Miscellaneous Commands

Version 1.1.2


Last revised by h () on 2018-11-20

Originally written by Mystro () on 2001-01-14

Please direct any comments or feedback about this document (only! no help requests!) to docs@dal.net. If you need help on issues not covered in this document, please see the information at http://help.dal.net.

Introduction

Although many IRC commands are available on DALnet, a few are particularly useful. This document will discuss five of these commands: /silence , /list , /dccallow , /watch and /who . If you learn these commands, your stay on DALnet will be much easier.

Contents

1 · The SILENCE command

Silence is basically the same thing as /ignore , however, when /ignore halts the msg/notice/etc. from getting to the user on the client side, silence halts it before it even gets to the client. This is more efficient because you can save bandwidth (especially important if you are on a modem).

Syntax: /quote silence +/-host

Information: The +/-host has to be the full host you wish to ignore, including the ident and nickname (basically, nickname!ident@host type).

Note: Wildcards (*) are accepted.

Example: /quote silence +*!mystro@*.canshell.com

This example will silence anyone with the host *!mystro@*.canshell.com.

2 · The LIST command

The /list command allows you to list active channels on the network. Using this command you can take the thousands of channels a large IRC Network usually has and filter them down to a smaller number. It allows you to find channels by their topic, channel name, amount of people or other characteristics.

Options in the list command are seperated by commas rather than being put together; you will see examples of that later in the document. As well, channels are listed in order of newest to oldest created (the server considers a channel 'created' when a single person enters it; this is not the same as the ChanServ channel creation date).

Below are the options you can use for list:

NOTE: You must use the /quote list option if you are using a client that has /list built in (such as mIRC) because it may not accept those options.

2.1 List channels with more than a certain number of people: >Number

Syntax: /quote list >number

Information: The >number option lets the user search for channels with more users than the number specified beside the >

Example: /quote list >1

This example will return all the channels with more than one person in them, in order from newest created channel to oldest.

2.2 List channels with less than a certain number of people: >Number

Syntax: /quote list >number

Information: The >number option lets you search for channels with less than the specified number of people in the channel.

Example: /quote list >50

This example will show all the channels with less than 50 people in them.

2.3 List channels created after a specific date: C>Number

Syntax: /quote list C>number

Information: The C>Number will list channels created between now and a Number of minutes ago.

Example: /quote list C>60,>50

This example will show all channels created in the last hour that have more than 50 people in them.

2.4 List channels created before a specific date: C>Number

Syntax: /quote list C>Number

Information: The C>Number option will list channels that were created earlier than Number of minutes ago.

Example: /quote list C>30,>50

This example will list all channels created earlier than 30 minutes ago that have over 50 people in them.

2.5 List channels with topics older than specified: T>Number

Syntax: /quote list T>Number

Information: The T>Number option will list channels whose topic is older than Number of minutes.

Example: /quote list T>60

This example will show all channels in which the topic was changed over 60 minutes ago.

2.6 List channels with topics younger than specified: T>Number

Syntax: /quote list T>Number

Information: The T>Number option will list channels whose topic has been changed less than Number of minutes ago.

Example: /quote list T>30

This example will show all channels whose topic has been changed in the last 30 minutes.

2.7 List channels that match the mask: mask

Syntax: /quote list mask

Information: The mask option allows you to search channel names for the channel you are looking for.

Note: Wildcards (*) are accepted.

Example: /quote list *help*

This example will return channels with 'help' in their name.

2.8 List channels that do not match the mask: !mask

Syntax: /quote list !mask

Information: The !mask allows you to search channels that do not match the mask specified in the list parameter.

Note: Wildcards (*) are accepted.

Example: /quote list !*help*

This example will return channels that do not have anything to do with help in their name.

3 · DCCallow

Due to the many viruses transferred daily on DALnet, the DALnet IRC Server currently has a function that blocks extensions commonly used by trojans ("js", "pl","exe", "com", "bat", "dll", "ini", "vbs", "pif", "mrc", "scr", "doc", "xls", "lnk", "shs"). In order for you to still be able to transfer files with these extensions, the DALnet coding team has added a command called DCCallow.

Syntax: /quote dccallow +/-nickname

Information: The +/-nickname must be the nickname of the person who you wish to allow to be able to send DCC's to you.

Note: The list gets wiped whenever you disconnect and the person you have added to it will be removed whenever they change nicknames or disconnect.

Example: /quote dccallow +mystro

mystro has been added to your DCC allow list

This example will add 'mystro' to your dccallow list, so that he can send files to you even if they have extensions from the list above.

Syntax: /quote dccallow list

Information: The list option lists people which are currently allowed to send you files normally blocked by the server.

Example: /quote dccallow list>

This example will list all users that are on your DCCallow list:

The following users are on your dcc allow list:
mystro (mystro@canshell.com)
End of DCCALLOW list

The nickname is 'mystro' and the host, mystro@canshell.com is in brackets.

