All XRouters have an integral chat (conference) facility, invoked by issuing the CHAT command, by connecting to the chat callsign, or by Telnetting to TCP port 3600.
There are 32767 channels, each capable of supporting a separate conference. Channels 1 to 255 inclusive are "local" or "private" to each chat server, while channels 256 to 32767 inclusive are "global" or "public", i.e. anything you type will be seen on the corresponding channel of all interlinked chat servers.
The following chat server commands are available:
| /? | /Ansi | /Bell | /Bye | /Channel | /Echo | /Exit |
| /Headerln | /Help | /Join | /leave | /Links | /Msg | /Name |
| /Personal | /Quit | /Stamp | /Topic | /User | /Version | /Who |
| /? | Display commands / syntax help. Syntax: /? [cmd] When used without arguments, the /? command lists the available commands. The syntax for any of the commands thus listed may be shown by specifying the command as an argument to the /? command.
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| /ANSI | Enable / Disable ANSI colour Syntax: /A[nsi] [on | off] The /ANSI command is used to enable or disable the use of ANSI colour. In order to make use of this feature, callers must be using an ansi-compatible terminal. When enabled, each user's messages are shown in a different colour making it easier to follow threads of conversation. Typing /ANSI by itself displays the current setting. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /BELL | Display / Set activity bell Syntax: /BE[ll] [0-3] The /BELL command controls which events are signalled by an audible warning. The warning consists of a bell character (ascii 7) within the text. In order to use this feature, your terminal software must respond to bell characters. Arguments to the /BELL command are as follows:
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| /BYE | Exit the chat server. Syntax: /B[ye] The /BYE command, which may be shortened to /B, disconnects the user from the chat server, and informs everyone that he's left. There is no need for the user to /leave any logged channels before issuing this command. If the user accessed the server via the router's CHAT command, he will be returned to the router's main command prompt, otherwise he will be completely disconnected. The /EXIT and /QUIT commands also perform this function. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /CHANNEL | Display / Change logged channel(s). Syntax: /C[hannel] [number] The /CHANNEL command displays / changes the channel(s) the user is logged to. When no argument is supplied, the logged channel(s) is / are displayed. If a valid numeric argument is supplied, the user is logged to the specified channel.
Note: Channels 1 to 255 are "local" to each chat server, and channels 256-32767 are "global", i.e. they are linked with all other servers. The /JOIN command has a similar function, and /LEAVE is used to de-select unwanted channels. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /ECHO | Control host echo Syntax: /EC[ho] The /ECHO command toggles host echo on and off. The default setting is ON, i.e. the user receives a copy of any text he sends to the channel. Although host echo slightly increases bandwidth usage, it helps to put the user's text into temporal context amongst the other channel texts, especially when there is latency on the links. The user can more easily spot mistakes such as an incorrectly entered name or callsign. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /EXIT | Exit the chat server. Syntax: /E[xit] The /EXIT command, which may be shortened to /E, disconnects the user from the chat server, and informs everyone that he's left. There is no need for the user to /leave any logged channels before issuing this command. If the user accessed the server via the router's CHAT command, he will be returned to the router's main command prompt, otherwise he will be completely disconnected. The /BYE and /QUIT commands also perform this function. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /HEADERLN | Controls display format Syntax: /HEA[derln] [on | off] The /HEADERLN command controls whether or not the "header" and text of messages are displayed on the same line. If the setting is OFF (default), the header and text are displayed on the same line. This leads to a more compact display, especially when the texts are short. If the setting is ON, headers and text are displayed on separate lines. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /HELP | Obtain help. Syntax: /HELP [topic] When used without arguments, the /HELP command gives brief instruction on how to access various levels of help. If a topic is specified, detailed help for that topic (if available) is displayed. The topic may be a command name, or any other chat server related topic. A list of the available help topics can be obtained by specifying "*" as a topic.
