Forums Bug Reports Unchecking "Always highlight" broken without focus

Ever since upgrading mIRC to 6.31 the "Always highlight" feature doesn't work when mIRC doesn't have focus. For instance, while I'm typing this post, firefox has the focus so channels which are not minimized will turn red when someone speaks.

The option I'm speaking of is:

Options -> Display -> Always highlight

I'm using Windows Vista, but this feature did work perfectly under Vista before I upgraded mIRC.

If I'm reading your post right, you're saying it doesn't highlight the shown window when mIRC is not the active app, yes?

6.31 with XPSP2 here, and it always does.

That was changed in 6.3 or 6.31. Now, it will always highlight even the $active window if new text appears when mIRC's not the app in focus. Some people like this, others don't. It's meant to show that there was something new in the active window if mIRC wasn't the active app. In some ways this can be helpful -- a quick look back at it after having something open over it will show there is more text in case you don't remember what was said last. In some ways it isn't -- more often than not, it seems that you have another app only partially covering mIRC so that you know if something is typed in the active window, so there isn't any need for it (or you have the scripts editor open which I personally don't maximize, so again there isn't any need for it).

In any case, it isn't a bug and I don't think it will be changed. There hasn't been much complaint over it here and I think the only way it would change is if enough people didn't like it.

Perhaps it is worth an additional checkbox to get the best of both worlds then.



My usage of mIRC for over 10 years (since 4.72 I believe) has been to make mIRC the only maximized window on my desktop and to make sure no other window covers the mIRC channel taskbar, ever. (I put the mIRC channel taskbar at the bottom of the screen.) I am joined to a dozen or so channels at any given time, half of which are very active and a few which I don't pay a whole lot of attention to. Then there are those few which I do care about, a couple that have a handful of actual friends and the support channel for my open source project. I keep these important channels minimized in mIRC so that they are the only ones which turn red when someone speaks. It's how I've programmed myself to use irc for over a decade. Old habits die hard.



That's too bad (for me.) I suppose I'll have to downgrade to pre-6.3 and start looking for an alternative. Thanks for the helpful information.

Actually I think this should be changed back to the way it was. Not only should the active window not be highlighted when mIRC isn't the active application, but the switchbar button for the active window should not raise on mouseover when mIRC isn't the active application. It's just odd behavior and I don't care what anyone says, it shouldn't behave that way.

~ Edit ~

shizno, the threat of downgrading and/or finding an alternative client is old and worn out and just makes you look stupid.

Adding a switch would probably have a decent chance of making it into a future version. You should put it as a feature request. It definitely would have more chance over the change being removed. Of course, either may be possible depending on what Khaled thinks of the issue. Personally, I think it's weird to have it the way it is as well.

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I totally agree with you on this one and I believe this issue needs to be stressed more. It's been bugging me ever since I started using 6.3x, and it's really getting on my nerves.

I used to find this annoying, but once I got over myself and my resistence to change I quickly started to find it extremely useful. Before, if I wasn't paying attention to the inactive mIRC window, I wouldn't know if someone said something in the active channel and would completely miss conversations due to not noticing a highlight... now I do. I don't think this behaviour is going back, so I suggest you do what I did: get over yourself, embrace change, and be happy.

I see how it can be useful if you only see the switchbar and not the active channel. I, on the other hand, see the active channel as well cause I have space enough (dual high-res monitors), so it's really too much for me in that regard. A simple tick button to turn this off would be something generous and profitable for everyone IMO, but I'm not a coder so I wouldn't know how much work it would be.
The button raise on active channel when mouse-over if mIRC is inactive is still looking like a bug to me, however.

I have multiple monitors too, that's exactly why it's useful, because when you're not watching the window and something was said you still get the highlight to know that something was said, especially when it looks like the window is still perfectly active on your second monitor.

That doesn't make any sense to me. You see the highlighting color more clearly then that there's actual text being written in the channel? I don't need the active button to be highlighted when I can see there's text being written, and it's not like I have to stare at mIRC to actually see there is. It's like having two alarm clocks for a morning person in my case, the second one will just be redundant and annoying.

Anyhow, I think we can both agree on this feature has upsides and downsides. So I stand by my opinion of a tick button to disable this feature for those that do not find it necessary.
Choice is always a good thing, no?

Actually, I can't agree that it has downsides. It's consistent with the rest of the UI and it's informative-- what are the downsides of that?

"I don't need the active button to be highlighted when I can see there's text being written"

You don't? You either pay very close attention to the window or you must be in very quiet channels. I don't watch every line going into the window or keep bookmarks in my head of where I left off, so if I turn my head for a few minutes I could easily miss a page of conversation and not even realize it. I'm sure this has happened to you at least once.

I don't need an alarm for an event I'm already at (just give me an option to turn it off), and the button raise when mouse-over strikes me as very odd behavior, even if it's supposed to be consistent with the rest of the UI.

It's part of my job so I pay close attention to IRC. Also I would argue I have a good memory. :P I scroll up to where I last left off if I've been away from a longer conversation and read up on it.

Thanks for the discussion, by the way, I've had the opportunity to speak my mind now and feel satisfied.

I'm still using 6.34 and trying to adapt. However it still irritates me and we'll see if I'm strong enough to actually do it or not. Will be keeping an eye out for upcoming releases of mIRC.

Best regards,
eoke.