ping
Synopsis
/ctcp <target> ping <seconds> <microseconds>
Description
CTCP ping supplies the protocol support for the ping command. Prefer /ping <target> for ordinary use: it supplies the current timestamp automatically. The timestamp consists of seconds since the Unix epoch and a separate microsecond fraction, not a single decimal number.
A supporting recipient echoes the supplied arguments in a CTCP reply. The requesting client can compare the returned timestamp with its current time to estimate round-trip delay, including server routing, remote client processing, and any throttling. This is not an IRC server ping/pong exchange.
<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 ping-specific options. In ordinary use, the request is sent as an IRC privmsg and the reply as a CTCP notice. Delivery and filtering depend on the server and remote client; no reply is guaranteed.
EPIC6 behavior
The C /ping command constructs the timestamp and invokes the generic CTCP sender. Automatic replies and elapsed-time interpretation are supplied by script/ctcp, loaded by script/builtins. A setup that does not load it needs /load ctcp for those handlers.
The supplied request handler echoes the argument text without interpreting it. Its reply handler subtracts the first two returned timestamp fields from the current time, borrowing one second when needed, and substitutes <elapsed> seconds for the reply arguments. It temporarily enables floating-point arithmetic for this calculation and restores the prior setting afterward.
The reply then passes through on ctcp_reply and normally displays as CTCP PING reply from sender: elapsed seconds. If the timestamp fields are absent or evaluate as false, or the computed delay is negative, the script returns no replacement and the original arguments remain available for normal reply display. Extra fields after the first two timestamp fields do not participate in timing.
The handler does not match the timestamp against a saved outstanding request, so the displayed delay is calculated from the received values rather than independently authenticated. Wall-clock changes can also affect the result. Automatic replies are subject to no_ctcp_flood reply throttling; outgoing requests are not throttled by that setting. Hooks or deactivating the registered CTCP can suppress responses.
Examples
/ping john
Send a timestamped request to John and, with the reply script loaded, display the calculated round-trip time when a suitable reply arrives.
For a script that needs the underlying request explicitly:
/ctcp john ping $utime()
Source references
source/commands.c:pingcmdconstructs the timestamp and callsctcpcmd.script/ctcp: request echoing,do_ping_reply, response registration, and argument replacement.script/builtins: loads the CTCP script.source/functions.c:function_utimereturns seconds and microseconds.source/ctcp.c: sending, reply dispatch, argument replacement, hooks, and throttling.