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| /JOIN | Join (log onto) a channel. Syntax: /J[oin] <channel> The /JOIN command logs the user to a channel, and performs a similar function to the /CHANNEL command. When a new channel is selected, the user remains logged to any previous channels, (so he can "monitor" several channels at once) but any subsequent text he sends will go to the new channel (unless targeted otherwise). (Unwanted channels may be de-selected using the complementary /LEAVE command.) Example: /J 22 - Join channel 22 Note: Channels 1 to 255 are "local" to each chat server, and channels 256-32767 are "global", i.e. they are linked with all other servers. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /LEAVE | Leave (log off) a channel. Syntax: /L[eave] <channel> The /LEAVE command logs the user off the specified channel. When a user joins a channel, he remains logged to any previous channels, so this command allows him to de-select unwanted channels. Example: /L 22 - Leave channel 22 [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /MSG | Send a short message to a channel or a single user. Syntax: /M[sg] <channel | callsign> <text> The /Msg command is used to send a short message (70 chars max.) to any specified channel or single user. You may for example use this command to direct a message to a channel you are monitoring, but not actually logged to. If you direct a message to a specific user, he may be on this or any other chat server. The private nature of the message will be indicated to the recipient by asterisks around the sender's call, e.g. <*g8pzt@kdchat*> (Paula): Meet me on channel 69.
Note: As with all things Packet, the term "private" is relative, as nothing is truly private when it is broadcast! [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /NAME | Set name. Syntax: /N[ame] <your name> [channel] The /NAME command sets the user's name, which will be displayed on the user list and prefixed to everything he sends to others. Users are not allowed to join any channels until they have supplied a name (12 chars max), so it acts as a "log on" command. The name need be supplied only at the initial logon, and may be changed as the user wishes. On the first use of this command, the user may optionally specify a channel to join instead of the default (channel 0). TCP/IP users must first use the /USER command (see below) to enter their callsign.
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| /PERSONAL | Display / change personal description. Syntax: /P[ersonal] [text | @] The /PERSONAL command is used to display or change the user's personal description. This is a short text of up to 32 characters, which is displayed on the user list. It may typically contain the user's home town and "brag" information. If the user logs onto any "public" channels (i.e. those above channel 255), this information will appear on the user lists of all other chat servers. If used without arguments, the /PERSONAL command displays the user's current text. If the argument is "@", the existing text is removed.
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| /QUIT | Exit the chat server. Syntax: /Q[uit] The /QUIT command, which may be shortened to /Q, disconnects the user from the chat server, and informs everyone that he's left. There is no need for the user to /leave any logged channels before issuing this command. If the user accessed the server via the router's CHAT command, he will be returned to the router's main command prompt, otherwise he will be completely disconnected. The /BYE and /EXIT commands also perform this function. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /STAMP | Controls timestamping of message texts. Syntax: /S[TAMP] [on | off] With stamp ON (default) each mesage is timestamped in the following style, designed to be readable both by humans and by client software: [1234] 09:35 {21:33} <ZL2BAU@BAUCHT> (Peter): Hello folks The first field is the channel number. This may seem pointless, but you will soon appreciate it if you are logged to more than one channel! The second field is the chatserver's timestamp, i.e. the local time the message was received at, and redistributed by, the server. This is useful if you are away from the screen for a while, or are logging the activity to disk. The third field is the originating server's timestamp, i.e. the local time at which the message was entered into the system. With servers linked across different timezones, the two timestamps may differ by up to 12 hours. Personally I find it useful to know what the other user's local time is, because it helps put their comments into perspective. The timestamps can also highlight propagation delays. The fourth field consists of the sender's callsign and the "alias" of the originating server. Users may (and often do) log onto more than one server, often at the same time. The fifth field is the user's name. With STAMP OFF the header information is abbreviated in the Ping-Pong style as follows: <g8pzt:Paula>: Test [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /TOPIC | Display / Change channel topic. Syntax: /T[opic] [channel] [text | @] Every channel has an optional topic, and the /TOPIC command can be used to display the existing topic or change it. The topic can be up to 12 characters, and is displayed on the /Who list.
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| /USER | TCP/IP logon. Syntax: /U[ser] <callsign> [name] The /USER command is available only to TCP/IP users. It sets the user's callsign (and optionally his name), which will be displayed on the user list and prefixed to everything he sends to others. The user will not be able to join the conference without supplying both callsign (9 chars max) and name (12 chars max), but if the name is omitted from this command he may enter it in the normal way with the /Name command.
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| /VERSION | Display chat server version. Syntax: /V[ersion] The /VERSION command displays the chat server version, author and compilation date. Please quote it if reporting bugs. [return to top] | ||||||||||||
| /WHO | List channels and users. Syntax: /W[ho] [*] The /WHO command lists who is logged onto the chat server, and what channels they are on. If no arguments are supplied, the active channels are listed, along with the callsigns of their users. If an asterisk is supplied as the argument, each user is displayed in more detail. The display would typically show the user's callsign, name, personal text and logon date/time.
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