3 @setfilename ../info/erc
9 * ERC: (erc). Powerful, modular, and extensible IRC client for Emacs.
15 This manual is for ERC version 5.2 stable pre-release.
17 Copyright @copyright{} 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
20 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
21 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
22 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
23 Invariant Sections, Front-Cover texts, or Back-Cover Texts.
29 @subtitle a full-featured IRC client
30 @subtitle for GNU Emacs and XEmacs
32 @c The following two commands
33 @c start the copyright page.
35 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
39 @c So the toc is printed at the start
43 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
44 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
51 * Introduction:: What is ERC?
52 * Obtaining ERC:: How to get ERC releases and development
54 * Installation:: Compiling and installing ERC.
55 * Getting Started:: Quick Start guide to using ERC.
56 * Keystroke Summary:: Keystrokes used in ERC buffers.
57 * Modules:: Available modules for ERC.
58 * Advanced Usage:: Cool ways of using ERC.
59 * Getting Help and Reporting Bugs::
60 * History:: The history of ERC.
61 * Concept Index:: Search for terms.
64 --- The Detailed Node Listing ---
68 * Releases:: Released versions of ERC.
69 * Development:: Latest unreleased development changes.
73 * Connecting:: Ways of connecting to an IRC server.
74 * Options:: Options that are available for ERC.
75 * Tips and Tricks:: Ways of enhancing your ERC experience.
76 * Sample Configuration:: An example configuration file.
81 @node Introduction, Obtaining ERC, Top, Top
82 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
85 ERC is a powerful, modular, and extensible IRC client for Emacs.
87 It comes with the following capabilities enabled by default.
92 @item Join channels automatically
93 @item Buttonize URLs, nicknames, and other text
95 @item Highlight or remove IRC control characters
96 @item Highlight pals, fools, and other keywords
97 @item Detect netsplits
98 @item Complete nicknames and commands in a programmable fashion
99 @item Make displayed lines read-only
101 @item Track channel activity in the mode-line
105 @node Obtaining ERC, Installation, Introduction, Top
106 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
107 @chapter Obtaining ERC
110 * Releases:: Released versions of ERC.
111 * Development:: Latest unreleased development changes.
114 These sections may be skipped if you are using the version of ERC that
117 @node Releases, Development, Obtaining ERC, Obtaining ERC
118 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
121 Choose to install a release if you want to minimize risk.
123 Errors are corrected in development first. User-visible changes will be
124 announced on the @email{erc-discuss@@gnu.org} mailing list.
125 @pxref{Getting Help and Reporting Bugs}.
127 @cindex releases, Debian package
128 @cindex Debian package for ERC
129 Debian users can get ERC via apt-get. The @file{erc} package is
130 available in the official Debian repository.
132 @cindex releases, from source
133 Alternatively, you can download the latest release from
134 @uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/erc}.
136 @node Development, , Releases, Obtaining ERC
137 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
141 Choose the development version if you want to live on the bleeding edge
142 of ERC development or try out new features before release.
146 ERC is developed using GNU Arch. Downloading ERC with Arch and staying
147 up-to-date involves the following steps.
150 @cindex GNU Arch, installing
154 @item Debian: @kbd{apt-get install tla}.
155 @item Other distributions: see @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-arch/}.
158 @cindex GNU Arch, downloading ERC
159 @item Register the archive.
161 tla register-archive -f http://arch.sv.gnu.org/archives/erc/erc
164 @item Download the ERC source code.
166 # Download ERC into the @file{erc} directory.
167 tla get erc@@sv.gnu.org/erc--main--0 erc
170 @item List upstream changes that are missing from your local copy.
171 Do this whenever you want to see whether new changes have been committed
175 # Change to the source directory you are interested in.
178 # Display the summary of changes
179 tla missing --summary
182 @cindex GNU Arch, updating ERC
183 @item Update to the latest version by replaying missing changes.
191 If you are new to Arch and want to learn more about developing with it,
192 you might find this tutorial helpful:
193 @uref{http://www.mwolson.org/projects/ArchTutorial.html}.
195 @subheading Development snapshots
197 @cindex development snapshot
198 Alternatively, the latest development snapshot may be downloaded in both
199 ``.tar.gz'' and ``.zip'' forms.
202 @item @uref{http://www.mwolson.org/static/dist/erc-latest.tar.gz}
203 @item @uref{http://www.mwolson.org/static/dist/erc-latest.zip}
207 @node Installation, Getting Started, Obtaining ERC, Top
208 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
209 @chapter Installation
211 ERC may be compiled and installed on your machine.
213 This section may be skipped if you are using the version of ERC that
216 @subsubheading Compilation
218 This is an optional step, since Emacs Lisp source code does not
219 necessarily have to be byte-compiled. It will yield a speed increase,
222 A working copy of Emacs or XEmacs is needed in order to compile ERC. By
223 default, the program that is installed with the name @command{emacs}
226 If you want to use the @command{xemacs} binary to perform the
227 compilation, you would need to edit @file{Makefile} in the top-level
228 directory as follows. You can put either a full path to an Emacs or
229 XEmacs binary or just the command name, as long as it is in the
234 SITEFLAG = -no-site-file
237 Running @code{make} should compile the ERC source files in the
238 @file{lisp} directory.
