path: root/man/erc.texi

\input texinfo
@c %**start of header
@setfilename ../info/erc
@settitle ERC Manual
@c %**end of header

@dircategory Emacs
@direntry
* ERC: (erc).           Powerful, modular, and extensible IRC client for Emacs.
@end direntry

@syncodeindex fn cp

@copying
This manual is for ERC version 5.2 stable pre-release.

Copyright @copyright{} 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, Front-Cover texts, or Back-Cover Texts.
@end quotation
@end copying

@titlepage
@title ERC manual
@subtitle a full-featured IRC client
@subtitle for GNU Emacs and XEmacs

@c The following two commands
@c start the copyright page.
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@c So the toc is printed at the start
@contents

@ifnottex
@node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@top ERC

@insertcopying
@end ifnottex

@menu
* Introduction::                What is ERC?
* Obtaining ERC::               How to get ERC releases and development
                                  versions.
* Installation::                Compiling and installing ERC.
* Getting Started::             Quick Start guide to using ERC.
* Keystroke Summary::           Keystrokes used in ERC buffers.
* Modules::                     Available modules for ERC.
* Advanced Usage::              Cool ways of using ERC.
* Getting Help and Reporting Bugs::  
* History::                     The history of ERC.
* Concept Index::               Search for terms.

@detailmenu
 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Obtaining ERC

* Releases::                    Released versions of ERC.
* Development::                 Latest unreleased development changes.

Advanced Usage

* Connecting::                  Ways of connecting to an IRC server.
* Options::                     Options that are available for ERC.
* Tips and Tricks::             Ways of enhancing your ERC experience.
* Sample Configuration::        An example configuration file.

@end detailmenu
@end menu

@node Introduction, Obtaining ERC, Top, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Introduction

ERC is a powerful, modular, and extensible IRC client for Emacs.

It comes with the following capabilities enabled by default.

@itemize @bullet
@item Flood control
@item Timestamps
@item Join channels automatically
@item Buttonize URLs, nicknames, and other text
@item Wrap long lines
@item Highlight or remove IRC control characters
@item Highlight pals, fools, and other keywords
@item Detect netsplits
@item Complete nicknames and commands in a programmable fashion
@item Make displayed lines read-only
@item Input history
@item Track channel activity in the mode-line

@end itemize

@node Obtaining ERC, Installation, Introduction, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Obtaining ERC

@menu
* Releases::                    Released versions of ERC.
* Development::                 Latest unreleased development changes.
@end menu

These sections may be skipped if you are using the version of ERC that
comes with Emacs.

@node Releases, Development, Obtaining ERC, Obtaining ERC
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Releases

Choose to install a release if you want to minimize risk.

Errors are corrected in development first.  User-visible changes will be
announced on the @email{erc-discuss@@gnu.org} mailing list.
@pxref{Getting Help and Reporting Bugs}.

@cindex releases, Debian package
@cindex Debian package for ERC
Debian users can get ERC via apt-get.  The @file{erc} package is
available in the official Debian repository.

@cindex releases, from source
Alternatively, you can download the latest release from
@uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc}.

@node Development,  , Releases, Obtaining ERC
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Development
@cindex development

Choose the development version if you want to live on the bleeding edge
of ERC development or try out new features before release.

@subheading GNU Arch

ERC is developed using GNU Arch.  Downloading ERC with Arch and staying
up-to-date involves the following steps.

@enumerate
@cindex GNU Arch, installing
@item Install arch

@itemize @bullet
@item Debian: @kbd{apt-get install tla}.
@item Other distributions: see @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-arch/}.
@end itemize

@cindex GNU Arch, downloading ERC
@item Register the archive.
@example
tla register-archive -f http://arch.sv.gnu.org/archives/erc/erc
@end example

@item Download the ERC source code.
@example
# Download ERC into the @file{erc} directory.
tla get erc@@sv.gnu.org/erc--main--0 erc
@end example

@item List upstream changes that are missing from your local copy.
Do this whenever you want to see whether new changes have been committed
to ERC.

