finger

Synopsis

/ctcp <target> finger

Description

Ask another client for more detailed information about its user. The information is controlled by that client and its user, so it may be incomplete, customized, or inaccurate. A client may omit or disable the responder, and a reply is not guaranteed.

<target> is normally a nickname. The ctcp command also accepts a channel or * for the current channel, where multiple clients may respond. There are no finger-specific options or required arguments. In ordinary use, the request travels in an IRC privmsg and a supporting client replies in a CTCP notice. Delivery, filtering, and errors depend on the server and destination.

EPIC6 response behavior

The responder is provided by script/ctcp, loaded by script/builtins, rather than by a C built-in handler. A setup that does not load that script needs /load ctcp to install it. The supplied responder ignores additional request arguments and constructs this reply:

name (user@host) Idle seconds second(s)

It chooses the fields as follows:

• name: the nonempty IRCFINGER environment variable, otherwise default_realname, otherwise Esteemed EPIC User.
• user: the nonempty IRCUSER environment variable, otherwise the portion before @ in the current server's recorded userhost ($X).
• host: the portion after @ in that recorded userhost. It is not independently discovered by this handler.
• seconds: the client's input idle time ($E) in whole seconds, rather than a server-reported idle value.

Replies normally pass through on ctcp_reply and display as CTCP FINGER reply from sender: reply-text unless scripts suppress or customize display. Request hooks or deactivating the registered CTCP can prevent automatic responses. Automatic replies are subject to no_ctcp_flood reply throttling; long replies can be truncated to available IRC message space.

Example

/ctcp john finger

If John's client supports and permits this request, it returns its configured user information.

Source references

• script/ctcp: do_ctcp_finger_request and request-handler registration.
• script/builtins: loads the CTCP script.
• source/functions.c: $X reads the server userhost; $E calculates client input idle time.
• source/screen.c: input processing updates the idle timestamp.
• source/commands.c and source/ctcp.c: CTCP sending, reply hooks/display, encoding, and reply throttling.