Forums Feature Suggestions Nick Brackets

It would be neat and useful to change what goes around the nicks. So, if we want, we can change it from <Nick> to [Nick] or {Nick}. Etc. Maybe it is possible to write a script for that.

Scripts for handling this recommendation have been written so often, it's almost ridiculous.

I agree that this should be changable in the mIRC settings dialog. Perhaps a prefix and suffix editbox.

Prefix: [
Suffix: ]

[Nick]

Prefix: 04(12
Suffix: 04)

(Nick)

I'm not sure what should be permitted as prefixes and suffixes. I don't think that $identifiers should be allowed.

-genius_at_work

Then post one up here please.

Due to the search limitations of this forum, I was only able to find this one quickly https://forums.mirc.com/ubbthreads.php?ub...true#Post198507

Any theming script would work

/help ON TEXT
/help Halting default text

shows you how to accomplish it. A simplistic example would be:



That changes the separator to [ and ] ([[ and ]] is needed in script). Other script caveats apply. I should also reiterate that this is by no means a "complete" example. You may want to handle $inpaste or $ctrlenter in on input.

That worked, but can you make it so it does it to your nick too?

As you would see your nick, yes, you would have to use something similar to the examples already given, but use the ON INPUT event, rather than the ON TEXT event. Note: This will not affect how others see your nick.

The on input event in my example should do just that.

I agree that this has been requested so many times that it would really be ridiculous not to add it. It would also be better to have this option built-in than to have to resort to using some lame, bloated theme script just for this.

Seconded.
This thingie is a very popular wish... We (scripters) tend to forget about the fact that 99% of mIRCs users are chatters only, not hobby programmers.
"We" are embracing every new scripting feature that comes allong but it's a mIRC feature suggestions board. For "us" it's quite easy to script, "we" might hardly benefit of it.
Average users will.

Yeah, I thought it would too, but there's something wrong with the code, since it isn't working. And thank you all your help with this.

Works ok for me on mIRC 6.34.

The problem with nick brackets as an option alone is that it's far too simplistic.

There are so many other "such small" things people would love to customize (colorize nick, colorize timestamp, colorize the nick prefix only, use more complex text surrounding a nickname).. Should Khaled add every single possibility of the above?

I'd propose a more extensible solution: A customizable set of lines that mirc could interpolate much like the way Winamp can customize the titlebar field. This would allow *complete* theming of mIRC for standard events; much better than just "nick brackets". For instance, you would have a list of text fields that define the default interpolation mIRC uses on each line (for most events) the same way mIRC handles the dclick/sclick events in Alt+O -> Mouse. The user would be able to customize things like lines of text by writing the following (example syntax) in a text field:

$timestamp <$pnick> $text

An action would be in another text field defined as:

$timestamp * $pnick $text

This would essentially be equivalent to scripting theme events but without a lot of the details of the actual script engine. For instance, dealing with proper echo syntax, haltdefing, etc, would not be necessary, nor would handling edge cases for /commands in ON INPUT. In addition, mIRC could define some custom identifiers for use in the textboxes as a shortcut for common identifiers ($nick(#,$nick).pnick -> $pnick, $1- -> $text without losing spaces) and even modify the syntax to make it easier to write (remove the need for $+ by defining a consistent character set ([A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9_]*) for identifier names).

This would be the ideal solution that would cover all the bases and edge cases here. It's a little harder to implement, but it would actually be implementing a lot of feature suggestions at once.

Agreed. And that a "bundle/complex of features" could be implemented step by step or at one go, one day...

I just wanted to recall that - by nature - scripters do 'dominate' these boards, sharing a scripting-biased POV/approach, not representative of the average user. In addition, that often it's features like the one in question - simple, maybe trivial to a scripter - that please the latter the most. I can hardly imagine (or better: recall) mIRC without the ability to script "it" on my own - but it's worthwile to adopt that viewpoint once in a while.