@example
# Change to the source directory you are interested in.
cd erc/

# Display the summary of changes
tla missing --summary
@end example

@cindex GNU Arch, updating ERC
@item Update to the latest version by replaying missing changes.
@example
cd erc
tla update
@end example

@end enumerate

If you are new to Arch and want to learn more about developing with it,
you might find this tutorial helpful:
@uref{http://www.mwolson.org/projects/ArchTutorial.html}.

@subheading Development snapshots

@cindex development snapshot
Alternatively, the latest development snapshot may be downloaded in both
``.tar.gz'' and ``.zip'' forms.

@itemize @bullet
@item @uref{http://www.mwolson.org/static/dist/erc-latest.tar.gz}
@item @uref{http://www.mwolson.org/static/dist/erc-latest.zip}
@end itemize


@node Installation, Getting Started, Obtaining ERC, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Installation

ERC may be compiled and installed on your machine.

This section may be skipped if you are using the version of ERC that
comes with Emacs.

@subsubheading Compilation

This is an optional step, since Emacs Lisp source code does not
necessarily have to be byte-compiled.  It will yield a speed increase,
though.

A working copy of Emacs or XEmacs is needed in order to compile ERC.  By
default, the program that is installed with the name @command{emacs}
will be used.

If you want to use the @command{xemacs} binary to perform the
compilation, you would need to edit @file{Makefile} in the top-level
directory as follows.  You can put either a full path to an Emacs or
XEmacs binary or just the command name, as long as it is in the
@env{PATH}.

@example
EMACS    = xemacs
SITEFLAG = -no-site-file
@end example

Running @code{make} should compile the ERC source files in the
@file{lisp} directory.

@subsubheading Installation

ERC may be installed into your file hierarchy by doing the following.

Edit the @file{Makefile} file so that @env{ELISPDIR} points to where you
want the source and compiled ERC files to be installed and
@env{INFODIR} indicates where to put the ERC manual.  Of course, you
will want to edit @env{EMACS} and @env{SITEFLAG} as shown in the
Compilation section if you are using XEmacs.

If you are installing ERC on a Debian system, you might want to change
the value of @env{INSTALLINFO} as specified in @file{Makefile}.

Run @code{make} as a normal user.

Run @code{make install} as the root user if you have chosen installation
locations that require this.


@node Getting Started, Keystroke Summary, Installation, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Getting Started
@cindex settings

@c PRE5_2: Mention .ercrc.el

To use ERC, add the directory containing its files to your
@code{load-path} variable, in your @file{.emacs} file.  Then, load ERC
itself.  An example follows.

@lisp
(require 'erc)
@end lisp

Once ERC is loaded, the command @kbd{M-x erc} will start ERC and
prompt for the server to connect to.

If the connection goes away at some point, ERC will try to reconnect
automatically.  If it fails to reconnect, and you want to try to
manually reestablish the connection at some later point, switch to an
ERC buffer and run the /RECONNECT command.

@c PRE5_2: Sample session, including:
@c - connect to Freenode
@c - /join #emacs
@c - see messages flying past, point out topic lines, messages, channel
@c   members
@c - identifying your nick with NickServ (most IRC servers have this)
@c - talking to the channel
@c - open a /query buffer to talk to someone (must identify first in
@c   FreeNode)


@node Keystroke Summary, Modules, Getting Started, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Keys Used in ERC
@cindex keystrokes

This is a summary of keystrokes available in every ERC buffer.

@table @kbd

@item C-a or <home> (`erc-bol')
Go to beginning of line or end of prompt.

@item RET (`erc-send-current-line')
Send the current line

@item TAB (`erc-complete-word')
If at prompt, complete the current word.
Otherwise, move to the next link or button.

@item M-TAB (`ispell-complete-word')
Complete the given word, using ispell.

@item C-c C-a (`erc-bol')
Go to beginning of line or end of prompt.

