notify function (removed built-in)
Former synopsis
$notify([on|off serv <server-number>])
Historical behavior
The former built-in function queried the client's internal notify list. Without arguments, it returned all watched nicknames. The on selector requested watched names known to be online, and off requested those known to be offline; serv <server-number> selected the server for that status query. These selectors were function arguments, not invocations of the ON hook-registration command.
Returning a nickname list let scripts manipulate notify information instead of relying on the command's display. Historical examples were:
$notify()
$notify(on serv 2)
$notify(off serv 5)
For the former built-in interface, /notify hop crowman archon sheik populated the list queried by the examples above. These command and query forms do not describe the current EPIC6 implementation.
EPIC6 behavior
The C function registry no longer contains notify. The supplied notify script, loaded by builtins, defines an alias that can also be called as a function. Its function-call branch is an unfinished placeholder: it immediately returns an empty string without processing the arguments or sending a MONITOR request. It does not return a nickname list, online status, or a success indication.
Do not interpret that empty result as proof that the server's watch list is empty or that nobody is online. Command use is a separate MONITOR wrapper described in notify command. It does not supply a replacement client-side cache for the old function. Another loaded script could override the alias and would define its own behavior.
History
The current supplied MONITOR alias is marked as hop's 2025 implementation.
Source references
source/functions.c: no current built-innotifyregistration.script/notify:functioncall()branch returns without a value or request.script/builtins: loads the supplied notify alias.source/commands.c: user-function invocation initializes an empty local return value before executing the alias.