Joining a channel

You can get a list of available chat rooms, or channels on the network by clicking the LIST button on the server window toolbar.

The channel list will be filled with a list of channels, the number of users in each channel, and each channel's topic.

You can join a channel by either using the /JOIN command, or by double clicking the channel's name in the channel list of the server/status window. If you choose to double-click the channel to join and the channel requires a password (+k) you will be prompted to enter your password to join. The Channel List has a popup menu that can be accessed by moving the mouse pointer over the pane on the window and clicking the right mouse button.

When the IRC server acknowledges your JOIN request, Vortec will open a new channel window. The windows caption will show the channel name and the channel topic if any.

The command line, located at the bottom of the window, is where you type what you want to say or enter commands. Text you type here will be sent to the entire channel unless it is a command. All commands in Vortec begin with the / key, such as /msg or /notice. No text is sent until you press the <ENTER> key. The command line retains a history of the lines of text or commands you have entered. You can recall items from the history list by using the up & down arrow keys.

Special Text Attributes

Vortec also supports special text attributes, such as bold and underlined text. To use a special text attribute, use the keys <ctrl-b> for bold or <ctrl-u> for underlined text. Press the keystroke once to turn the effect on, and again to turn it off. For example: Typing: This is <ctrl-b>bold<ctrl-b> text. Will display as: This is bold text. Not all IRC clients can see special text attributes.

The Names List

Channel windows also have a list of names (by default located on the right side the channel window). These are the names of all other people who are in the channel. The names list has a popup menu that can be used to issue commands, and also contains any special aliases you have created. Generally, command accesses from this menu affect only the people whose names you have highlighted in the list. To highlight a name, simply click on it. To highlight multiple names, hold down the <ctrl> key and click on any desired names. You can also use the <shift> key to select a series of consecutive names.

Nick and Channel completion

One useful feature of Vortec is nick completion. While in a channel, you may type the first few letters of a nickname, then press <tab> and the first matching nickname will be typed for you. For example, if Jellowe is in the channel you can type Je<tab> and Vortec will type out Jellowe for you. Similarly, while in the server window you may type the first few letters of a channel name, for example #cha<tab> and you may get #chatters, or the first matching channel.

Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Single source CHM, PDF, DOC and HTML Help creation