
        /join #<room>
where #<room> is the room you want to join. For instance, if you wanted to join #chat, you would type:
        /join #chat

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How do I leave a room?
To leave a room, use this command:
        /part #<room>
where #<room> is the room you want to leave. For instance, to leave #chat, you would type:
        /part #chat

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How do I register my room?
To start a new room, it's a good idea to register it so that it can be controlled effectively and so that other people cannot take it from its rightful founder. First of all, a user will have to register it while using a registered nick. To register a room, use this command:
        /attach #<room> <description>
where #<room> is the name of the room, and <description> is a brief description of what the room is for. The description does not have to be entirely accurate; it simply gives other users an idea of what it's all about. Also, a user should NEVER give his password to anyone. The administrators of UnitedChat will never ask for a user's password.

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How do I ensure my IRC connection is secure? (SSL)

On Windows, you will need to download and install the Win32 implementation of OpenSSL, then restart your IRC client. For Linux/UNIX, you will need to make sure you have a usable installation of OpenSSL and an IRC client that supports SSL connections, you may need to recompile your client with SSL support. UnitedChat uses port 994 for SSL connections.

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I can't connect, it says I'm blacklisted, what can I do?
Please head over to http://www.spamhaus.org/lookup.lasso and remove yourself, then give around an hour for the changes to propagate. In addition, you might wish to check out our security tips if you keep on getting blacklisted.

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Can I become a channel operator?
Yes, you can become a channel operator in one of 2 ways: (1) by creating your own channel... you will automatically become the channel operator. (2) by being made an operator by an existing operator on a channel.

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Online Help
Online help is available at any time with the administrators of a server. If you require the assistance or need to contact an administrator go to channel #services (by typing in chat /join #services) or use our contact page

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WEBMASTERS

Register your channel
The first step is registering the name of your channel. Before registering the channel, please read the General Rules of the server and register only if you agree to respect the terms.

Basic rules
In order to register a channel you must have your own site where to insert the channel. The information that you supply during the procedure of registration must be true and complete. Daily monitoring will be done on the information supplied and the site which has registered a channel, if this rule is not respected the registration will be cancelled. Every site may register only one channel, multiple registrations are not allowed and all the registrations will be cancelled as a result. The registrations have an expiry date of 60 days after which the registration will automatically be cancelled and the name of the cannel will become available for a new registration.

Registering Adult or private channels
During the registration phase you will find a voice or at least: Adult Channel.
By selecting Yes in the space adult channel will ensure that it will not appear in the active channel listing.

- Adult channel
Adult channel consist of channels that deal with subject matter not suitable for minors or is intended for adults. These channels must not appear in the active channel listing and are obligated to be registered as such. Not specifying this during the registration phase will result in the cancellation of the registration and the impossibility of future use. The channel will be automatically set up for adults but you will not be able to become operator.

- Private channels
A private channel will not be visible in the active channel listing. If you wish give access to this channel only from your website and not through a public site or through the public active channel listing during the registration phase select Yes in the section Adult channel to ensure that only the users of your site will recognize the name of the channel and can access it.
We will now explain step by step how to register your channel. Click the link below. The first step is to assure that the name of the channel is available for registration if not another name will be registered in its place. The server will automatically assign the prefix #it. to the name of the channel, therefore, this does not have to be part of channels name.

To register your channel: /attach #channel <description>

For example: /attach #france welcome to france

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How do I give operator status to a user?
Please Log In your nickname and manage your room

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Put the following code in your home page.
 

<applet>

<applet name="esChat"
code ="esChat.class"
archive ="http://72.20.17.179:8000/java/esChat/esChat.jar"
codeBase ="http://72.20.17.179:8000/java/esChat/"
width ="726"
height ="392">
<param name="CABBASE" value="http://72.20.17.179:8000/java/esChat/esChat.cab">
<param name="port" value="7000">
<param name="nickname" value="">
<param name="password" value="">
<param name="Channel1" value="#yourchannelname">
<param name="fullname" value="Java User">
<param name="ident" value="java">
<param name="Encoding" value="Cp1254">
<param name="LanguageFile" value="English.txt">
<applet>

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Configure your channel

To change your channel configuration click here: Channel Administration

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Channel operator
When you are in your own channel, it doesn’t matter with what nick, to become operator of the channel you must type in chat:
/identify <yournick> <yourpassword>

make sure to type the forward slash / as your first character otherwise your opass will be seen by the entire chat.

How to temporarily expel:
highlight the nick, right click with the mouse and select KICK

How to temporarily expel with an explanation:
/KICK Nick :message – expels temporarily that nick from the channel with a message explaining why.
example: /kick Nico :the next time you will be banned

How to expel until the closure of the channel:
highlight the nick, right click with the mouse and select BAN

How to temporarily modify the topic (the scrolling text):
type in chat: /topic <message>
example: /topic Welcome to my channel

How to give operator status to someone in your channel:
type in chat: /op <hisnick>
example: /op Ralph

How to remove operator status of someone in your channel:
type in chat: /deop <nickname>
example: /deop Ralph

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How do I put a room on my website?
To make your own chat room for your website, please see our Get Chat page. It is important that only code generated by this site be used to direct users to your room.

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Customize chat window

You can customize your chat applet, colours of backgrounds, foregrounds, joins, quits, nickname changes, and more! Click here and customize your chat window now!

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