240 @subsubheading Installation
242 ERC may be installed into your file hierarchy by doing the following.
244 Edit the @file{Makefile} file so that @env{ELISPDIR} points to where you
245 want the source and compiled ERC files to be installed and
246 @env{INFODIR} indicates where to put the ERC manual. Of course, you
247 will want to edit @env{EMACS} and @env{SITEFLAG} as shown in the
248 Compilation section if you are using XEmacs.
250 If you are installing ERC on a Debian system, you might want to change
251 the value of @env{INSTALLINFO} as specified in @file{Makefile}.
253 Run @code{make} as a normal user.
255 Run @code{make install} as the root user if you have chosen installation
256 locations that require this.
259 @node Getting Started, Keystroke Summary, Installation, Top
260 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
261 @chapter Getting Started
264 @c PRE5_2: Mention .ercrc.el
266 To use ERC, add the directory containing its files to your
267 @code{load-path} variable, in your @file{.emacs} file. Then, load ERC
268 itself. An example follows.
274 Once ERC is loaded, the command @kbd{M-x erc} will start ERC and
275 prompt for the server to connect to.
277 If the connection goes away at some point, ERC will try to reconnect
278 automatically. If it fails to reconnect, and you want to try to
279 manually reestablish the connection at some later point, switch to an
280 ERC buffer and run the /RECONNECT command.
282 @c PRE5_2: Sample session, including:
283 @c - connect to Freenode
285 @c - see messages flying past, point out topic lines, messages, channel
287 @c - identifying your nick with NickServ (most IRC servers have this)
288 @c - talking to the channel
289 @c - open a /query buffer to talk to someone (must identify first in
293 @node Keystroke Summary, Modules, Getting Started, Top
294 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
295 @chapter Keys Used in ERC
298 This is a summary of keystrokes available in every ERC buffer.
302 @item C-a or <home> (`erc-bol')
303 Go to beginning of line or end of prompt.
305 @item RET (`erc-send-current-line')
306 Send the current line
308 @item TAB (`erc-complete-word')
309 If at prompt, complete the current word.
310 Otherwise, move to the next link or button.
312 @item M-TAB (`ispell-complete-word')
313 Complete the given word, using ispell.
315 @item C-c C-a (`erc-bol')
316 Go to beginning of line or end of prompt.
318 @item C-c C-b (`erc-iswitchb')
319 Use `iswitchb-read-buffer' to prompt for a ERC buffer to switch to.
321 @item C-c C-c (`erc-toggle-interpret-controls')
322 Toggle interpretation of control sequences in messages.
324 @item C-c C-d (`erc-input-action')
325 Interactively input a user action and send it to IRC.
327 @item C-c C-e (`erc-toggle-ctcp-autoresponse')
328 Toggle automatic CTCP replies (like VERSION and PING).
330 @item C-c C-f (`erc-toggle-flood-control')
331 Toggle use of flood control on sent messages.
333 @item C-c TAB (`erc-invite-only-mode')
334 Turn on the invite only mode (+i) for the current channel.
336 @item C-c C-j (`erc-join-channel')
337 Join channel. If point is at the beginning of a channel name, use that
340 @item C-c C-k (`erc-go-to-log-matches-buffer')
341 Interactively open an erc-log-matches buffer
343 @item C-c C-l (`erc-save-buffer-in-logs')
344 Append buffer contents to the log file, if logging is enabled.
346 @item C-c C-n (`erc-channel-names')
347 Run "/names #channel" in the current channel.
349 @item C-c C-o (`erc-get-channel-mode-from-keypress')
350 Read a key sequence and call the corresponding channel mode function.
351 After doing @kbd{C-c C-o}, type in a channel mode letter.
353 @kbd{C-g} means quit.
354 @kbd{RET} lets you type more than one mode at a time.
