Mercurial > pidgin > nest / file revision

---
title: IRC
date: 2019-06-05T00:20:19.000Z
weight: 40
lastmod: 2019-08-29T20:33:38.000Z
---

### How do I join a channel?

Create an IRC account and sign into it.  After you've signed on, you can use the
_Buddies_ -> _Join a Chat_ menu option on the Buddy List window to join a
channel.  In any window, either a conversation or a chat, in which your IRC user
is the sender, you can also use the `/join` command to connect to a new channel.

### Can I hide messages from NickServ, ChanServ, etc. on login?

See the next question.

### How do I automatically authenticate or identify on login?

Try the
[irchelper](https://{{< repo plugin-pack >}}src/default/irchelper/)
plugin from the {{< repo link="1" name="plugin-pack" >}}.  This plugin provides
fields to enter the services bot's nickname and your services password.  It
also automatically suppresses messages from the services bots sent on
connection. Note that this plugin _does_, in fact, work with Q on Quakenet,
and networks that use AuthServ, not just networks that use NickServ.

Alternatively, see the next question for a way using Pidgin's built in features.

### How do I authenticate/identify with a buddy pounce or send a message to a user on login?

Follow these steps:

  * Create (if necessary) and enable your IRC account.
  * Add the nick of the services bot to your buddy list using _Buddies_ ->
    _Add Buddy_.
  * Right-click the new buddy and click "Add Buddy Pounce" to create a new
    pounce.
  * Make sure "Signs on" is the only checked box in the "Pounce When Buddy..."
    section.
  * Make sure "Send a message" is checked under "Action".
  * Enter the message, such as `identify mypassword` if you're trying to
    authenticate.
  * Ensure "Recurring" is checked beneath "Options" or the pounce will only
    work once.
  * Click "Save" to save the pounce.

Note that you do **_NOT_** include `/msg nickname` as part of the message in the pounce.

### Can I automatically join channels on login?

Absolutely.  In the Buddy List window, select _Buddies_ -> _Add Chat_.  Use this
dialog to add the chat to your buddy list.  Once the chat appears in the buddy
list, right-click the chat and select "Auto-Join".  The channel will autojoin
whenever you sign onto your IRC account.

### Is it possible to change the username that appears in username@hostname?

In the Buddy List window, select _Accounts_ -> your IRC account -> _Edit
Account_.  Click the "Advanced" tab.  Enter a name in the Username field.

### How can I set/change my real name?

In the Buddy List window, select _Accounts_ -> your IRC account -> _Edit
Account_.  Click the "Advanced" tab.  Enter a name in the Real Name field.

### Why does text display incorrectly?

IRC has no comprehension of character sets or encodings. It simply sends
(almost) any random chunk of data a user enters. Pidgin by default assumes
everything is UTF-8. If this is not the case, you will need to edit your account
(in the Buddy List window, select _Accounts_ -> your IRC account -> _Edit
Account_) and change the Encoding setting on the "Advanced" tab. You will need
to enter the correct encoding for your channels there. You can specify multiple
encodings in a comma-delimited list, such as `UTF-8,ISO-8859-15`, to cause
Pidgin to attempt multiple encodings. In this case, each encoding is tried in
succession until a successful decode happens or all encodings listed are
exhausted.

### How can I hide join/part messages?

In the Buddy List window, select _Tools_ -> _Plugins_.  Find and checkmark
"Join/Part Hiding" and click the "Configure Plugin" button.  Configure the
plugin as you like.