1.1 How do I install
ChatZilla?
ChatZilla is currently distributed as part of the Mozilla Suite, the SeaMonkey Suite, and is available as an extension for Mozilla Firefox.
Tip: Get ChatZilla here, for Mozilla, SeaMonkey and Firefox.
· If you download the latest Mozilla release or the latest SeaMonkey release, you must select Full or Custom when installing to get ChatZilla.
· If you use Mozilla Firefox, or wish to add ChatZilla to your existing Mozilla or SeaMonkey install, you can install the latest version from the Mozilla Update site. Current and older versions may be found on the ChatZilla Development page, too.
Note: On all platforms, you will need to restart your browser after installing. If you are using the Quick Launch feature of Mozilla or SeaMonkey, you will need to exit the quick launch icon on your taskbar as well, and on some systems, you may need to restart the operating system.
1.2 How do I uninstall
ChatZilla?
Mozilla Firefox can uninstall extensions such as ChatZilla as follows:
1. Open Tools > Extensions.
2. Find the ChatZilla extension, and select it.
3. Either click the Uninstall button, or right-click and select Uninstall.
4. Confirm that you want to uninstall ChatZilla, then you need to restart Mozilla Firefox to complete the uninstall.
Mozilla and SeaMonkey do not have an uninstall feature for XPIs, but removing ChatZilla is usually possible.
Warning: The following manual uninstall procedure is provided with no warranty whatsoever.
1. Shut down Mozilla or SeaMonkey.
2. Find (in the application install directory) and rename the files components/chatzilla-service.js and chrome/chatzilla.jar to something else.
3. Run regchrome.
4. If Mozilla starts up fine, everything worked, otherwise, unrename everything and give up, or delete the installation and start from scratch.
1.3 How do I update ChatZilla
to a different version in SeaMonkey on Linux/BSD?
In SeaMonkey, ChatZilla will need to update some files which are in the application directory (usually this is /usr/local/seamonkey). This directory is normally only writable by root, which will cause problems if you run SeaMonkey normally. You are advised to temporarily make yourself the owner of this directory (for example using the chown tool) and then run SeaMonkey normally, install the update, restart SeaMonkey, and check everything works. After making sure everything is OK, make sure you set root to be the owner of the installation directory again.
1.4 How do I make irc: urls
work with my default IRC client instead of ChatZilla?
If you are using the Mozilla Suite or SeaMonkey, you will need to use the uninstall procedure outlined above. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, you can disable the ChatZilla extension using the following steps:
1. Open Tools > Extensions.
2. Select ChatZilla from the list of Extensions.
3. Right-click ChatZilla, and select Disable.
4. Restart Mozilla Firefox to actually disable ChatZilla.
2.1 How do I start ChatZilla?
· In Mozilla Suite or SeaMonkey, Window > IRC Chat.
· In Mozilla Firefox, Tools > ChatZilla.
· In Mozilla Firefox, you can also place an ChatZilla button on your toolbar.
· You can also start the browser with the -chat command line option. This will launch ChatZilla instead of a browser front end.
· You can type an IRC URL in the URL bar. Type just irc: to launch ChatZilla and connect to your default channels.
Tip: You can bookmark this URL, and file it wherever it makes sense to you.
· Of course, you can use any IRC URL to start ChatZilla and make it connect to the specified location, however, the default channels will not be joined for anything other than irc:.
Note: In some rare occasions, a bug in the Mozilla Firefox extension manager will disable the ChatZilla extension right after installing, even though the item does not show disabled in the list. If you can not start ChatZilla as described above (for example, you may get a message saying the IRC protocol is not registered), try disabling ChatZilla, restarting Firefox, re-enabled ChatZilla, and restarting Firefox again.
2.2 How do I connect to a
network or server?
ChatZilla comes preset with a selection of popular IRC networks, which can be listed via the /networks command. The network names can be clicked to connect to them, or the /attach command can be used.