@item C-c C-b (`erc-iswitchb')
Use `iswitchb-read-buffer' to prompt for a ERC buffer to switch to.

@item C-c C-c (`erc-toggle-interpret-controls')
Toggle interpretation of control sequences in messages.

@item C-c C-d (`erc-input-action')
Interactively input a user action and send it to IRC.

@item C-c C-e (`erc-toggle-ctcp-autoresponse')
Toggle automatic CTCP replies (like VERSION and PING).

@item C-c C-f (`erc-toggle-flood-control')
Toggle use of flood control on sent messages.

@item C-c TAB (`erc-invite-only-mode')
Turn on the invite only mode (+i) for the current channel.

@item C-c C-j (`erc-join-channel')
Join channel.  If point is at the beginning of a channel name, use that
as default.

@item C-c C-k (`erc-go-to-log-matches-buffer')
Interactively open an erc-log-matches buffer

@item C-c C-l (`erc-save-buffer-in-logs')
Append buffer contents to the log file, if logging is enabled.

@item C-c C-n (`erc-channel-names')
Run "/names #channel" in the current channel.

@item C-c C-o (`erc-get-channel-mode-from-keypress')
Read a key sequence and call the corresponding channel mode function.
After doing @kbd{C-c C-o}, type in a channel mode letter.

@kbd{C-g} means quit.
@kbd{RET} lets you type more than one mode at a time.
If @kbd{l} is pressed, @code{erc-set-channel-limit} gets called.
If @kbd{k} is pressed, @code{erc-set-channel-key} gets called.
Anything else will be sent to `erc-toggle-channel-mode'.

@item C-c C-p (`erc-part-from-channel')
Part from the current channel and prompt for a reason.

@item C-c C-q (`erc-quit-server')
Disconnect from current server after prompting for reason.

@item C-c C-r (`erc-remove-text-properties-region')
Clears the region (start,end) in object from all colors, etc.

@item C-c C-t (`erc-set-topic')
Prompt for a topic for the current channel.

@item C-c C-u (`erc-kill-input')
Kill current input line using `erc-bol' followed by `kill-line'.

@end table


@node Modules, Advanced Usage, Keystroke Summary, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Modules
@cindex modules

One way to add functionality to ERC is to customize which of its many
modules are loaded.

There is a spiffy customize interface, which may be reached by typing
@kbd{M-x customize-option erc-modules RET}.  Alternatively, set
@code{erc-modules} manually and then call @code{erc-update-modules}.

The following is a list of available modules.

@table @code

@cindex modules, autoaway
@item autoaway
Set away status automatically

@cindex modules, autojoin
@item autojoin
Join channels automatically

@cindex modules, bbdb
@item bbdb
Integrate with the Big Brother Database

@cindex modules, button
@item button
Buttonize URLs, nicknames, and other text

@cindex modules, capab-identify
@item capab-identify
Mark unidentified users on freenode and other servers supporting CAPAB.

@cindex modules, completion
@item pcomplete
Complete nicknames and commands (programmable)

@cindex modules, fill
@item fill
Wrap long lines

@cindex modules, hecomplete
@item completion
Complete nicknames and commands (old).  This is the old module---you
might prefer the ``completion'' module instead.

@cindex modules, identd
@item identd
Launch an identd server on port 8113

@cindex modules, irccontrols
@item irccontrols
Highlight or remove IRC control characters

@cindex modules, log
@item log
Save buffers in logs

@cindex modules, match
@item match
Highlight pals, fools, and other keywords

@cindex modules, netsplit
@item netsplit
Detect netsplits

@cindex modules, noncommands
@item noncommands
Don't display non-IRC commands after evaluation

@cindex modules, notify
@item notify
Notify when the online status of certain users changes

