date: 2019-06-05T00:20:19.000Z
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? ### How do I automatically authenticate or identify on login? [
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? * Create (if necessary) and enable your IRC account.
* Add the nick of the services bot to your buddy list using
_Buddies_ ->
* Right-click the new buddy and click "Add Buddy Pounce" to create a new
* Make sure "Signs on" is the only checked box in the "Pounce When Buddy..."
* Make sure "Send a message" is checked under "Action".
* Enter the message, such as
`identify mypassword` if you're trying to
* Ensure "Recurring" is checked beneath "Options" or the pounce will only
* 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
### 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
