on public

Synopsis

/on [<noise>]public "<pattern>" [(<argument list>)] { <commands> }

Description

Triggered for ordinary incoming channel-message text when the channel is current in its owning window and the message takes EPIC's regular public-message path. This can include channels current in other windows; it is not limited to the globally selected input window.

A sender absent from the cached membership list takes on public_msg instead when the channel's cached mode +n is absent. With +n present, that outsider check is skipped. Joined channels that are not current in their owning window use on public_other. These classifications use the receiving server's cached channel state.

Use standard on matching and noise controls. The pattern matches the sender, original destination, and text together. There are no event-specific options.

Parameters

A server-advertised status prefix such as @ can be stripped internally to classify a message to @#channel, but $1 retains the original prefixed destination. The text does not include CTCP payloads already consumed by the parser.

Ordering and default behavior

CTCP processing runs first, and CTCP-only messages can bypass ordinary message hooks entirely. On general_privmsg then runs before this event; its suppression prevents public from running. The receiving server's most recent public sender is updated before both hooks, even if display is later suppressed.

If this hook permits default handling, EPIC displays <sender> message without the channel name. This remains the selected format for a status-prefixed destination classified as current-channel public output. A suppressing hook, such as a serial-zero ^public hook, prevents that line and can provide replacement output.

The output context uses the normalized channel at the public message level. Suppression does not retract the message, undo earlier CTCP processing, or remove the sender-state update. The hook does not automatically reply; any script-generated IRC request depends on the connection and server policy.

Example

Replace regular current-channel message display while showing the destination:

on ^public "*" (sender, channel, message) {
    echo <$sender/$channel> $message;
};

This does not replace public_other or public_msg display. Use general_privmsg when you need a common interception point across those classifications.

Source references

• source/parse.c: p_privmsg processes CTCP payloads, classifies channel messages, stores the public sender, invokes the general and specific hooks, and formats output; is_target_channel_wall checks status prefixes.
• source/names.c: is_current_channel tests the owning window's current channel; is_channel_nomsgs checks cached +n; is_on_channel checks membership.
• source/hook.c: event registration and do_hook implement matching and suppression.