Forums Bug Reports Notices shown in wrong window

Ok, this is may be intentional, but it's really really annoying.

When a notice arrives from a user, to "me", it doesn't show up in the query view like privmsg messages do. Instead it seems to show in the network view (status view?) and possibly some channel views based on if the source user is in them.

Why? Why not do what other clients do, and makes more sense (not to mention is more in line with the IRC protocol spec, though it's very wishy-washy at the best of times) and process them like PRIVMSGs? I.e. if they're to you, show them in the query view if there is one.

If you don't mind using a privmsg to reply to their notice, just use the following remote script:



You could also make a "notice window" using a custom @window but I am not sure you care enough about it for me to bother :P

I have no idea what that code does, and more to the point, I don't use mIRC myself so it's of no interest to me. I help work on a bot, and it's been changed to send automatic replies as notices - as it's supposed to - but mIRC is handling them in a totally sub-standard way, compared to all the other clients. I just want to know a) if it's deliberate, and b) why?

In IRC options it states that you can see notices in either the status window or the channel - it's not a bug.

In many cases people don't mind seeing the notices in either window instead of opening up a seperate window although one can be scripted if so desired.

As for deliberate maybe...but most people aren't concerned.

Talea

But that was my point, that behaviour is wrong.

There's nothing wrong with the option to show things in the current window, for example, but NOTICE messages are the same as PRIVMSG according to not only the IRC protocol spec., but also all the other clients I've tried.

If mIRC can't handle them the same, then it's a serious flaw in the program, and makes it much harder for people like me to make IRC bots work how they're supposed to.

I don't know where you are getting this information from, but NOTICE and PRIVMSG are absolutely not the same. Perhaps you should try a raw connection to IRC or a look at mirc's /debug feature if you have trouble understanding the difference.

By the way, how does mIRC's handling of NOTICE and PRIVMSG affect your ability to write an IRC bot?

This has been a long standing issue between users of all irc clients, and it basically boils down to personal preference. There was even a time when someone proposed an official protocol to determine whether a notice should be displayed in the active window or relevant windows or hidden away in the status window... but the general concencus is that any priority sytem would be abused and ignored.

It has become standard privmsg text gets displayed in a specific target window (channel or query windows), and notice text gets posed in some location that will quickly grab the user's attention. mIRC's defaults is to display channel notices in the channel, and private notices in each of the channels the sender is in, or in the status window if the user is in none... with the added option of displaying it in your active window too.

If you have a personal preference for another method, it can easily be scripted to meet your needs. That's what scripting is there for, after all.

- Raccoon

Uh... have you actually tried that? They are exactly the same, except for "NOTICE" in place of "PRIVMSG". I also don't like the way you seem to be accusing me of not knowing what's going on at the protocol level. I work on an IRC client myself. :tongue:



As the IRC spec. says, automatic responses should be NOTICE messages instead of PRIVMSG, to prevent accidental loops, etc. The 4 (or is it 5?) beeps when getting a notice is annoying, but can be turned off. However, if the bot replies to a private message using a NOTICE (see raw log, it's exactly like a PRIVMSG) mIRC doesn't put it in the query view. It puts it in the status window, or channels containing the user. This just isn't what is supposed to happen, and means I basically can't use notices as I should be able to.

I don't know anyone else that has a problem with the way mIRC handles notices, and if they do they can just add a line of script. If you are not using mIRC, then just write your IRC bot and let the mIRC users decide if they like it or not. I do not mean to sound condescending, but I have also written many IRC-based clients and respect the difference between PRIVMSG and NOTICE.

So this normal behavior is supposed to be changed
so as to make it easier for you to script your bot?
I'm thinking probably not .. because it is not a bug.
Why not reply accordingly, if in channel use notice,
if in private, use msg ..

The way notices work now is based on user requests over many years, so I am a little surprised that you've found it to be such an issue. No one has ever mentioned it before.

Even if I did add an option for this, it would be an option that was disabled by default, since most people seem to prefer the current behaviour... so I am not sure it would help you out...

I only wish this current/user-settings behaviour could be emulated via /echo flag. As I suggested in an earlier post, such a flag would try and echo to any/all appropriate windows for the event that is triggering the /echo. This flag would honor user settings. (Alt+O > IRC > Active/Events)

[*] QUIT events -- would echo to all windows the user was in, and/or the status window.
[*] NOTICE events -- would echo to all windows a notice normally would appear, and/or active window.
[*] QUERY events -- would echo to the Single Message Window or Query Window, and/or active window.
[*] RAW numerals -- would echo to the window that it normally would, if at all.

And so on, so forth...

- Raccoon

PS. The /echo -c (color) flag might also assume the default event's color, without having to be specified.

I like those suggestions Raccoon. I have an alias for echoing things to common channels but a "/echo -xNick <text>" where x would be a propsed new "comchan echo" flag... that would rock.