@cindex modules, page
@item page
Process CTCP PAGE requests from IRC

@cindex modules, readonly
@item readonly
Make displayed lines read-only

@cindex modules, replace
@item replace
Replace text in messages

@cindex modules, ring
@item ring
Enable an input history

@cindex modules, scrolltobottom
@item scrolltobottom
Scroll to the bottom of the buffer

@cindex modules, services
@item services
Identify to Nickserv (IRC Services) automatically

@cindex modules, smiley
@item smiley
Convert smileys to pretty icons

@cindex modules, sound
@item sound
Play sounds when you receive CTCP SOUND requests

@cindex modules, spelling
@item spelling
Check spelling of messages

@cindex modules, stamp
@item stamp
Add timestamps to messages

@cindex modules, track
@item track
Track channel activity in the mode-line

@cindex modules, truncate
@item truncate
Truncate buffers to a certain size

@cindex modules, unmorse
@item unmorse
Translate morse code in messages

@end table

@c PRE5_2: Document every option of every module in its own subnode


@node Advanced Usage, Getting Help and Reporting Bugs, Modules, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Advanced Usage
@cindex advanced topics

@menu
* Connecting::                  Ways of connecting to an IRC server.
* Options::                     Options that are available for ERC.
* Tips and Tricks::             Ways of enhancing your ERC experience.
* Sample Configuration::        An example configuration file.
@end menu

@node Connecting, Options, Advanced Usage, Advanced Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Connecting to an IRC Server
@cindex connecting

The easiest way to connect to an IRC server is to call @kbd{M-x erc}.
If you want to assign this function to a keystroke, the following will
help you figure out its parameters.

@defun erc
Select connection parameters and run ERC.
Non-interactively, it takes the following keyword arguments.

@itemize @bullet
@item @var{server}
@item @var{port}
@item @var{nick}
@item @var{password}
@item @var{full-name}
@end itemize

That is, if called with the following arguments, @var{server} and
@var{full-name} will be set to those values, whereas
@code{erc-compute-port}, @code{erc-compute-nick} and
@code{erc-compute-full-name} will be invoked for the values of the other
parameters.

@example
(erc :server "irc.freenode.net" :full-name "Harry S Truman")
@end example
@end defun

@subheading Server

@defun erc-compute-server &optional server
Return an IRC server name.

This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a non-nil
value is found.

@itemize @bullet
@item @var{server} (the argument passed to this function)
@item The @code{erc-server} option
@item The value of the IRCSERVER environment variable
@item The @code{erc-default-server} variable
@end itemize

@end defun

@defopt erc-server nil
IRC server to use if one is not provided.
@end defopt

@subheading Port

@defun erc-compute-port &optional port
Return a port for an IRC server.

This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a non-nil
value is found.

@itemize @bullet
@item @var{port} (the argument passed to this function)
@item The @code{erc-port} option
@item The @code{erc-default-port} variable
@end itemize

@end defun

@defopt erc-port
IRC port to use if not specified.

This can be either a string or a number.
@end defopt

@subheading Nick

@defun erc-compute-nick &optional nick
Return user's IRC nick.

This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a
non-nil value is found.

@itemize
@item @var{nick} (the argument passed to this function)
@item The @code{erc-nick} option
@item The value of the IRCNICK environment variable
@item The result from the @code{user-login-name} function
@end itemize

@end defun

@defopt erc-nick
Nickname to use if one is not provided.

This can be either a string, or a list of strings.
In the latter case, if the first nick in the list is already in use,
other nicks are tried in the list order.
@end defopt

@defopt erc-nick-uniquifier
The string to append to the nick if it is already in use.
@end defopt

@defopt erc-try-new-nick-p
If the nickname you chose isn't available, and this option is non-nil,
ERC should automatically attempt to connect with another nickname.

You can manually set another nickname with the /NICK command.
@end defopt

@subheading Full name

@defun erc-compute-full-name &optional full-name
Return user's full name.

This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a
non-nil value is found.