I don't agree with this idea\OP suggestion. Scripting provides mIRC with additional features not included, or possible, by regular design. "Modulular" if you will. Just like any other modular piece of software, e.g. Microsoft Office products, not every feature is included right into the product itself, but rather as add-ons. Scripts are add-ons for mIRC, and dime a dozen.

To take the view of the average user and say the possibilities of functions or features only currently available by scripting is out of the scope for the average user, is failing to see the average user is already very resourceful and accustomed to seeking out add-ons to their software.

To completely satisfy everyone, the internal theme support would need be able to supercede the community efforts behind MTS, in my opinion. Not format-wise (read: not the standard itself <-- for those that take things out of context, *wink wink*), but the issues addressed and developed around.

I would much rather see mIRC move forward to a more plugin based platform, and modularize features, existing & future. Even if it wasn't an open system for all, just "official plugins" released by Khaled that extended the feature base to mIRC. DLLs were a great step towards this dream, but I think further strides could be made that push mIRC (and the community) to a more accessible state for all users alike and secure it's future.

Sorry for beating a dead horse, but it code doesn't work for me on mIRC 6.35.


The one above.

The code works for me under mirc 6.35. Perhaps your remote has been off.

Did you add that to a NEW script file (File>New)? It sounds more like you're triggering a similar on input from the same file causing this one not to trigger. Remotes being off won't be the problem if the on text works.

general comment to the thread:

1) I agree this could easily be implemented into mirc
2) there are scripting solutions

no arguments there at all. yes this IS a scripting heavy forum these days, but it wasnt always - or at least not as much. I don't feel "because it's so basic" should be a reason NOT to add something. I've never understood something (nor do I require an explanation mind you):

ALT + O --> IRC --> Options --> Timestamp events

That wasnt ALWAYS there and was added versions ago. Why not allow us to have a field that overrides the nick border like:

() Default () Custom [_] nickname [_]

If the dot was in CUSTOM, it would allow us to use what we want, if you choose DEFAULT, it would be the normal broders AND wouldnt break ANY scripts out there whatsoever (unless you overrode it, but then you're CHOOSING to and that's on you). Then, in that box was your character option (including blank). If the one was done VERSIONS age, why not this simple feature? it is perhaps THE most requested addition to mirc for YEARS now and always comes back.

From the versions file:

02/02/2000 - mIRC v5.7 - 19.The custom timestamp set in options dialog, messages section, is now used for time-stamping all messages/logs/etc.

Even tho it's been there earlier, this is from 2000, ten years ago....... it seems to me a very minor yet natural enhancement to mirc that just never made it

Not to disagree with you, but custom timestamping is actually important as it allows those from countries that use different date formats to correctly display the date. Brackets on a nick are completely cosmetic.

Cosmetic or not, this feature can be implemented but it's up to Khaled.

Every feature can be implemented and is up to Khaled. Does this post really add anything to the discussion?

The problem with adding "purely cosmetic" features is that you can add hundreds of them and users will still ask for more. This is why mIRC is scriptable, so that K need not add a special editbox for every single character you want echo'd to your channel window. The two lines of code given on the previous page are more flexible than any option dialog could ever be, and are already implementable *now*. Why not just accept this and use it?

Would it work? Yes. Is it necessary? No. Is it simpler? If all you're changing is <> to [], maybe. But what if you want to change the way the nick prefix is displayed too? Another feature suggestion for another editbox to customize that? The scripts are short and are already available for you to copy paste and modify. How much simpler can it get?

oh, Im not discounting the importance of it, i'm saying it's been there for 10 years and nick bracketing hasn't even been an (built in) option. i cant imagine it would be too hard to implement such a field.

Is there a chance of adding this into the client? Would really be nice to be able to customize the brackets around nicknames.

My request is to export the entire strings table to an external file that people can then edit, enabling the creation of custom theme outputs (ie, choice of brackets) as well as language translations.