HGKeeper

nullprpl

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OVERVIEW

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Nullprpl is a mock protocol plugin for Pidgin and libpurple. You can create

accounts with it, sign on and off, add buddies, and send and receive IMs, all

without connecting to a server!

Beyond that basic functionality, nullprpl supports presence and away/available

messages, offline messages, user info, typing notification, privacy

allow/block lists, chat rooms, whispering, room lists, and protocol icons and

emblems. Notable missing features are file transfer and account registration

and authentication.

Nullprpl is intended as an example of how to write a libpurple protocol

plugin. It doesn't contain networking code or an event loop, but it does

demonstrate how to use the libpurple API to do pretty much everything a

protocol might need to do.

Nullprpl is also a useful tool for hacking on Pidgin, Finch, and other

libpurple clients. It's a full-featured protocol plugin, but doesn't depend on

an external server, so it's a quick and easy way to exercise test new code. It

also allows you to work while you're disconnected.

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BUILDING AND INSTALLING

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To build, just run ./configure as usual in the root directory of the pidgin

source distribution. Then cd libpurple/protocols/null and then make. To

install, run make install. Then run Pidgin.

To build nullprpl on Windows (with Cygwin/MinGW), use: make -f Makefile.mingw

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USAGE

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To add a nullprpl account, go to the account editor window and click Add.

Select Null Protocol from the protocol drop-down list, and enter any username

you want.

Now, use Pidgin like normal. You can add buddies, send IMs, set away messages,

etc. If you send IMs to your own username, they will be echoed back to you.