@itemize @bullet
@item @var{full-name} (the argument passed to this function)
@item The @code{erc-user-full-name} option
@item The value of the IRCNAME environment variable
@item The result from the @code{user-full-name} function
@end itemize

@end defun

@defopt erc-user-full-name
User full name.

This can be either a string or a function to call.
@end defopt

@node Options, Tips and Tricks, Connecting, Advanced Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Options
@cindex options

@c PRE5_2: (Node) Document every ERC option (module options go in
@c previous chapter)

This section has not yet been written.

@node Tips and Tricks, Sample Configuration, Options, Advanced Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Tips and Tricks
@cindex tips and tricks

@c PRE5_2: (Node) Tips and tricks

This section has not yet been written.

@node Sample Configuration, , Tips and Tricks, Advanced Usage
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@section Sample Configuration
@cindex configuration, sample

@c PRE5_2: (Node) Sample configs

This section has not yet been written.


@node Getting Help and Reporting Bugs, History, Advanced Usage, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter Getting Help and Reporting Bugs
@cindex help, getting
@cindex bugs, reporting

After you have read this guide, if you still have questions about ERC,
or if you have bugs to report, there are several places you can go.

@itemize @bullet

@item
@uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/EmacsIRCClient} is the
emacswiki.org page for ERC.  Anyone may add tips, hints, or bug
descriptions to it.

@item
There are several mailing lists for ERC.  To subscribe, visit
@uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/mail/?group=erc}.

The mailing lists are also available on Gmane.
(@url{http://gmane.org/}).  Gmane provides additional methods for
accessing the mailing lists, adding content to them, and searching them.

@enumerate
@item gmane.emacs.erc.announce
Announcements

@item gmane.emacs.erc.discuss
General discussion

@item gmane.emacs.erc.cvs
Log messages for changes to the ERC source code

@end enumerate

@item
You can visit the IRC Freenode channel @samp{#emacs}. Many of the
contributors are frequently around and willing to answer your
questions.

@end itemize


@node History, Concept Index, Getting Help and Reporting Bugs, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@chapter History
@cindex history, of ERC

ERC was originally written by Alexander L. Belikoff
@email{abel@@bfr.co.il} and Sergey Berezin
@email{sergey.berezin@@cs.cmu.edu}.  They stopped development around
December 1999.  Their last released version was ERC 2.0.

P.S.: If one of the original developers of ERC reads this, we'd like to
receive additional information for this file and hear comments in
general.

@itemize
@item 2001

In June 2001, Mario Lang @email{mlang@@delysid.org} and Alex Schroeder
@email{alex@@gnu.org} took over development and created a ERC Project at
@uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/erc}.

In reaction to a mail about the new ERC development effort, Sergey
Berezin said, ``First of all, I'm glad that my version of ERC is being
used out there.  The thing is, I do not have free time and enough
incentive anymore to work on ERC, so I would be happy if you guys take
over the project entirely.''

So we happily hacked away on ERC, and soon after (September 2001)
released the next "stable" version, 2.1.

Most of the development of the new ERC happened on #emacs on
irc.openprojects.net.  Over time, many people contributed code, ideas,
bugfixes, and a lot of alpha/beta/gamma testing.

See the @file{CREDITS} file for a list of contributors.

@item 2003

ERC 3.0 was released.

@item 2004

ERC 4.0 was released.

@item 2005

ERC 5.0 was released.  Michael Olson @email{mwolson@@gnu.org} became
the release manager and eventually the maintainer.

After some discussion between him and the Emacs developers, it was
decided to include ERC in Emacs.

@item 2006

ERC 5.1 was released.  It was subsequently included in Emacs 22.

ERC became an official GNU project, and development moved to
@uref{http://sv.gnu.org/projects/erc}.  We switched to using GNU Arch as
our revision control system.  Our mailing list address changed as well.

@end itemize

@node Concept Index,  , History, Top
@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
@unnumbered Index

@printindex cp

@bye

@ignore
   arch-tag: cf9cfaff-fc12-4297-ad15-ec2493002b1e
@end ignore