IRC Client HexChat: The Tutorial: (Windows Vista/7/8/10 only)

[DH]

THIS TUTORIAL WAS CREATED ON THE OLD CiA FORUM IN 2013, SO APOLOGIES IF IT ISN'T BANG UP TO DATE

Based off HexChat 2.9.6.1 ( x86 / x64 ) for Windows Vista/7/8/10.

Firstly, you can use Mibbit to enter our chat rooms if you're going to be a light user, which can be found by clicking the IRC widget in the header, so you'll not need to register your nick or identify yourself each time you join. However, if you're going to become a large part of #abime.net then I strongly suggest you use an irc client.

For simplicity, and ease for me, we will use the irc client Hexchat, download it from here http://hexchat.org/downloads.html (version 2.9.4 XP or 2.9.5 Vista/7/8 There are varied differences between the XP version and the one this tutorial is based off) and run the installer. Click next a few times and Immediately after the 'Select Destination Location' (which is your choice), you'll get the 'Select Components' window, uncheck 'Plugins/Update Checker' (optional) and leave everything else alone, and on the next page check yes for the portable install and continue the install. Afterwards you'll get a window with 'Run HexChat after closing the Wizard' & 'Download Visual C + + Redistributable' checked, If you already have 'Visual C + +' installed, uncheck it and click finish, otherwise just cick finish and follow the instructions for downloading and installing 'Visual C + +'.

If for any reason there's problems with the download link above, please contact me via PM, and I'll supply you with the same version that was available from the date of this post.

PART 1

On first run you'll be presented with the window shown below

1. This has already been populated with your computers name but you need to change it. In the first entry box, enter your Nick you want to use, in the second add 1 underscore after your Nick, the third 2 underscores after your Nick and the last keep the same as the first box.
2. Click on the 'Add button'.
3. A new entry called 'New Network' will be added which is editable, click on this and change it to 'Abime.net' and hit Enter, do not forget to hit enter or it will stay as 'New Network'
4. Check the 'Skip network list on startup', to prevent this window opening up every time you run HexChat.
5. (Optional) - Click on 'Favor' to add this new network (which should be called Abime.net now) to your favourites.
6. (Optional) - Check the 'Show favorites only', to only show your favourite networks.
7. Click 'Edit' where another window will appear shown below.

PART 2

1. Click on the 'Servers' Tab to make sure that has focus
2. click on 'newserver/6667'
3. Click on Edit and change 'newserver/6667' to 'irc.abime.net/6667' and hit Enter, do not forget to hit enter or it will stay as 'newserver/6667'
4. Click Add and do the same above only replacing 'newserver/6667' with 'irc.elowar.com/6667' and click enter. This way if irc.abime.net is down it will try to establish a connection with this one or vice versa (It will always try the top of the list first).
5. Make sure 'Connect to this network automatically' is checked.
6. Make sure 'Use global user information' is checked and leave the other check boxes unchecked.
7. *Change the 'Login method:' from 'Default' to NickServ (/NICKSERV + password)
8. *And in 'Password:' enter your password you used to register your Nick.

IMPORTANT
*Steps 7 & 8 must be completed after you have joined '#awesome' and registered your nick with nickserv, so leave the 'Login method:' at 'Default' and the 'Password:' blank for now (see Registration And Other Useful Commands below)

1. Click on the 'Autojoin channels' Tab to give it focus
2. Click on the 'Add' button.
3. Where it says '#channel' replace and type in the channel name '#abime.net' and hit Enter, do not forget to hit enter or it will stay as '#channel'. You don't need a 'Key (Password)' for this channel, so leave that blank.
4. Click the Close button, where you'll return to your previous window, and click on the Connect button and your irc client will auto open you up into '#abime.net'.

From this point onwards, your irc client will automatically open into #abime.net every time you start it.

Don't worry about the 'Connect commands' Tab, this is really for more advanced users, so they can run special commands etc on start up.

And that's basically it.