Tip: ChatZilla allows you to be connected to multiple servers at once, so, unlike some other clients, connecting to a new network or server will not disconnect you from your current network or server. You can manually do that with the /disconnect command.
Input
/networks
Output
Available networks are [dalnet, efnet, freenode, hybridnet, moznet, quakenet, serenia, slashnet, undernet, webbnet].
Input
/attach moznet
Output
Network view for moznet opened.
Attempting to connect to moznet. Use /cancel to abort.
Connecting to irc://moznet/ (irc://irc.mozilla.org/),
attempt 1 of 5...
Messages about connecting, and the "message of
the day" (MOTD).
End of /MOTD command.
There is no reason you have to use only the networks provided by ChatZilla - you can connect to any IRC server you like using the /server command. For example, other ways to connect to the Mozilla IRC Network are (the last one uses a secure connection):
Input
/server irc.mozilla.org
/server irc.mozilla.org 6667
/sslserver irc.mozilla.org 6697
The more general /attach command accepts an irc: URL as a parameter. You may omit the irc:// prefix, however. This can be used to connect to a network and channel with a single command, such as /attach moznet/chatzilla, or /attach moznet/killer,isnick.
2.3 How do I use a proxy with
ChatZilla?
ChatZilla will work automatically with most configurations as it runs with your browser's networking configuration. There are four main configurations you can use:
· SOCKS v4/v5 proxy: simply configure your browser's SOCKS proxy setting. ChatZilla will use this proxy by default.
· HTTP proxy: make sure your browser has an HTTP proxy configured, and then set "http" as the Proxy Type.
· Force no proxy: if you have a SOCKS proxy in the browser for something else and don't want ChatZilla to use it, set "none" as the Proxy Type.
· No proxy at all: with no SOCKS proxy set in your browser, ChatZilla will by default use direct connections. This is the normal mode of operation as is set by leaving Proxy Type empty.
The Proxy Type setting is found in ChatZilla's Preferences window, on the General tab in the Connection group. It exists both for Global Settings and for each network. It is only available in ChatZilla 0.9.75 and later.
2.4 What do I do if I get an
error connecting?
First, don't panic. It all depends on the error. The most common reasons are the wrong address for the server, or a firewall mis-configuration. The following list will hopefully cover the error you have, but if you are getting a different error try to connect to #chatzilla on irc.mozilla.org and we'll help you resolve the problem.
· Output
Unknown host ``irc.example.com'' connecting to irc://irc.example.com/ (irc.example.com:6667).
This error means that ChatZilla could not find the physical server for the name given. It is most likely that the server name specified is not correct, although it could be a problem with the DNS configuration for the server's host or a local DNS problem. Try going to the website for the server or network, if you can find one, and check that the name you used is correct.
· Output
Connection to irc://irc.example.com/ (irc.example.com:6667) timed out.
This error means that the server's address was found, but it did not respond when contacted. A possible reason for this is that your anti-virus software or firewall software is configured to block IRC. If you have no firewall, or disabling it does not help, the IRC server is probably down.
· Output
Connection to irc://irc.example.com/ (irc.example.com:6667) refused.
This error means that the server was found, but it did not wish to let you connect. This could be because the wrong port (6667 in this example) was used; verify that the server is not on a different port (especially if you are trying to connect using SSL) and try again. This error could also mean that the server is having a temporary technical problem.
· Output
Connection to irc://irc.example.com/ (irc.example.com:6667) closed.
This error means that the connection was closed before it could be properly connected. The most likely reason for this is that your anti-virus software or firewall software is configured to block IRC.
ZoneAlarm Internet Security is known to block IRC like this; you can fix this by going to IMSecurity > Settings > Advanced and un-ticking the "Block IRC" option.
· Output
Connection to irc://irc.example.com/ (irc.example.com:6667) reset.
This error means that ChatZilla was able to open the connection initially, but the connection was then closed unexpectedly. The most likely reason for this is that your anti-virus software or firewall software is configured to block IRC.
