path: root/stories/projects/vchat-client.rst

.. link:
.. description: is a curses based chat client for the arcane vchat protocol.
.. tags: project
.. date: 2014/02/01 19:10:08
.. title: vchat-client
.. slug: ../arts/software/vchat-client/index

Newbies Guide to vchat via 'Buntclient'
=======================================

1. Get the Source, Luke
-----------------------

Make sure, you got a shell and the tool called cvs.
cd to a directory the source shall reside in.

Type::

  $ cvs -d:pserver:anoncvs@cvs.erdgeist.org:/home/cvsroot login
  $ cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anoncvs@cvs.erdgeist.org:/home/cvsroot co vchat-client

(press return at password prompt)


2. Do the verpile
-----------------

Enter the vchat-client/ directory.
Type::

  $ make

If that fails due to some readline fuckups, try again with::

  $ make OLDREADLINE=-DOLDREADLINE

If you are administrator of your computer and want to install
vchat-client permanently, type::

  $ make install

You may also run the binary from its compile location.


3. Get protected
----------------

Run the script vchat-keygen, located in the vchat-client/ directory.
Follow its instructions.


4. Home sweet Home
------------------

Create a .vchat/ directory in your homedir. ::

  $ cd
  $ mkdir .vchat/

Copy your key to the .vchat/ directory::

  $ cp ~/.vchat.key ~/.vchat/key

Whenever your signed cert arrives from vchat at vchat.berlin.ccc dot de,
copy it to the .vchat/ directory as well::

  $ cp ~/.vchat.cert ~/.vchat/cert

In order to modify the look of your client, you may copy one of
the sample-xxx.fmt files to the .vchat/ directory::

  $ cd vchat-client/
  $ cp sample-erdgeist.fmt ~/.vchat/formats

If you want to set the chat server to vchat.berlin.ccc.de now,
type::

  $ echo host=vchat.berlin.ccc.de >> ~/.vchat/config

If you want to ignore SSL-warnings due to missing CA-files, type::

  $ echo ignssl=1 >> ~/.vchat/config

If you don't want to ignore SSL-warnings, get the root-certificates from:

   http://www.cacert.org/certs/class3.txt
   and
   http://www.cacert.org/certs/root.txt

and copy them into your openssl-certs directory. For example::

   # cp root.txt /etc/ssl/certs/
   # cp class3.txt /etc/ssl/certs/
   # cd /etc/ssl/certs
   # ln -s root.txt `openssl x509 -in root.txt -hash | head -n 1`.0
   # ln -s class3.txt `openssl x509 -in class3.txt -hash | head -n 1`.0

Now you can type::

   $ echo ignssl=0 >> ~/.vchat/config


If you want a seperate private message window, type::

  $ echo messages=10 >> ~/.vchat/config

If you want to have no topic line, like in the oldschool client,
do not choose a private message window an type::

  $ echo usetopicbar=0 >> ~/.vchat/config

5. First bunt
-------------

Check, whether you REALLY got a signed cert.

[....
If you did not get a reply from vchat at vchat.berlin.ccc dot de within
3 days, this might either be due to you not being known to the
certificate masters, or simply because of the verpeil. You may,
after 3 days, contact me at erdgeist at erdgeist dot org. If I don't
reply, too, reconsider your lifestyle.
....]

Start the client::

  $ vchat-client

or ::

  $ vchat-client/vchat-client

Enter the passphrase to your private key, if you added one.

Look around. If the Umlautz are broken, try to trouble shoot here:
https://freepad.erdgeist.org/p/fT9OoDoLMx

Try to feel comfortable with the new look of your vchat-
environment. Close your mouth. Try playing around with the
following commands:

If you did not enable the seperate private message window,
ignore this part:

[ STARTIGNORE

Press Ctrl-G and Ctrl-T several times.
Press Ctrl-X, then send yourself a private message, watch, what
happens
Press Ctrl-C ONCE!!!
Press Ctrl-R and watch the asteriks at the very right of your
screen, this one indicates, which window to scroll back

ENDIGNORE]

Press Ctrl-B Ctrl-F, if you collected some text in your
message window. This should scroll back and forth.
A red console bar should indicate, that you scrolled up.

Press Ctrl-L to redraw and reset scroll indices.

Play around with the completion:

Hitting <TAB> at start of line will complete to ::

  .m <lastpersonyouexchangedprivatemessageswith>

if you hit <TAB> more often, you will cycle through this list,
sorted by the last time you exchanges PMs with.

Hitting <TAB> when you already typed some letters but no space
yet will expand to all nicks in your current channel. You may
cycle through this list, too.

Hitting tab anywhere else expands to all nicks in all channels.

Most other readline hotkeys (Ctrl-U, Ctrl-K, Ctrl-W, Ctrl-A...)
will work as expected.


6. Commandoe
------------

In addition to the server commands (.h, .m, .a, .s ...) the
client brings its own set of commands, which will be triggered
IRC-style by /COMMAND. These may be abbrevated to the lowest
unambigous substring.

Try /HELP for a first glimpse.
The status window may be forced off by hitting Ctrl-X.

/HELP KEYS should give you a short summary of available hot
key commands.

Some client commands are wrappers around server commands::

  /ME   == .a
  /MSG  == .m
  /M    == .m
  /QUIT == .x

The other commands are used to enable client side filtering
and highlighting.

Try::

  /HELP FILTERS
  /HELP FLT
  /HELP FILTERS

Highlight yourself::

  /FLT 6 <nickname>

if you don't see anything getting highlighted, you probably
have a mac. If you got this far despite of that problem, you
will surely find a way to enable colors in your terminal.

Remove the filter rule::

  /rmflt 1

Zoom in all channel leaves::

  /flt + left channel

List your filter rules::

  /lsflt

Remove all filters::

  /clflt

Ignore all server leave and join messages::

  /flt - ((left|joined|entered) (the )?(channel|chat))

Reenable those lines::

  /rmflt ((left|joined|entered) (the )?(channel|chat))

Note: zoom overrides ignore.

Be careful about setting your filters, as these are treated
as regular expressions, which easily may lead to time
consuming evaluations. Avoid brackets.


7. Fiiiiiiiiieschas
-------------------

As I am still young *cough cough* I am _STILL_ willing to
implement features of all stupidity grades. Contact me
with /m erdgeist <feature request> at any time.


8. You help
-----------

Since you will probably start fiddeling around with your
.vchat/formats file, I'd appreciate getting YOUR format,
too, as this may be helpful for others to make their own.
Just send them to erdgeist at erdgeist dot org. Bug reports,
feature request that are to long for the chat and diffs
implementing some features are welcome at this address,
too.