LinkBot 1.50 -- by [SB]Tikiman Features -- This bot allows a mIrc user to link or Spy on an unlimited number of channels using only one copy of mIrc. Previous spy bots I have seen tended to use a DDE link. I found it pointless to do so, since by using multiple instances of mirc you are doing nothing special, there is no real spying going on that you couldn’t do anyway with two copy of mIrc. With this bot, you can link to many channels with one instance of mIrc, a dramatic improvement in convenience and flexibility. Whats Newer -- Upgraded to Mirc 5.0, I like it. Used new commands to change interface a bit. In this version, both Spy Clones and Link Clones will be sent to special windows. In addition, you can now enter input into Spy Clone and Link Clone windows, like a normal window. With this feature you can talk as the clones. Its very, very cool, try it out. You can also do actions as the clones. /me is the only valid slash command in the SpyBot and LinkBot windows, commands like /join and /quit will affect the hub bot. In addition, talking as the hub will also get transmitted, making only one copy of mirc really necessary. Also added a measure of flood control and cleaned up some older sketchy code. Also added Custom popups to several menus. Where to Obtain -- Since I am still learning the new script system of 5.0, I have not included online updates until I can figure out the most efficeint system of doing so. However the version checker is up. It is also available at http://www.students.haverford.edu/bkennedy/linkbot.zip. Installation -- Unzip this file into a directory that contains Mirc 5.0. Overwrite existing files, but be sure that you are not deleting something you may want later. Joining a Server -- The way this bot works is as follows: connect to your favorite server. Some servers now prevent rapid nick changes. These should be avoided, for reasons that are apparent when you try the bot out. The best central servers are on EFnet or DALnet. I would recommend these 4 -- 1. spider.dal.net (DALnet) 2. irc.voicenet.com (Efnet) 3. linux.mit.edu (Linuxnet) 4. irc.idsi.net (GamesNet) Linking Channels -- Join a channel. This is you central channel, which all future connections will be linked too. From here, hit F1, and enter another server name, channel name, and clone nickname. LinkBot will attempt to connect to said server and create a two way link between the channel you are on and the remote channel. Afterwards you may use move the clone you created, or spawn more. All further connections will be connected to your mini-network. Go ahead, try all the commands out, they all do cool interesting stuff. One note, if you experience problems while trying to connect to a server on the same IRC network, try picking a less lagged server or move your hub to another network. Spying -- If all you are interested in doing is spying, here’s what you do. Connect to a server. It is probably a good idea not to join a channel if you intend on spawning multiple spy bots, as then there is no danger of getting flooded off. From here start spawning Spy clones, and you will get convenient windows that tell you what is happening. Keep in mind that as a Spy Clone, you still have full 2-way chat and mode control. This is very useful for being on 2 or more channels and 2 or more networks at the same time w/o swapping copies of Mirc. Remote Links -- This allows you to connect to another LinkBots. By hitting shift-F2 or by using the popups, you can request a linkup to another linkbot. The other user will be notified of your request, and can accept if it pleases. Giving Commands -- This is pretty easy. Make sure that the LinkBot Status Window or SpyBot Status Window is open. Then use the popups to make changes. You can also use the LinkBot menu item in the menu bar. All commands are available from the LinkBot Status Window, so that is the best place to go usually. User Commands -- Users have access to 2 commands. One is they type !update in the main channel, which sends them a refreshed status report. The other is they type /msg chatlink . This will attempt to create a dcc connection between the user and the remote nickname. The program will get confused however if there are multiple users with the same name, so it may not always work. If so the users will have to get their lazy butt over to the other service and DCC themselves. Bookmarks -- These are available from the menu bar or the any channel/status windows. Selecting a bookmark for the first time will give you a chance to enter information. They may be displayed and cleared at anytime. Function Keys -- (note: it became too cumbersome to add function combos for all function found in the popups. These will cover the navigation basics) F1 -- Spawn a new clone. You will be prompted for the name of the server you wish to join, the nickname you wish to use, and the channel you wish to join. You can't have more than one bot of the same name. I suggest naming them something like SB2, SB13, SB62, etc. This avoids possible nick conflicts on remote servers. If you hit shift-F1, you will spawn a spy (clandestine) clone. And dont be stupid, spawning 5 clones on the same server will get yourself noticed. F2 -- Respawn a clone. If your most recent clone could not connect or quits, you can re-connect with F2 F3 -- Broadcast a message. This sends a message to all linked channels from "Channel Hub". Useful for testing which channels are still active. F4 -- General Status Report. This will send a report of all channels and their users to the entire network. F5 -- Join a Channel. Bot command. Will promt you for a channel to join. You can't join more that one channel at a time. F6 -- Part Channel. This parts the specified channel, but does not end the session. F7 -- Hop Channels. This will part your current channel and join a new one. F8 -- End Session. It will prompt for a y/n in case you are a sloppy button presser. Be sure to always use this and not simply exit windows, as this will mess up the bot. F9 -- Toggle Spy Mode. This will determe whether this specific clone will broadcast the activities of the network to the channel it is on. While in spy mode, it will simple boradcast everything that goes an and will not arouse suspicion. F10 -- Refresh Names. This will refresh the names of a channel monotired by a specific bot. F11 -- Bot Status Report. This will tell if the bot is connected to a channel and if so will list who is on that channel. You can also double click bot windows to get a report. F12 -- Quick Help. Gives a list of all available commands. Shift F1 -- Spawn a Spy Clone. As mentioned before. Shift F2 -- Request a Link. With this command, you can request a linkup with another LinkBot. If two bots are linked, they will relay the happenings of each network to each other, efficiently combining the networks. Shift F3 -- Accept a Link. When someone requests a link, you will get beeped and prompted that someone is trying to conenct to you. Hit shift F3 to accept the connection. Shift F4 -- Close Link. Use this command to close DCC windows to other LinkBots only. Use F8 for the clones. When Thing Get Crazy -- Depending on how creative you are, things get can pretty hairy. If your main hub gets disconnected, simply reconnect and join a channel. LinkBot will then reconstruct the links automatically, accounting for both the main channel and remote channels. Remote clones that are not on channels will remain connected as well, and can still be used. The only time things truly break down is when the central hub is disconnected, but upon reconnection everything should be ok. Also, there is a PANIC! option on all popups. This will close all clones and windows, and will start fresh. Other Things -- Well, everything is almost done I think. Mirc 5.0 allowed me to implement some earlier ideas, so I am psyched. Future Versions -- Thinking about a remote fserve that allows a user to offer files to several channels on several networks. We’ll see. Comments? Suggestions? -- Email bkennedy@haverford.edu. I would appreciate input and feedback for future improvements. I am also on DALnet as [SB]Tikiman, come by and say 'hi' sometime.