McAfee Anti-Virus is known to do this and you will need to unblock the IRC ports to use any IRC client; you can do this from the "Access Protection" area in the "VirusScan Console" by disabling the rules for ports 6666-6669. Consult your anti-virus program's documentation for instructions on how to do this for other anti-virus programs.
Although less common, any computer between you and the server can cause this error, so it could just be a reset or reboot of your DSL router, or a local network configuration change. In these cases, the error should only be temporary, and you will be able to try to connect again in a few seconds (ChatZilla should retry for you).
· Output
ERROR Closing Link: irc.example.com (Install IdentD)
This message, sometimes worded differently (but will always mentioning "ident" or "identd"), means that the server you tried to connect to requires a special identification service.
2.5 How do I enable 'ident'?
Some servers will require you to be running an "ident server" to connect to them, even though this service is only useful if you run a multi-user computer (where many people can connect and share a single computer).
In ChatZilla 0.9.71 and later, you can check the "Enable Identification Server during connection process" box in Preferences, or enter the command /network-pref identd.enabled true to enable ChatZilla's ident server for the current network.
Note: Ident servers listen on TCP port 113. This may mean you need to open/forward this port on any NAT devices or firewalls you use.
Note: On some operating systems, such as Linux and Mac OS X, ident servers must instead run as part of the system. You should consult your system's documentation for more information.
Tip: Some networks only have a few servers that require ident. Trying specific servers may let you connect without ident.
2.6 How do I join a channel?
Once you have connected to a server, you can join a channel by using the /join command. For example, if you have connected to MozNet, you can join the ChatZilla channel.
Input
/join #chatzilla
Output
Channel view for #chatzilla
opened.
YOU (NickName) have joined #chatzilla
Topic for #chatzilla is "ChatZilla -- LATEST VERSION is
0.9.68.5.1"
Topic for #chatzilla was set by Somebody on 22
September 2005 16:37:05
Tip: Unsure what channels there are on a particular server? Just connect, and select IRC > Join Channel... and browse through the list of channels.
Tip: The command /j is an alias (shortcut) for /join.
If you omit a channel type prefix (e.g. #, &, + or !) ChatZilla will prepend the network's default prefix. This is usually #, but can vary. If you'd like to check, run the /supports command and see what character is listed first for "Supported channel types:".
2.7 How can I list the
available channels on a server?
Use IRC > Join channel... to open a dialog that will list all channels on the current network. You can join an existing channel or create a new channel from this dialog, filter channels by name, topic, and exclude channels with more, or less, than a certain number of users. On large networks, however, this dialog may have difficulty operating (20,000 channels is about its limit, due to limitations in JavaScript).
Note: This dialog was added in ChatZilla 0.9.67 and is not available in earlier versions.
The /list command can be used to fetch a list of all channels
on the current network. On large networks, however, this may take a very long
time. On some networks, you'll be kicked off with a message like ``Excess
Flood'' for doing this. Adding to the confusion, some networks recognize
extended /list options for
filtering based on number of users in a channel, etc. (if you need such
features, try the join dialog mentioned above).
ChatZilla also offers an
/rlist command, which can be
used to filter the result list based on the channel name, regardless of the
server software. Type /help
rlist for more information.
2.8 What do the symbols/blobs
in the user list mean?
The blobs are supposed to resemble lights. They indicate each user's status in the channel.
·
No symbol/black:
· +/grey: Voice - the user can talk in the channel when it is moderated. Often used to mark people as trusted without giving them power.
· %/blue: Halfop - the user has the power to moderate the channel, change the topic, etc., but cannot kick other halfops nor higher-ranking users, nor can he/she create new ops/halfops. Not all servers support halfops.
· @/green: Op - the user can grant/revoke op/halfop/voice status, and change other channel settings, depending on the server.
· &/orange and ~/purple: Channel Admin/Founder - ranks above op, usually assigned by network services. Their exact behaviour varies depending on server.
2.9 How do I disconnect from
a server?
