# XChat 2.0 Plugin Interface

plugin20.html revision 1.08
Latest version of this document is available at: http://xchat.org/docs/plugin20.html

## Information:

> Introduction
> Sample plugin
> What is word and word_eol?
> Lists and fields
> Plugins on Windows (Win32)
> Controlling the GUI
> Handling UTF-8/Unicode strings

## Functions:

> xchat_hook_command
> xchat_hook_fd
> xchat_hook_print
> xchat_hook_server
> xchat_hook_timer
> xchat_unhook
> xchat_command
> xchat_commandf
> xchat_print
> xchat_printf
> xchat_emit_print
> xchat_send_modes
> xchat_find_context
> xchat_get_context
> xchat_get_info
> xchat_get_prefs
> xchat_set_context
> xchat_nickcmp
> xchat_strip
> xchat_free
> xchat_list_get
> xchat_list_free
> xchat_list_fields (not documented yet)
> xchat_list_next
> xchat_list_str
> xchat_list_int
> xchat_list_time
> xchat_plugingui_add (not documented yet)
> xchat_plugingui_remove (not documented yet)

### Introduction

Plugins for XChat are written in C. The interface aims to keep 100% binary compatability. This means that if you upgrade XChat, you will not need to recompile your plugins, they'll continue to work. The interface doesn't depend on any structures and offsets, so compiler versions shouldn't have an impact either. The only real requirement of an XChat plugin, is that it define a "xchat_plugin_init" symbol. This is your entry point function, see the example below. You should make all your global variables and functions static, so that a symbol is not exported. There is no harm in exporting these symbols, but they are not necessary and only pollute the name-space. Plugins are compiled as shared objects (.so files), for example:
Most UNIX systems:

    	gcc -Wl,--export-dynamic -Wall -O1 -shared -fPIC myplugin.c -o myplugin.so

MacOSX:

    	gcc -no-cpp-precomp -g -O2 -Wall -bundle -flat_namespace -undefined suppress -o myplugin.so myplugin.c

See the Windows section on how to compile a plugin using visual studio.

All strings passed to and from plugins are encoded in UTF-8, regardless of locale. What does this mean?

### Sample plugin

This simple plugin autoOps anyone who joins a channel you're in. It also adds a new command /AUTOOPTOGGLE, which can be used to turn the feature ON or OFF. Every XChat plugin must define an xchat_plugin_init function, this is the normal entry point. xchat_plugin_deinit is optional.

    #include "xchat-plugin.h"

    #define PNAME "AutoOp"
    #define PDESC "Auto Ops anyone that joins";
    #define PVERSION "0.1"

    static xchat_plugin *ph;   /* plugin handle */
    static int enable = 1;

    static int join_cb(char *word[], void *userdata)
    {
       if (enable)
          /* Op ANYONE who joins */
          xchat_commandf(ph, "OP %s", word[1]);
       /* word[1] is the nickname, as in the Settings->Advanced->TextEvents window in xchat */

       return XCHAT_EAT_NONE;  /* don't eat this event, xchat needs to see it! */
    }

    static int autooptoggle_cb(char *word[], char *word_eol[], void *userdata)
    {
       if (!enable)
       {
          enable = 1;
          xchat_print(ph, "AutoOping now enabled!\n");
       } else
       {
          enable = 0;
          xchat_print(ph, "AutoOping now disabled!\n");
       }

       return XCHAT_EAT_ALL;   /* eat this command so xchat and other plugins can't process it */
    }

    void xchat_plugin_get_info(char **name, char **desc, char **version, void **reserved)
    {
       *name = PNAME;
       *desc = PDESC;
       *version = PVERSION;
    }

    int xchat_plugin_init(xchat_plugin *plugin_handle,
                          char **plugin_name,
                          char **plugin_desc,
                          char **plugin_version,
                          char *arg)
    {
       /* we need to save this for use with any xchat_* functions */
       ph = plugin_handle;

       /* tell xchat our info */
       *plugin_name = PNAME;
       *plugin_desc = PDESC;
       *plugin_version = PVERSION;

       xchat_hook_command(ph, "AutoOpToggle", XCHAT_PRI_NORM, autooptoggle_cb, "Usage: AUTOOPTOGGLE, Turns OFF/ON Auto Oping", 0);
       xchat_hook_print(ph, "Join", XCHAT_PRI_NORM, join_cb, 0);

       xchat_print(ph, "AutoOpPlugin loaded successfully!\n");

       return 1;       /* return 1 for success */
    }

### What's word and word_eol?

They are arrays of strings. They contain the parameters the user entered for the particular command. For example, if you executed:

    /command NICK hi there

    word[1] is command
    word[2] is NICK
    word[3] is hi
    word[4] is there

    word_eol[1] is command NICK hi there
    word_eol[2] is NICK hi there
    word_eol[3] is hi there
    word_eol[4] is there

These arrays are simply provided for your convenience. You are NOT allowed to alter them. Both arrays are limited to 32 elements (index 31). word[0] and word_eol[0] are reserved and should not be read.

