notify script

Synopsis

/load notify
/notify [<nickname>|+<nickname>|-<nickname> ...]
/notify -
/monitor <arguments...>

Description

This is the script-provided nickname notification interface. It replaces the former built-in notify command with a wrapper around the current IRC server's MONITOR facility. The supplied builtins script loads it automatically; /load notify also loads it explicitly.

The server maintains the watch list for that connection and reports online and offline names. This script does not maintain global, group, or local client-side lists, poll with ISON, or restore a saved list after reconnecting. It provides neither nlist nor the former nickname:refnum and nickname::group selection syntax. Use the desired connection's command context before changing its list.

Commands and effects

The notify alias first checks the current server's advertised 005 MONITOR value. If it is empty or false, it prints This server does not support MONITOR which is used by /NOTIFY and sends nothing. There is no WATCH or polling fallback.

For other arguments, leading - marks removals and leading + is stripped from additions; unprefixed words are additions. If a single command contains both additions and removals, only additions are sent. Submit them separately.

The alias joins multiple supplied words with spaces, not commas, and does not split requests to fit server limits or validate nickname syntax. For example, /notify alice bob sends MONITOR + alice bob; how extra parameters are interpreted depends on the server. Single-name operations avoid that ambiguity. The direct monitor alias lets you supply the server's required argument format yourself.

All requests are forwarded through quote. A request is not confirmation of success: support, list capacity, accepted syntax, results, and notification timing depend on the server. The script has no local retry, error recovery, persistence, or limit handling.

Notifications and compatibility

The script installs serial-zero suppressing numeric hooks. Numeric 730 prints *** <reply text> is online; numeric 731 prints *** <reply text> is not online. The reply text is forwarded after removing the hook's server-name field, without parsing individual comma-separated entries or userhosts. Other numerics, including server errors, retain ordinary numeric handling unless another script changes it.

These hooks display replies directly rather than generating the removed notify signon/signoff events. The former notify, notify_interval, and notify_userhost_automatic settings do not control this implementation. Other scripts replacing the same hooks or aliases can change its behavior.

The alias can be invoked as $notify(...), but that branch is an unimplemented placeholder: it returns empty and sends no request. It does not return a watch list or online status. Command use also has no status-return contract; replies arrive asynchronously from the server.

No external program or optional client platform feature is required. A usable server connection and server MONITOR support are needed for notifications. Loading the script itself defines aliases and hooks without starting monitoring.

Example

/notify alice
/notify +bob
/notify
/notify -alice
/notify -

This adds two names with separate requests, asks for current status, removes one name, then clears the connection's watch list.

Other notes

The retained implementation is marked as 2025 work by hop. It is a different implementation from the older scripted notify system with global and local lists.

Source references

• script/notify: aliases, support check, argument bucketing, placeholder function branch, and numeric hooks.
• script/builtins: automatically loads notify.
• source/server.c: serverctl(get -1 005 monitor) reads the current server's advertised support; get_server resolves -1 to the current context.
• source/commands.c: quotecmd forwards the request.
• source/numbers.c: generic numeric hooks receive server name followed by reply arguments, with default display when not suppressed.