4 · Watch

WATCH is a command which notifies a user whenever certain people come online. Newer IRC clients (including new versions of mIRC) automatically use this function for their notify system.

Syntax: /quote watch [s|l] +/-nickname

Information: The s or l options must be set by themselves (i.e. can not be put together in one command). Other than that, the command is very simple: you add a nickname to the list by typing /quote watch +nickname and remove it by -nickname.

Note: The watch list gets wiped whenever you disconnect from IRC, so you will have to input the nicknames again once you come back.

Example: /quote watch +mystro

This example will add mystro to your watch list, and you will receive a response such as this:

mystro ~mystro canshell.com 0 is online

If the person is online.

If not you will recieve a response such as :

mystro * * 0 is offline.

If you do the /quote watch l command you will recieve a response such as:

Mystro mystro 216.6.41.104 975299499 is online
End of WATCH l

Where the 975299499 is the signon time in seconds, counted from January 1st, 1970 (if it seems confusing, just ignore it)

If you do the command /quote watch s you will recieve a response such as:

You have 1 and are on 1 WATCH entries
mystro
End of WATCH s

Although not worded very clearly, all this means is that you have one person on your watch list and you are on one person's watch list.

5 · The WHO command

/quote who can be used to check if somebody is online. It does not work if that person has their user mode set to +i (invisible), unless you are in the same channel as that person.

/quote who , as many other IRC commands has a set of arguments that should be applied when you use it.

In the example below you will see all the arguments and options the /who command can have as well as the actual syntax of the command: /quote who +/-achmnsu args

The letters after + or - are called options (commonly referred to as parameters). I will discuss these in a moment. Some options need additional arguments which are specified after all the options.

In the who reply, the number following the collon is the number of hops you are from that user. Hops being the servers away. If you are on the same server as the user you will get :0, if you are on a server which is linked to another set of servers (i.e. twisted > typhoon > jade) the amount of hops will vary, on the previous example of the twisted > typhoon > jade linkage, it is visible that there are two hops, twisted > typhoon and typhoon > jade.

Just as a note, more than one option can be specified in /quote who , but the arguments must follow in the same order as the option letters ( /quote who +hc *.canshell.com #help will work, /quote who +hc #help *.canshell.com won't).

When you perform a /quote who on a channel or person you will see a capitalized letter (and a symbol if the user is an IRC Operator or an operator/voice in the channel) to the right of their name and before the host.

These symbols are:

H = here, hence not set /away

G = gone, is /away

* = User is an IRC Operator

+ = User is a voice on this channel (the channel will be the very first part of the who)

@ = User is an operator in this channel

And finally, for the mIRC users, I would suggest using /quote who to directly contact the server because /who is a built in mIRC command and it doesn't work exactly like DALnet's /quote who works. As well, the replies may vary between client to client. For the purpose of this document the mIRC IRC client was used.

5.1 List by host: +/-h

Syntax: /quote who +/-h host

Information: The +h option specifies that you only want to see users from a specific host. If you use the -h option, all results will be shown *except* from that specific host. Or more simply, if you are in a very large channel or just doing a /quote who with no channel specified, this will only show the people who have or don't have the host that you specify.

Note: Wildcards (*) are accepted, so if you do not know the actual full hostname feel free to just enter part of the hostname with * surrounding it and it will return the matches it finds and you can narrow it down further more if needed.

Example: /quote +h mystro.canshell.com

This example will return something like:

* Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
mystro.canshell.com End of /WHO list.

Another example, using wildcards: /quote who +h *.canshell.com

This will return in mIRC the following:

* Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
*.canshell.com End of /WHO list.

Of course you can do a /quote who +h *.com but that would return over 200 replies and ask you to narrow down your search. Even if it worked, this would not be very useful as most people have *.com addresses.

If you did /quote who -h it would just return everyone who didn't match *.canshell.com.

5.2 List by channel: +c

Syntax: /quote who +c #channel

Information: +c narrows down the who list to only people in a specific channel. This will allow you to scan individual channels for people rather than everyone on the network.

Note: You can not do /quote who -c #channel and can not use wildcards (*) for the channel's name.

Example: /quote who +c #Help

This example would show everyone in the channel along with their corresponding status (@,+,*). However, as most users are now automatically set +i when they connect to DALnet, the server will not show you them unless you are in the same channel. So you might need to join the channel before typing /quote who +c #Help .

5.3 Is the user away: +/-a

Syntax: /quote who +/-a

Information: The +/-a option allows you to eliminate people who are/aren't (depending on the + or the - sign) away. This can be potentially useful if you are a channel operator and wish to see who in your channel is actually there or is just idling.

Note: If you do not wish to use the +/-a command you can just check the G or H sign near the nickname and see if the person is away or not.

Example: /quote who +ac #mystro

#Mystro Mystro G@ mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
#Mystro End of /WHO list.