### Lists and Fields

Lists of information (DCCs, Channels, Userlist etc) can be retreived with xchat_list_get. All fields are READ ONLY and must be copied if needed for a long time after calling xchat_list_str. The types of lists and fields available are:

> "channels" - list of channels, querys and their servers.

> > Name | Description | Type
> > channel | Channel or query name | string
> > chantypes | Channel types e.g. "#!&" (Added in version 2.0.9. Older versions will return NULL) | string
> > context | (xchat_context *) pointer. Can be used with xchat_set_context | string
> > flags | Server Bits: 0=Connected 1=Connecting 2=Away 3=EndOfMotd (Login complete) 4=Has WHOX (Added in version 2.0.9. Older versions will return -1) | int
> > id | Unique server ID (Added in version 2.0.8. Older versions will return -1) | int
> > maxmodes | Maximum modes per line (Added in version 2.0.9. Older versions will return -1) | int
> > network | Network name to which this channel belongs (Added in version 2.0.2. Older versions will return NULL) | string
> > nickprefixes | Nickname prefixes e.g. "@+" (Added in version 2.0.9. Older versions will return NULL) | string
> > nickmodes | Nickname mode chars e.g. "ov" (Added in version 2.0.9. Older versions will return NULL) | string
> > server | Server name to which this channel belongs | string
> > type | Type of context this is: 1-Server 2-Channel 3-Dialog (Added in version 2.0.2. Older versions will return -1) | int
> > users | Number of users in this channel (Added in version 2.0.8. Older versions will return -1) | int

> "dcc" - list of DCC file transfers. Fields:

> > Name | Description | Type
> > address32 | Address of the remote user (ipv4 address) | int
> > cps | Bytes per second (speed) | int
> > destfile | Destination full pathname | string
> > file | File name | string
> > nick | Nickname of person who the file is from/to | string
> > port | TCP port number | int
> > pos | Bytes sent/received | int
> > resume | Point at which this file was resumed (or zero if it was not resumed) | int
> > size | File size in bytes | int
> > status | DCC Status: 0-Queued 1-Active 2-Failed 3-Done 4-Connecting 5-Aborted | int
> > type | DCC Type: 0-Send 1-Receive 2-ChatRecv 3-ChatSend | int

> "ignore" - current ignore list.

> > Name | Description | Type
> > mask | Ignore mask. .e.g: *!*@*.aol.com | string
> > flags | Bit field of flags. 0=Private 1=Notice 2=Channel 3=Ctcp 4=Invite 5=UnIgnore 6=NoSave 7=DCC | int

> "notify" - list of people on notify.

> > Name | Description | Type
> > nick | Nickname | string
> > flags | Bit field of flags. 0=Is online. | int
> > on | Time when user came online. | time_t
> > off | Time when user went offline. | time_t
> > seen | Time when user the user was last verified still online. | time_t

> > The entire "notify" list was added in xchat 2.0.8. Fields are only valid for the context when xchat_list_get() was called (i.e. you get information about the user ON THAT ONE SERVER ONLY). You may cycle through the "channels" list to find notify information for every server.

> "users" - list of users in the current channel.