To disconnect from a single network without exiting ChatZilla, right-click a tab from the network and select the Disconnect From option, or switch to a view on the network and use the IRC > Disconnect From menu item. You can also type /disconnect on any view associated with the network.
Tip: To disconnect from all networks without exiting ChatZilla, type /disconnect-all.
2.10 How can I hide my IP
address from other users?
In general you can't. The way IRC works, your IP address is distributed to every user you communicate with. Depending on where you hang out, and who your enemies are, this may or may not be a problem. In practice, it's not a problem for most normal users.
However, an increasing number of servers are supporting a user mode "x" which hides your hostname (and thus your IP) from other users (IRC Operators can still see your real host, however). You can start using this user mode by adding "x" to the Usermode box on the General tab in preferences, either in Global Settings, or for individual servers.
Note: Remember that not all servers support this. Ones that don't will simply ignore it, so don't worry about adding it if you're not sure.
2.11 How do I use DCC to
transfer files with ChatZilla?
ChatZilla currently has a basic implementation of DCC Chat and DCC File. The following is a summary of the commands and how to use it, enter /help dcc into ChatZilla for more information.
Note: A couple of commonly requested DCC features are Resume and Reverse support. ChatZilla currently does not support either of these, but they are both planned for a version in the future.
|
|
Sends a DCC Chat offer to nickname, which they can then accept or decline. |
|
|
Prompts you to pick a file to send to nickname, after which it sends the offer. The other user can then accept or decline this offer. |
|
|
Accepts the last DCC Chat or DCC File offer made to you. This will not work within 10 seconds of an offer arriving, during which time you may accept the offer using the slightly longer command of /dcc-accept nickname. |
|
|
Declines (refuses) the last DCC Chat or DCC File offer made to you. |
|
|
Manages the DCC auto-accept list. DCC Chat or DCC File offers from users on this list will be automatically accepted. |
Direct Client Connection commands
2.12 How do I select a
character set? (and why can't other users read my
text?)
ChatZilla allows you to select character encodings at multiple levels. The default character encoding used by ChatZilla is UTF-8, and it is recommended that you leave this setting wherever possible. This default avoids a number of unsolvable problems, such as how to know what encoding has been used for particular channel names without prior knowledge.
Tip: The most common character encoding is ISO-8859-15, since this is what mIRC normally uses (it can also do Shift-JIS for Japanese). If you are unsure, or other members of the channel are clueless, try using ISO-8859-15 first (type /charset ISO-8859-15 on the channel view).
An unfortunate problem with the way IRC works is that international (and most non-US-ASCII) characters cannot be sent without encoding them. The problem is that there are many, many different character encodings available, and different systems and programs use different ones. To help alleviate this problem, ChatZilla supports many different character encodings, and lets you select the right one for each channel and server.
If text is showing up with a lot of question-marks (?) or completely unexpected characters (for example, Japanese characters in a Danish channel) then it is likely that ChatZilla is not using the same charset as the other client(s). The table below lists the charset commands available in ChatZilla. Each of these commands takes a case-insensitive character encoding name as a parameter. If a character encoding is not provided, these commands will display the current setting. If you pass a dash ("-") as the character encoding name, the setting will revert to the default character encoding.
|
|
Selects the default character encoding for all networks, channels, and users. This charset is used when no other more specific charset preference has been set. |
|
|
Selects the character encoding for the current view, and works from all views. When changing the network charset all channels and query views will inherit the value unless it is set on the specific channel or query views. |
Character encoding commands.
2.13 How do I enable logging?
ChatZilla logging can be enabled at a number of levels. The most straightforward way to turn on logging for a specific view is to type /log on from the view in question.
· To log the current view, type /log on, type /log off to stop logging.
· To log all channel views by default, type /pref channelLog true.
· To log all network views by default, type /pref networkLog true.
· To log all query views by default, type /pref userLog true.
Logging related preferences
Note that you may override any of the defaults by using the /log command on the view in question.
