Forums Feature Suggestions /config (or similar) command, and/or updated docs

Hi,

I'm an IRC-op on a small network, and I often have to try to help users properly configure mIRC. For the most part, *most* of the options and settings are easily configurable by typing the proper commands.. But there are still some options which either have no typed command equivalent, or I cannot find any documentation on it. One example is the "Preserve nicknames" option, under "Connect"->"Options" -- (Background info:) Our server requires a registered account, which requires users to sign on with their account name as their initial nickname, and their account password as the "server password". As such, they need to always revert to their main nickname when they reconnect, and not try to sign back on after a nick change with the new nick. All of those settings we developed instructions on what to type to configure everything, except the "Preserve nicknames" option.. for that, we have to instruct users to navigate the ALT-O options dialog and check the right box. Some users have difficulty with this, and it would be much easier if we could just tell them to type something like "/config PreserveNicks On" or similar in to their status window.

Note that I have developed a script to do this, but in addition to the issues of trying to script edits to mirc.ini while it's running, there's also the issue of having to walk a newbie (possibly even one not very good with computers) through downloading and installing the script.. Not a fun process!

My thoughts on how to add this seem pretty simple, too.. Since mIRC stores everything in an INI file format, presumably caching mirc.ini somewhere in memory (hence why it's dangerous to edit mIRC's ini files while it's running), such a /config command would be very similar to mIRC's normal ability to edit INI files by specifying [TOPIC] and [ITEM], only it'll affect the memory cached copy of mirc.ini (or other INI files) in safe manner. (Note that this could also be extended to report on current settings, too, such as /config PreserveNicks responding with something like "Preserve nicknames is ON|ENABLED"; and it could also possibly reduce the necessity/complexity of some of the other configuration commands, such as /localinfo, as an example, being the same as /config localinfo or some such..)

The only complexity I really see is in some cases where the option setting does not have it's own [ITEM], but part of a more compound list of settings in a single [ITEM], such as, for example, some of the [OPTIONS] n0=... thru n8=... options, which just seem to have a list of 0 or 1 flags (off or on?). In those cases, it would be nice if there was some kind of documentation which was which.

/server address port password -i nick can be used to set the nick at time of connection

/tnick can be used to change a nickname without altering the main nick (for a reconnection)

/saveini can be used to flush current settings to their appropriate files. You can then read mirc.ini with no problem, if you need to know where a specific setting is then diff the files after the change.

What's so difficult about installing the script? You can paste it, /load -rs, or file > load in the script editor. Nothing's going to be easier.

Easier to who? You? Or a user who can do brain surgery to save your life, but can barely figure out that you need to hi the power button to turn a computer on, and only wants to chat with buddies, not be a computer-techno-geek-nerd who knows every single command and option available?

When I'm helping a user configure mIRC to chat on our server, many of them are very computer illiterate, and I have to walk them through it all while holding their hand. I'm not looking to make things easier for me; I already know how to do those things myself. I'm looking to make things easier for the thousands of average users who only want to come chat with their buddies, not become a mIRC programming expert. they want to be able to "Type this, and you're done! You can now just launch mIRC and enjoy chat, without having to do this and that and this other thing, every time you want to come chat.."

I already see so many users who would rather go on Yahoo! Messenger than on IRC with mIRC. Why? Because Y!M is simple to set up and use. You install it, create a screen name and password, and proceed to chat with your buddies. You don't have to learn how to do all this fancy stuff to get it to work right, or learn more than a dozen commands and different ways to do different things, and when to do it one way, and when to do it another. It. Just. Works.

And that's what I aim for when I help users get mIRC set up and working for them.. and I have three ops in one of my channels who simply *refuse* to use mIRC because it's "too complicated", "too many commands to remember", etc. Simply put, if Khaled wants to sell mIRC to them, he has to give them what they want to buy--Something simple, that works. Let us tech geeks worry about the technical aspects, and make it as easy for them as we can.. But for that to happen, we need the tools available to do so, and being able to "configure it once and forget about it" is one of those tools. Being told "Do this, but if you want to do that, then do this instead, or if you want to do this other thing, then do that, and so on" just makes them want to say "Screw mIRC, I'm going to Y!M" .. Which is precisely what one user told me this morning while trying to help get them set up. And the main reason I decided to come on the forums here and post the various suggestions which have been brewing in my head for a long time now.

A simple /presnick [on|off] command could be added indeed, no need to write that much about it I think
Not all options can be handled with commands, there is precedence in mIRC having specific command for specific feature instead of a general /config, or similar, command.

"Nothing's going to be easier" was in reference only to loading scripts. There is literally no easier way to load scripts than is already possible.

Everything is possible.. need good programming

It would be nice to have a structural solution for changing mIRC's settings, but..

..this is a pretty terrible idea to begin with. This is not what nicknames are for, and with such weird requirements, it's no surprise that not all IRC clients play ball. You should consider a more sensible solution, such as an "accountname:accountpasswd" format for the server passwords as used on other networks (e.g., FreeNode).


If mIRC is like pretty much every other program, it won't use a cached copy of mirc.ini in memory as main storage of its settings. Instead, it uses its own internal variables. It loads the values from mirc.ini into those variables only once at startup, and regenerates all contents for mirc.ini in bulk when storing a new copy on disk. Changing all that to perform fine-grained reloading of values at arbitrary times is likely to be a massive effort. It's not that it can't be done, but it won't be nearly as easy to implement as you make it out to be.