names

Request channel membership names from the IRC server.

Synopsis

/names [server-specific arguments]
/names channel

Description

names asks the server for nicknames in channels, rather than the user counts and topics returned by list. A channel name conventionally selects that channel. With no arguments, EPIC sends NAMES; the breadth of that request depends on the server.

The built-in forwards all supplied text unchanged after NAMES. It does not replace * with the current channel, parse client-side filters, expand wildcard channel names, or validate targets. Channel lists, remote targets, and other supported arguments are server-dependent. There are no client-side -min, -max, -public, -private, or -all options in this implementation.

The request uses the server in the current command context, falling back to the primary server when there is no server context. Replies arrive asynchronously and may span several lines. Nicknames often carry status prefixes: @ commonly means channel operator and + voice. Additional prefixes depend on the server's advertised PREFIX rules.

Replies and local state

Numeric 353 supplies a channel and nickname list; 366 conventionally ends the response. Individual numeric hooks and the general numeric hook can suppress normal display. The names hook receives the channel and nickname list for each displayed reply. See on.

During channel synchronization after joining, EPIC adds the received names to its channel state, recognizing advertised status prefixes with a conventional fallback. The join-time display normally reads Users on channel: names and is controlled by /set show_channel_names, on by default, as well as hooks. Turning that setting off does not disable all manually requested NAMES output or prevent the synchronization bookkeeping.

Outside synchronization, replies are displayed with public/private/secret labels based on the server's type marker. /set channel_name_width is consulted for channel-name formatting. A manual query is not a general replacement of EPIC's cached member list; the synchronization path performs the membership additions.

Restrictions

Visibility depends on server rules, channel privacy, user modes, membership, and privileges. Invisible users or secret channels may be omitted from queries made outside a channel. A returned list should not be treated as a guaranteed complete directory of the network.

Large unrestricted requests can generate substantial output. Prefer specific channels, and do not wait indefinitely for a response in a script. Servers can restrict or rate-limit queries.

Sending requires a usable connection. A closed connection normally produces a diagnostic subject to the disconnect hook; with no server record, no request is sent. The built-in is always registered.

Examples

/names #epic
/names

The first example requests one channel. The second uses the server's no-argument behavior rather than a client-side all-channel scan.

Source

Registration and the shared send_comm handler are in source/commands.c. Server selection and transmission are in source/server.c. Numeric handling, hooks, synchronization checks, and formatting are in source/numbers.c; member and prefix processing are in source/names.c. Display settings are registered in source/vars.c, with defaults in include/config.h.