By default, ChatZilla stores logs in the logs/ subdirectory of your ChatZilla profile path. Type /pref logFileName to see where this is. You may modify the logFileName pref, but it will not copy over your old logs.
3.1 Does ChatZilla have
nickname completion?
Yes. Type enough of a person's nickname to make it unique and press the tab key.
If the name is not unique, ChatZilla will append any characters that it has in common with other matching nicknames. If you press tab twice, quickly, then ChatZilla will display all matching nicknames.
From network and query views, you can tab complete on any nickname in any channel on the same network. From channel views, only users in the same channel will be included in the tab completion. In addition to nicknames, you can tab complete any channel you are on (or have been on) on the same network.
Tip: To complete the current channel name, type only the character "#", press the tab key, and ChatZilla will expand it.
There is a default tab completion for channel tabs. If you press tab on an empty line, ChatZilla will match the last person to trigger your stalk function.
Assuming that rginda_home and rginda_work are members of the current channel:
1. Type rg and press tab. ChatZilla responds by completing rginda_. ChatZilla stops completing here, because there are two nicknames that start with these characters.
2. Press tab twice, quickly. ChatZilla responds by displaying the message ``2 matches for “rginda_”: [rginda_home, rginda_work]''.
3. Add an h, and tab. If this is the first word in the textbox, ChatZilla responds by completing ``rginda_home, ''. If this is not the first word, ChatZilla will leave out the comma.
Nickname completion
3.2 Does ChatZilla have command
completion?
Yes. It works just like nickname completion. If the cursor is in the first word of the text, and the first character is a forward slash ("/"), then ChatZilla will automatically match against commands, instead of users or channels.
Tip: You don't actually need to type the entire command name - ChatZilla will allow you to shorten the command just enough to make the name unique.
Warning: Some servers and websites suggest you use /cs instead of /msg ChanServ. Please note that this does not work in ChatZilla versions before 0.9.79, because they support the /css command which ChatZilla matches (since /cs is not a standard IRC command). In ChatZilla 0.9.79, the /css command was removed, as it was just an alias for /motif.
3.3 Why do some messages
appear in the network tab?
Those messages have been copied there because they matched your stalk list. The reasoning here is that, if you're away from the computer for a long time, important messages might have scrolled off the view by the time you get back. Copying the message to the network tab makes sure you don't miss anything important. It's also a quick way to catch up after being away for a while.
The View > Copy Important Messages menu item can be used to disable this feature.
3.4 Where are the timestamps?
Use View > Show Timestamps to toggle timestamps globally, or turn them on by setting the Timestamps options on the Appearance tab in preferences, either in Global Settings, or on any other view.
Timestamps also appear in the statusbar when you mouse over messages.
3.5 Why do some/all channels
not show JOIN, PART, QUIT or nick change messages?
The most likely reason is that ChatZilla has automatically enabled "Conference Mode" on these channels, which occurs when the number of users exceeds a configurable limit (default is 150 in current versions).
To check or change the limit, open the ChatZilla preferences window, and check the Appearance tab - it is labeled "Conference Mode limit". You can set this limit globally (select Global Settings on the left), for a single network (select the network), or individual channels.
Conference Mode is automatically enabled and disabled as the number of users changes, but only when the count is at least 10 above or below the configured value (to prevent it changing too often on channels near the limit). You can use any limit you like, including the special value 0 for never hiding join, part, quit and nick change messages, and 1 for always hiding them.
3.6 What is a stalk list?
A stalk list is a list of words or nicknames that you want ChatZilla to consider important. Important messages are treated differently than normal messages. For example:
· The message will likely be styled differently in the message window.
· If you have ``Copy Important Messages'' enabled, the message will be copied to its associated network view.
· The channel's tab label will turn red, if it's not already the current tab.
· ChatZilla may beep, or play a .wav file. You can adjust this setting through the preferences window.
· The ChatZilla window may try to get your attention. On some platforms this is done by flashing an application icon, on others the window may come to the front. You can adjust this setting through the preferences window in Global Settings, on the Global tab, using the Aggressive notify option.
