HydraIRC setup

What is HydraIRC, what makes it different?

HydraIRC is a relatively young and new IRC client, still in Beta Phase. That means, it is heavily changed and updated a lot, so make sure to check the HydraIRC web page for new versions. Due to the software still being in Beta Status quite a number of functions have not been included yet. Nontheless, it is a very stable client already, and requires little resources. If you can live without a scripting language and only need the basic chat function, HydraIRC is a good choice. Unlike mIRC it is completely free.

How to setup HydraIRC for FUMBBL?

1. Download HydraIRC and install it as you do with any other program, although, if you have a Windows OS, don't install into 'Program Files', since Windows won't let Hydra remember profiles when installed in that directory. Start HydraIRC once your are done.

2. Once the client is up, click on the options menu, and choose Prefs .... In the window that appears select User Profiles then click on New. There are several settings available here:

• Identity Description sets the name with which your new profile will appear in the User Profiles list. I suggest you simply use your fumbbl coach name here.
• Real Name is a field where you can enter your Name if you wish to do so. Note that if you enter a name here it will be sent to the server on connect, and other people can see it. If you prefer to stay anonymous leave this blank or enter a made up name here.
• Nick is the nickname you will be using in chat. For FUMBBL that should be your fumbbl coach name, as you can only use BowlBot if you use the same on IRC. You can set up multiple nicks here, and hydrairc will circle through them from top to bottom if somebody else uses that nick already.

3. Close the User Identity Window now by clicking "Ok", to go back to Preferences and click "Ok" there as well.

4. Next up are the IRC server settings. Click on File in the Menu, then select New Server.

5. Click on Add Network and enter "FUMBBL" in the window that appears. Close it with "Ok".

6. Click on Add Server next. Again a window with various settings appears:

• Description gives a name to the server. I suggest you use the same as what you will enter under address.
• Address tells the client which server to use to connect to Fumbbl IRC. Currently there is only one server available. Copy the address below (without the part in brackets) in the address field.
  • irc.fumbbl.com
• Port tells the client on which port the server runs. Leave this on the default setting (6667).

7. Click on the Network Dropdown and select FUMBBL. Close the window by clicking "Ok".

8. Finally, to connect to FUMBBL IRC click on the "+" next to it and select one of the servers that branches off (the number depends on how many you selected) then click "Ok." Once the client has connected type /join #fumbbl in the main window to join the chatroom.

9. The next time you start HydraIRC simply click on File and New Server in the menu, then select the FUMBBL server (there is only one, so not much choice :]) you want to connect to and click okay, as described in step 8.

Advanced Setup

Connecting to FUMBBL IRC on startup

You can setup HydraIRC to automatically connect to FUMBBL IRC and join #fumbbl when you start the program using Scripts. To do so, go to the Preferences as described in step 2 above but select Scripts instead.

1. Notice the field that says << Enter Name Here >>? Type "OnStartUp" (without the Quotation marks, one word) into that and click on "add".

2. In the larger field to the right, Commands, it should say <Enter Commands Here >> now. Type "/server irc.fumbbl.com", again without the quotation marks. Note, if you are an irc junkie like me that you can connect to multiple networks by using the command "/newserver <server>" in the following line. Important: Close the window by clicking "ok" or the settings will be lost.

3. Go back to the Scripts and look for the field where you entered "OnStartup" and enter "FUMBBL_OnLoggedIn" this time. Note, if you didn't call FUMBBL IRC "FUMBBL" in the Server list, you have to replace the part before the "_OnLoggedIn" with that name. Again click on "add".

4. Type "/quietjoin fumbbl" (without quotation marks) in the larger Commands field to the right. If you want the client to join multiple channels on startup seperate them with a comma - i.e. "/quietjoin fumbbl,fumbblunranked". Close the window with "ok", again.

Done. If you did everything correct you won't have to care about the New Server page anymore, for a while.

Window Layouts

HydraIRC is highly customizable in terms of what info is displayed on your screen. Make sure to check out the Menu called View especially the five default Layouts under GUI Layout in that Menu.

Tips

To paste a link from a website to HydraIRC, highlight the website address, click ctrl-c, then in the IRC window click ctrl-v.

To paste a link from Hydra to follow a link, you can't simply click on the link, right click, ctrl-c, any of the normal methods. Instead, you first click on "edit" up top, "copy", highlight the material you want copied by click-drag method, and voila. You can then go to an open browser, in the URL section click ctrl-v or right-click-paste. Tada! - AFK Eagle

This Guide has been written with reference to version 0.3.126. For more help on HydraIRC check out the HydraIRC Wiki.