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Basic Usage
Listed next to "public" are channels, when activated anything you type into the listbox (the long
skinny rectangle to the left of the colors) will show up in that channel. Text will
not actually be sent until you hit the Enter key.
Listed next to "private" are IRC Server Status messages and private message sessions between you and
another person which will only be seen by the two of you. When someone sends you a
private message (also known as a "whisper") a new highlighted source label will appear.
To see what they typed just click on it. To reply to it just type in the listbox and
hit Enter to send it.
The default source when first started is the current channel you have joined.
You can change the current source by clicking on on a label next to the public/private
arrows. Text which you type in and send only applies to the visible source window. You can
close a source by using the right mouse button when the pointer is over a source label. The
Status cannot be closed.
There is a history feature to the listbox text you have typed in which makes repeating (or
repairing) something you have previously typed very easy. You can navigate the previously
typed lines using the up and down keyboard arrows and move within the text using the left
and right arrows. It's just as if you had typed it by hand all over again!
By clicking on a nickname in the right hand pane (the channel member listing) and then
clicking the right mouse button you can perform various functions such as WhoIs or Query
(private chat) and some channel operator functions. WhoIs will report to the Status window
as will Ping, Time, Version and Finger.
The Channels button at the top of the IRC window will list the available channels on
the chat network. You can join listed channels by double clicking on the name as long as the
owner of the channel hasn't restricted access. You can also join a channel by typing
"/join channelname" into the textbox where "channelname" is the name of the channel you
wish to join. If the channel name doesn't exist, it will be created with you as the
Channel Operator (chanop) and you will have channel owner powers over that channel.
NOTE: Railfan.net uses the ZUH IRC Network (both hosted by Blue Moon) which is a public
IRC network and not limited to railfans only. IRC is a Real-Time
Interactive Chat Medium
which can on occasion lead to problems. ZUH.Net, Railfan.net and Blue Moon Internet Corp cannot
be held responsible for individual users' actions while in IRC! While every attempt is
made to keep the peace there are occasions when unruly users can cause problems. Server
Operators can help deal with troublemakers, "/join ZUH" or "/join BlueMoon" if you really
need more help.
Advanced Usage
Chanops have the power to kick out obnoxious users, ban users, change the channel topic,
set the channel modes and grant and rescind chanop status from other users. Chanops are
the channel "moderators" and if you are granted chanop status in a channel you should
use your chanop powers sparingly lest you incur the wrath of the SERVER Operators!
Channel Modes can be set if you have Chanop status. Users with chanop status will have
an "@" to the left of their name. If you see a message such as "SoAndSo sets mode +o on
Someone" that means that user "Someone" has been granted chanop status. if a chanop
sets the channel mode to "+m" it means the channel is now moderated and only users who
are "Voiced" (+v) can talk in the channel. Users who are voiced will have a "+" to
the left of their nickname in the channel users pane. Chanops can make a channel
invite only, invite users to the channel, give Voice to users on a moderated (+m) channel,
set a maximum limit on the total number of users allowed into the channel at one time (+l),
set the topic for the channel, kick and ban users from the channel and various
other functions. See the Help Links for more information on this very involved topic.
For chanops to set a channel topic they would type "/topic #channelname
URLs which are visible can be opened in a new browser window by double-clicking on them.
When any message comes into a source window which is not visible that source label will
change to a highlighted color until you click on it.
URLs which are visible can be opened in a new browser window by double-clicking on them.
Smileys are small emoticons which appear if you type certain characters. You
can See a Smiley Chart HERE.
To open a private chat with someone you can type the IRC Command "/query nickname" and
replace nickname with their current "screen name" in IRC. You can also open a private chat
with someone on your current channel using the right button mouse menu when your mouse
pointer is over their nickname or by double clicking on their nickname.
If you "drag select" text by clicking on the left mouse button and then moving the mouse
it will be copied to a separate clipboard window where it can be further manipulated. From
this window you can drag select portions and use the right mouse button menu to copy, cut
and paste to and from other applications as well as the IRC text entry line. Each time
you drag select on a source it will open a new clipboard widow.
IRC Commands are prefixed with a slash (/) and allow you to perform various functions by
directly communicating with the IRC Server. "/msg Henry Hi there!" is a way to send a
private message of "Hi there!" to the user who is using the nick name "Henry." See the
Help Links at the bottom of the page for detailed information on various IRC Commands and
how they are used.
The Ban
If you try a command an it doesn't work, be sure to check the Status window for
diagnostic messages. Most common problems include failing to type a # in front of a channel
name (not always needed) or forgetting to type in a nickname or channel name as the first
argument to a command.
It is impossible to describe everything you can do in IRC here, there are just too many
different things available. If you want to learn more, check the links at the bottom of the
page.
Text inside angle brackets (< and >) are required arguments, don't type the
angle brackets and make sure to use a forward slash, not a backslash!
| ame <action> - send an action to all active channels |
| amsg <message> - send a message to all active channels |
| away <message> - configure the away status |
| clear - clear the window |
| ctcp <command> <nick> - send a ctcp request to the given nick |
| dcc <command> <nick> - send a dcc request to the given nick |
| disconnect - disconnect from the server |
| echo - echo the specified text to the active source |
| hop - leave and rejoin the active channel |
| ignore <nick> - ignore the specified nick |
| j <channel> - join the given channel |
| join <channel> - same as j |
| kick <channel> <nick> - kick the given nickname from ther channel (chanop) |
| leave - leave the active source window |
| me <action> - send an action to the active source |
| mode <channel|yournick> - change your user mode or a channel (chanop) mode |
| msg <channel|nick> - send a message to the given channel or nickname |
| nick <newnick> - change your nickname |
| notice <channel|nickname> <message> - send a notice to the given target |
| onotice <message> - send a notice to all chanops at the given target |
| part - same as leave |
| ping <nickname> - CTCP ping the given nickname |
| query <nickname> - query the given nickname |
| quit - same as disconnect, but with the given message |
| raw <command> - send a raw IRC command to the server - see Help Links |
| server <servername> - connect to the given server |
| sleep - freeze the interpreter (program) for the given amount of seconds |
| topic <#channel> <topic> - change the given #channel's topic (chanop) |
| unignore <nickname> - unignore the specified nick |
| url <url> - open the given url on a new browser window |
General IRC Information Links
Links will open in a new window
IRChelp.org Internet Relay Chat Help Archive