> > Name | Description | Type
> > away | Away status (boolean) (Added in version 2.0.6. Older versions will return -1) | int
> > lasttalk | Last time the user was seen talking (Added in version 2.4.2. Older versions will return -1) | time_t
> > nick | Nick name | string
> > host | Host name in the form: user@host (or NULL if not known). | string
> > prefix | Prefix character, .e.g: @ or +. Points to a single char. | string

Example:

       list = xchat_list_get(ph, "dcc");
       if(list)
       {
          xchat_print(ph, "--- DCC LIST ------------------\n"
                          "File  To/From   KB/s   Position\n");

          while(xchat_list_next(ph, list))
          {
             xchat_printf(ph, "%6s %10s %.2f  %d\n",
                 xchat_list_str(ph, list, "file"),
                 xchat_list_str(ph, list, "nick"),
                 xchat_list_int(ph, list, "cps") / 1024,
                 xchat_list_int(ph, list, "pos"));
          }

          xchat_list_free(ph, list);
       }

### Plugins on Windows (Win32)

Yes, it can be done. All you need is either MSVC (Visual Studio) or MINGW, both these compilers are free to download. Simply compile your plugin as a DLL. You should have the following files:

- xchat-plugin.h - Main Plugin header
- plugin.c - Your plugin, you need to write this one :)
- plugin.def - A simple text file containing the following:

EXPORTS
xchat_plugin_init
xchat_plugin_deinit
xchat_plugin_get_info
Leave out xchat_plugin_deinit if you don't intend to define that function. Then, to compile, type this at your command prompt:
MSVC
cl -O1 -MD -G5 -DWIN32 -c plugin.c
link /DLL /out:plugin.dll /SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS plugin.obj /def:plugin.def
GCC (MINGW)
gcc -Os -DWIN32 -c plugin.c
dllwrap --def plugin.def --dllname plugin.dll plugin.o
For a complete example, have a look at the source code of the DNS Plugin, which also contains a Makefile.
Caveat: Plugins compiled on Win32 MUST have a global variable called ph, which is the plugin_handle, much like in the sample plugin above.

### Controlling the GUI

A simple way to perform basic GUI functions is to use the /GUI command. You can execute this command through the input-box, or by calling xchat_command(ph, "GUI .....");.

> GUI COLOR n | Change the tab color of the current context, where n is a number from 0 to 3.
> GUI FOCUS | Focus the current window or tab.
> GUI FLASH | Flash the taskbar button. It will flash only if the window isn't focused and will stop when it is focused by the user.
> GUI HIDE | Hide the main xchat window completely (this is used by the Systray plugin).
> GUI ICONIFY | Iconify (minimize to taskbar) the current xchat window.
> GUI MSGBOX text | Displays a asynchronous message box with your text (new for 2.4.5).
> GUI SHOW | Show the main xchat window (if currently hidden).

Note, the FLASH, ICONIFY and COLOR args were added in xchat 2.0.8, they will not work with previous versions.

Starting from 2.4.5 you can add your own items to the menu bar. The menu command has this syntax:

    	MENU [-eX] [-k<mod>,<key>] [-pX] [-tX] {ADD|DEL} <path> [command] [unselect command]

For example:

    	MENU -p5 ADD FServe
    	MENU ADD "FServe/Show File List" "fs list"
    	MENU ADD FServe/-
    	MENU -k4,101 -t1 ADD "FServe/Enabled" "fs on" "fs off"
    	MENU -e0 ADD "FServe/Do Something" "fs action"

In the example above, it would be recommended to execute "MENU DEL FServe" inside your xchat_plugin_deinit function. The special item with name "-" will add a separator line.
Parameters and flags:

> -eX | Set enable flag to X. -e0 for disable, -e1 for enable. This lets you create a disabled (shaded) item.
> -k<mod>,<key> | Specify a keyboard shortcut. "mod" is the modifier which is a bitwise OR of: 1-SHIFT 4-CTRL 8-ALT in decimal. "key" is the key value in decimal, e.g. -k5,101 would specify SHIFT-CTRL-E.
> -pX | Specify a menu item's position number. e.g. -p5 will cause the item to be inserted in the 5th place.
> -tX | Specify a toggle menu item with an initial state. -t0 for an "unticked" item and -t1 for a "ticked" item.

If you want to change an item's toggle state or enabled flag, just ADD an item with exactly the same name and command and specify the -tX -eX parameters you need.
It's also possible to add items to XChat's existing menus, for example:

    	MENU ADD "Settings/Sub Menu"
    	MENU -t0 ADD "Settings/Sub Menu/My Setting" myseton mysetoff

However, internal names and layouts of XChat's menu may change in the future, so use at own risk.