This is everyone in #mystro who is set /away, however /quote who -a+c #mystro will show:

#Mystro IsraHelp H@ mystro@209.25.158.132 :6 #IsraHelp's bot
#Mystro nekoo H neko@sc-24-130-144-74.socal.rr.com :2 Don Hoover
Mystro End of /WHO list.

nekoo and IsraHelp are the two users who are NOT away at the moment.

5.4 List by usermodes: +/-m

Syntax: /quote who +/-m o|a|A

Information: The +/-m mode allows one to check whether there are/aren't IRC Operators in a specific place. The command takes one argument, either o for IRCop, A for Admin or a for Services Admin.

Example: /quote who +mc o #operhelp

#operhelp End of /WHO list.

This example shows that there were currently no IRCops in #OperHelp

Another example: /quote who -m+c o #operhelp

#operhelp Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro

There was one person in operhelp who was not an IRCop

5.5 List by nickname: +/-n

Syntax: /quote who +/-n nickname

Information: This option allows one to see all people in a specific place who have the nickname or part of the nickname they are looking for.

Note: You may add wildcards (*) in this mode.

Example: /quote who +cn #mystro Mystro

#mystro Mystro H@ mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
#mystro End of /WHO list.

Another example, this one with wildcards: /quote who +cn #mystro *myst*

#mystro Mystro H@ mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
#mystro End of /WHO list.

And lastly, one with -n: /quote who +c-n #mystro *myst*

#Mystro nekoo G neko@sc-24-130-144-74.socal.rr.com :3 Don Hoover
#Mystro B0T H@ bop@208.46.238.67 :6 http://mirc-egg.net
#Mystro End of /WHO list.

5.6 List by server: +s

Syntax: /quote who +s server

Information: This command allows the user to check who is on a specific server.

Note: You may not use wildcards (*) in this command and therefor must use the full name of the server (i.e. not liberty.* but liberty.nj.us.dal.net ). As well you cannot check who isn't on that server.

Example: /quote who +cs #mystro liberty.nj.us.dal.net

#Mystro Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 http://windowsirc.hypermart.net
#Mystro End of /WHO list.

5.7 List by username +u/-u

Syntax: /quote who +/-u username

Information: This option allows the user to see who has or does not have a specific username (or part of a specific username).

Note: Username is considered IDENT by most clients, or in other words, the part before the @ sign in the users address. Wildcards (*) are accepted.

Example: /quote who +cu #mystro mystro

#Mystro Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 http://windowsirc.hypermart.net
#Mystro End of /WHO list.

Another example showing everyone who do not have the word mystro in their username: /quote who +c-u #mystro mystro

#Mystro B0T H@ bop@208.46.238.67 :6 http://mirc-egg.net
#Mystro nekoo G neko@sc-24-130-144-74.socal.rr.com :3 Don Hoover
#Mystro End of /WHO list.

And finally, an example of a wildcard that will show all the users who have 'o' in their username: /quote who +cu #mystro *o*

#Mystro B0T H@ bop@208.46.238.67 :6 http://mirc-egg.net
#Mystro Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
#Mystro nekoo G neko@sc-24-130-144-74.socal.rr.com :3 Don Hoover
#Mystro End of /WHO list.

5.8 Show first visible channel user is in: +C

Syntax: /quote who +C nickname

Information: This command lets you see the first visible channel in a /who .

Example: /quote who +C mystro

#mystro Mystro H mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
Mystro End of /WHO list.

5.9 Check for user in channels I am member of: +M

Syntax: /quote who +Ms|u|h

Information: This command checks for the users in the channels the person is part of, it accepts the extra options s, u or h (server, username or hostname).

Example: /quote who +Mh *.canshell.com

#mystro |Mystro| H@ mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
#ravenscar |Mystro| H@ mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
*.canshell.com End of /WHO list.

This example shows the +Mh feature and shows how the server showed all the channels |Mystro| and I were in.

5.10 Example of combining searches

As some of the previous examples demonstrate, it is possible to combine searches to match more than one search criteria. We will provide one further example to illustrate this.

Syntax: /quote who +ch

Information: This command checks for users in a specified channel who match the specified host.

Example: /quote who +ch #mystro *.canshell.com

#mystro |Mystro| H@ mystro@mystro.canshell.com :0 Mystro
End of /WHO list.

This type of search would be particularily useful when trying to track down a relay bot inside a channel that is transmitting the nicknames of everyone in the channel to a mass advertising bot outside the channel.

6 · Conclusion

If you are interested in finding out more or have any questions you may check on IRC the channel #bahamut, or on the web http://www.bahamut.net . As well, if you are interested in looking up these commands by yourselves, please use /quote who ? for WHO help, /quote list ? for LIST help, /dccallow help for DCCallow help. WATCH and SILENCE do not have help in the IRC server itself.

7 · Credits

While writing this document many people have been bugged and harassed. I think that the least I can do for their help is give them some recognition. Thanks goes to Darkrot for the /list information, Hammer for some clarification, LadyDana for all the motivation (and for being such a wonderful leader :) and many people who I just harassed while writing this document. Oh and, yes, some credit goes to Mystro, the lifeless student who wrote this document.