REGISTRATION AND OTHER USEFUL COMMANDS
To registered your nick on the irc server please type the following code into Hexchats message box when it's up and running on #awesome:-

• /msg nickserv register <password> <email address> (eg /msg nickserv register 1234 foo@bar.com) (NOTE: You do not have to supply a real email address, but it is advisable to do so if you forget your password, as this email address will be used to send details of how to reset it. We are not responsible for anyone's passwords and cannot manually recover them for you, so if you didn't use a valid email address, then it's tough luck)

Then either go back to PART 2 #6 or follow these instructioins:- click on the menu called 'HexChat', down to 'Network List' click on 'abime.net' in Networks, click 'Edit', and enter your password next to 'Server Password:' and click the button close, and click the button close in the previous window too.

Next time you run HexChat, you will be given voice automatically, so long as an operator has added you to the VOP list.

• To manually identify yourself on the network
  /msg nickserv identify <password> (eg /msg nickserv identify 1234)
• To change your password
  /msg nickserv set password <NewPassword> (eg /msg nickserv set password 4321) (Don't forget to change this password in your irc client)
• To reset your password if you have forgotton it
  /msg nickserv resetpass <Nick> (eg /msg nickserv resetpass IRC) (This will set a random password for the account and email it to the email address you supplied on registering your nick. Please follow the instructions within the email. Once complete and you have identified yourself back on the network, please change the password to something of your choice)
• To change your email address you registered with
  /msg nickserv set email <newEmailAddress> (eg /msg nickserv set email foo@bar.com)
• To reclaim your nick if someone else is using it (You won't need to do this if you've protected your nick using the 'enforce on' command below)
  /msg nickserv ghost <Nick> <Password> (eg /msg nickserv ghost IRC 1234)
• To protect your Nick (You must already be identified. This will force any users claiming/using your nick to identify with the password within 30 seconds. This will protect you from imposters stealing your nick while you're offline)
  /msg nickserv set enforce on (exactly how it's written)
• To group alternative nicks with your main nick
  /nick <the nick you want to group> (eg /nick IRC_1) [if you aren't already using it]
  /msg nickserv group <main_nick> <password> (eg msg nickserv group IRC 1234)
• If you no longer wish to participate in the channel and wish to free up your nick
  /msg nickserv drop <nick> (eg /msg nickserv drop IRC)

One more thing, if for some reason in your install, you didn't want to uncheck the Update Checker plugin but wish you had afterwards, you can disable this by looking into the HexChat folder where you installed it, jumping into the plugins folder and renaming the file from 'hcupd.dll' to 'hcupd.dll_bak'. Now you won't be bothered by any new update messages. In fact, any plugins that are within this folder can be done this way to disable them.

HexChat is a very configurable irc client, you can change many aspects of the whole style, but that's something for you to learn yourself, I won't be adding a tutorial on how to do any of that.

This is the default configuration that you'll be presented with the first time you run it



And this is my irc client below. HexChat is extremely configurable, so it's up to you how you would like the HexChat GUI to look like.



The buttons below the user list on the left hand side, have been blanked out for obvious reasons, as these have been modified/added for my own personal use as I am the founder/owner of some channels, but you can create or edit your own buttons for your own personal use.

There are a set of special HexChat switches/variables to modify/customize the HexChat client HERE, along with a small list of general and basic commands used on the irc networks too.

I hope this tutorial is easy to follow, and I hope this will encourage new users to experience not only a well defined irc client, but how to correctly use irc, and most of all, to enjoy yourself along with some of the expertise and experience of some of our knowledgeable members within #awesome. Thanks

[rygar]

I'm using mIRC and in script editor section -> remote i added:
on *:start:{
server irc.TEST1.net -i YOUR_NICK -j #Channel1
server -m irc.TEST2.org +7000 -i YOUR_NICK -j #Channel1,#Channel2,password1,password2
}

Whit this after lunch mIRC everything is connected to diffrent networks and diffrent channels