355 If @kbd{l} is pressed, @code{erc-set-channel-limit} gets called.
356 If @kbd{k} is pressed, @code{erc-set-channel-key} gets called.
357 Anything else will be sent to `erc-toggle-channel-mode'.
359 @item C-c C-p (`erc-part-from-channel')
360 Part from the current channel and prompt for a reason.
362 @item C-c C-q (`erc-quit-server')
363 Disconnect from current server after prompting for reason.
365 @item C-c C-r (`erc-remove-text-properties-region')
366 Clears the region (start,end) in object from all colors, etc.
368 @item C-c C-t (`erc-set-topic')
369 Prompt for a topic for the current channel.
371 @item C-c C-u (`erc-kill-input')
372 Kill current input line using `erc-bol' followed by `kill-line'.
377 @node Modules, Advanced Usage, Keystroke Summary, Top
378 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
382 One way to add functionality to ERC is to customize which of its many
385 There is a spiffy customize interface, which may be reached by typing
386 @kbd{M-x customize-option erc-modules RET}. Alternatively, set
387 @code{erc-modules} manually and then call @code{erc-update-modules}.
389 The following is a list of available modules.
393 @cindex modules, autoaway
395 Set away status automatically
397 @cindex modules, autojoin
399 Join channels automatically
401 @cindex modules, bbdb
403 Integrate with the Big Brother Database
405 @cindex modules, button
407 Buttonize URLs, nicknames, and other text
409 @cindex modules, capab-identify
411 Mark unidentified users on freenode and other servers supporting CAPAB.
413 @cindex modules, completion
415 Complete nicknames and commands (programmable)
417 @cindex modules, fill
421 @cindex modules, hecomplete
423 Complete nicknames and commands (old). This is the old module---you
424 might prefer the ``completion'' module instead.
426 @cindex modules, identd
428 Launch an identd server on port 8113
430 @cindex modules, irccontrols
432 Highlight or remove IRC control characters
438 @cindex modules, match
440 Highlight pals, fools, and other keywords
442 @cindex modules, netsplit
446 @cindex modules, noncommands
448 Don't display non-IRC commands after evaluation
450 @cindex modules, notify
452 Notify when the online status of certain users changes
454 @cindex modules, page
456 Process CTCP PAGE requests from IRC
458 @cindex modules, readonly
460 Make displayed lines read-only
462 @cindex modules, replace
464 Replace text in messages
466 @cindex modules, ring
468 Enable an input history
470 @cindex modules, scrolltobottom
472 Scroll to the bottom of the buffer
474 @cindex modules, services
476 Identify to Nickserv (IRC Services) automatically
478 @cindex modules, smiley
480 Convert smileys to pretty icons
482 @cindex modules, sound
484 Play sounds when you receive CTCP SOUND requests
486 @cindex modules, spelling
488 Check spelling of messages
490 @cindex modules, stamp
492 Add timestamps to messages
494 @cindex modules, track
496 Track channel activity in the mode-line
498 @cindex modules, truncate
500 Truncate buffers to a certain size
502 @cindex modules, unmorse
504 Translate morse code in messages
508 @c PRE5_2: Document every option of every module in its own subnode
511 @node Advanced Usage, Getting Help and Reporting Bugs, Modules, Top
512 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
513 @chapter Advanced Usage
514 @cindex advanced topics
517 * Connecting:: Ways of connecting to an IRC server.
518 * Options:: Options that are available for ERC.
519 * Tips and Tricks:: Ways of enhancing your ERC experience.
520 * Sample Configuration:: An example configuration file.
523 @node Connecting, Options, Advanced Usage, Advanced Usage
524 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
525 @section Connecting to an IRC Server
528 The easiest way to connect to an IRC server is to call @kbd{M-x erc}.
529 If you want to assign this function to a keystroke, the following will
530 help you figure out its parameters.
533 Select connection parameters and run ERC.
534 Non-interactively, it takes the following keyword arguments.
541 @item @var{full-name}
544 That is, if called with the following arguments, @var{server} and
545 @var{full-name} will be set to those values, whereas
546 @code{erc-compute-port}, @code{erc-compute-nick} and
547 @code{erc-compute-full-name} will be invoked for the values of the other
551 (erc :server "irc.freenode.net" :full-name "Harry S Truman")
557 @defun erc-compute-server &optional server
558 Return an IRC server name.
560 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a non-nil
564 @item @var{server} (the argument passed to this function)
565 @item The @code{erc-server} option
566 @item The value of the IRCSERVER environment variable
567 @item The @code{erc-default-server} variable
572 @defopt erc-server nil
573 IRC server to use if one is not provided.
578 @defun erc-compute-port &optional port
579 Return a port for an IRC server.
581 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a non-nil
585 @item @var{port} (the argument passed to this function)
586 @item The @code{erc-port} option
587 @item The @code{erc-default-port} variable
593 IRC port to use if not specified.
595 This can be either a string or a number.
600 @defun erc-compute-nick &optional nick
601 Return user's IRC nick.
603 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a
604 non-nil value is found.
607 @item @var{nick} (the argument passed to this function)
608 @item The @code{erc-nick} option
609 @item The value of the IRCNICK environment variable
610 @item The result from the @code{user-login-name} function
616 Nickname to use if one is not provided.
618 This can be either a string, or a list of strings.
619 In the latter case, if the first nick in the list is already in use,
620 other nicks are tried in the list order.