By default, your nickname is the only entry in your stalk list. You can add other words to your stalk list from the Lists tab in Global Settings, in preferences.
3.7 How can I join a channel
that requires a key, at startup?
From the ChatZilla preferences dialog, select Global Settings, then the Startup tab, add a new channel to the autoconnect list, and specify the channel name as channelname?key=keyvalue. So, if you wanted to join #cia on the Mozilla network with the key tenent at startup, you would specify the item as irc://moznet/cia?key=tenent.
Note: You can find out more about irc: URLs, which includes how to specify a server password, and how to prompt for passwords/keys instead of storing them directly.
Warning: This information is stored as plain text in your preferences file. Anyone with access to your machine will be able to read it. Do not use this method to autojoin if this concerns.
3.8 How do I use
color/bold/underline in my text?
First of all, you must enable the function - this is to help mark sure you really want colors and aren't just out to annoy people (overly colorful text is a big annoyance to many people). It's usually worth making sure the channel(s) you want to use colors with don't mind, as some channels will kick and possibly ban people who use colors.
Simply do /pref outgoing.colorCodes true to enable
entering colors. This setting is saved, so you will only need to do it
once.
To actually insert colors, bold or underline, you need to enter % into the input box, then you will get a little popup window reminding you what to do. Here is a summary:
|
00 |
01 |
02 |
03 |
04 |
05 |
06 |
07 |
|
08 |
09 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
Color Chart
· %U - toggle underline
· %B - toggle bold
· %R - swaps foreground and background colors
· %O - reverts colors to defaults
· %C - sets the text color, e.g. %C4 for red text
· %% - putting two percent characters before U, B, R, O or C stops ChatZilla doing anything special with it, so you can still say "%C" by typing %%C.
3.9 How do I use
smilies/emoticons/faces in my text?
Simple - just type out the smiley you want as you might in an e-mail, and ChatZilla will automatically display an image in its place, just like it does for other people's messages. But what smiles/emoticons are available?
|
:-) - happy |
:-S - confused |
>:-( - angry |
|
;-) - winking |
B-) - cool |
>:-D - evil |
|
:-D - very happy/laughing |
:") - blushing |
o_O - dizzy |
|
X-D - laughing hard |
:~( - crying |
O_O - "eek", wide-eyed |
|
:-O - surprised |
:-| - flat, undecided |
:-? - questioning |
|
:-P - tongue out |
:-( - sad |
9_9 - rolling eyes |
Most of the emoticons work without the nose (-), or with ^ or v replacing it. Apart from :-) and ;-) the : may be replaced with ; or = too. You can take your pick from these variations, and ChatZilla will still know which icon to use - if you want to see what someone else has used, hover your mouse over the icon.
3.10 How do I load ChatZilla
in a tab?
Note: We do not support running ChatZilla in a tab.
To try anyway, enter chrome://chatzilla/content/ into the location bar.
Warning: There are some problems with running ChatZilla in a tab, and most are not things we can do anything about. Below is a list of what is known to break.
· Right-clicking the chat area shows the browser's context menu instead of ChatZilla's.
· Clicking an irc: URL in the chat area will open a separate ChatZilla window. This problem might be fixable, but it could well be harder to fix than the final point.
· Clicking web links in the chat area will usually replace ChatZilla with the webpage. If you try to open the link in a new tab or window (either from the context menu or using a modifier key), it should leave ChatZilla unaffected.
· Clicking an irc: URL from a webpage will also open a separate ChatZilla window, instead of loading it in the ChatZilla running in a tab. This is the only problem we believe we can fix.
· Bug 286651 is attempting to remove the special permission extensions get when loaded in a tab, which would basically be the end of this working at all.
3.11 Why
are my tabs sometimes colored
red, green or blue?
The different colors indicate different degrees of activity.
· Black: There is no new activity. A tab will go back to this state when you focus it.
·