623 @defopt erc-nick-uniquifier
624 The string to append to the nick if it is already in use.
627 @defopt erc-try-new-nick-p
628 If the nickname you chose isn't available, and this option is non-nil,
629 ERC should automatically attempt to connect with another nickname.
631 You can manually set another nickname with the /NICK command.
634 @subheading Full name
636 @defun erc-compute-full-name &optional full-name
637 Return user's full name.
639 This tries a number of increasingly more default methods until a
640 non-nil value is found.
643 @item @var{full-name} (the argument passed to this function)
644 @item The @code{erc-user-full-name} option
645 @item The value of the IRCNAME environment variable
646 @item The result from the @code{user-full-name} function
651 @defopt erc-user-full-name
654 This can be either a string or a function to call.
657 @node Options, Tips and Tricks, Connecting, Advanced Usage
658 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
662 @c PRE5_2: (Node) Document every ERC option (module options go in
665 This section has not yet been written.
667 @node Tips and Tricks, Sample Configuration, Options, Advanced Usage
668 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
669 @section Tips and Tricks
670 @cindex tips and tricks
672 @c PRE5_2: (Node) Tips and tricks
674 This section has not yet been written.
676 @node Sample Configuration, , Tips and Tricks, Advanced Usage
677 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
678 @section Sample Configuration
679 @cindex configuration, sample
681 @c PRE5_2: (Node) Sample configs
683 This section has not yet been written.
686 @node Getting Help and Reporting Bugs, History, Advanced Usage, Top
687 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
688 @chapter Getting Help and Reporting Bugs
689 @cindex help, getting
690 @cindex bugs, reporting
692 After you have read this guide, if you still have questions about ERC,
693 or if you have bugs to report, there are several places you can go.
698 @uref{http://www.emacswiki.org/cgi-bin/wiki/EmacsIRCClient} is the
699 emacswiki.org page for ERC. Anyone may add tips, hints, or bug
703 There are several mailing lists for ERC. To subscribe, visit
704 @uref{http://savannah.gnu.org/mail/?group=erc}.
706 The mailing lists are also available on Gmane.
707 (@url{http://gmane.org/}). Gmane provides additional methods for
708 accessing the mailing lists, adding content to them, and searching them.
711 @item gmane.emacs.erc.announce
714 @item gmane.emacs.erc.discuss
717 @item gmane.emacs.erc.cvs
718 Log messages for changes to the ERC source code
723 You can visit the IRC Freenode channel @samp{#emacs}. Many of the
724 contributors are frequently around and willing to answer your
730 @node History, Concept Index, Getting Help and Reporting Bugs, Top
731 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
733 @cindex history, of ERC
735 ERC was originally written by Alexander L. Belikoff
736 @email{abel@@bfr.co.il} and Sergey Berezin
737 @email{sergey.berezin@@cs.cmu.edu}. They stopped development around
738 December 1999. Their last released version was ERC 2.0.
740 P.S.: If one of the original developers of ERC reads this, we'd like to
741 receive additional information for this file and hear comments in
747 In June 2001, Mario Lang @email{mlang@@delysid.org} and Alex Schroeder
748 @email{alex@@gnu.org} took over development and created a ERC Project at
749 @uref{http://sourceforge.net/projects/erc}.
751 In reaction to a mail about the new ERC development effort, Sergey
752 Berezin said, ``First of all, I'm glad that my version of ERC is being
753 used out there. The thing is, I do not have free time and enough
754 incentive anymore to work on ERC, so I would be happy if you guys take
755 over the project entirely.''
757 So we happily hacked away on ERC, and soon after (September 2001)
758 released the next "stable" version, 2.1.
760 Most of the development of the new ERC happened on #emacs on
761 irc.openprojects.net. Over time, many people contributed code, ideas,
762 bugfixes, and a lot of alpha/beta/gamma testing.
764 See the @file{CREDITS} file for a list of contributors.
768 ERC 3.0 was released.
772 ERC 4.0 was released.
776 ERC 5.0 was released. Michael Olson @email{mwolson@@gnu.org} became
777 the release manager and eventually the maintainer.
779 After some discussion between him and the Emacs developers, it was
780 decided to include ERC in Emacs.
784 ERC 5.1 was released. It was subsequently included in Emacs 22.
786 ERC became an official GNU project, and development moved to
787 @uref{http://sv.gnu.org/projects/erc}. We switched to using GNU Arch as
788 our revision control system. Our mailing list address changed as well.
792 @node Concept Index, , History, Top
793 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
801 arch-tag: cf9cfaff-fc12-4297-ad15-ec2493002b1e