### Handling UTF-8/Unicode strings

The XChat plugin API specifies that strings passed to and from xchat must be encoded in UTF-8.
What does this mean for the plugin programmer? You just have to be a little careful when passing strings obtained from IRC to system calls. For example, if you're writing a file-server bot, someone might message you a filename. Can you pass this filename directly to open()? Maybe! If you're lazy... The correct thing to do is to convert the string to "system locale encoding", otherwise your plugin will fail on non-ascii characters.
Here are examples on how to do this conversion on Unix and Windows. In this example, someone will CTCP you the message "GET -filename-".

    static int ctcp_cb(char *word[], char *word_eol[], void *userdata)
    {
    	if(strcmp(word[1], "GET") == 0)
    	{
    		get_file_name(word[2]);
    	}

    	return XCHAT_EAT_XCHAT;
    }

    static void get_file_name(char *name)
    {
    	/* the name is in UTF-8, because it came from the xchat API */

#ifdef _WIN32

    	char loc_name[512];
    	int n;

    	/* convert UTF-8 to WIDECHARs (NOTE: Win98 or above required) */
    	n = MultiByteToWideChar(CP_UTF8, 0, name, -1, loc_name, sizeof(loc_name) / 2);
    	if(n)
    	{
    		/* now we have WIDECHARs, so we can _wopen() or CreateFileW() */
    		fd = _wopen(loc_name, O_RDONLY | O_BINARY);
    		...
    		...
    	}

#else

    	char *loc_name;

    	/* convert UTF-8 to System Encoding */
    	loc_name = g_filename_from_utf8(name, -1, 0, 0, 0);
    	if(loc_name)
    	{
    		/* now open using the system's encoding */
    		fd = open(loc_name, O_RDONLY);
    		...
    		...
    		g_free(loc_name);
    	}

#endif

    }

# Functions

### xchat_hook_command()

Prototype: xchat_hook *xchat_hook_command(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *name, int pri, xchat_cmd_cb *callb, const char *help_text, void *userdata);
Description: Adds a new /command. This allows your program to handle commands entered at the input box. To capture text without a "/" at the start (non-commands), you may hook a special name of "". i.e xchat_hook_command(ph, "", ...);.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> name: Name of the command (without the forward slash).
> pri: Priority of this command. Use XCHAT_PRI_NORM.
> callb: Callback function. This will be called when the user executes the given command name.
> help_text: String of text to display when the user executes /help for this command. May be NULL if you're lazy.
> userdata: Pointer passed to the callback function.

Returns: Pointer to the hook. Can be passed to xchat_unhook.
Example:

>     static int onotice_cb(char *word[], char *word_eol[], void *userdata)
>     {
>     	if(word_eol[2][0] == 0)
>     	{
>     		xchat_printf(ph, "Second arg must be the message!\n");
>     		return XCHAT_EAT_ALL;
>     	}

>     	xchat_commandf(ph, "NOTICE @%s :%s", xchat_get_info(ph, "channel"), word_eol[2]);
>     	return XCHAT_EAT_ALL;
>     }

>     xchat_hook_command(ph, "ONOTICE", XCHAT_PRI_NORM, onotice_cb,
>                        "Usage: ONOTICE <message> Sends a notice to all ops", NULL);

### xchat_hook_fd()

Prototype: xchat_hook *xchat_hook_fd(xchat_plugin *ph, int fd, int flags, xchat_fd_cb *callb, void *userdata);
Description: Hooks a socket or file descriptor.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> fd: The file descriptor or socket.
> flags: One or more of XCHAT_FD_READ, XCHAT_FD_WRITE, XCHAT_FD_EXCEPTION, XCHAT_FD_NOTSOCKET. Use bitwise OR to combine them. XCHAT_FD_NOTSOCKET tells xchat that the provided fd is not a socket, but a file descriptor. This is only relevant on Windows, where network sockets are distinguished from file descriptors (such as pipes).
> callb: Callback function. This will be called when the socket is available for reading/writing or exception (depending on your chosen flags)
> userdata: Pointer passed to the callback function.

Returns: Pointer to the hook. Can be passed to xchat_unhook.

### xchat_hook_print()

Prototype: xchat_hook *xchat_hook_print(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *name, int pri, xchat_print_cb *callb, void *userdata);
Description: Registers a function to trap any print events. The event names may be any available in the "Advanced > Text Events" window. There are also some extra "special" events you may hook using this function. Currently they are:

> "Open Context" - Called when a new xchat_context is created.
> "Close Context" - Called when a xchat_context pointer is closed.
> "Focus Tab" - Called when a tab is brought to front.
> "Focus Window" - Called a toplevel window is focused, or the main tab-window is focused by the window manager.
> "DCC Chat Text" - Called when some text from a DCC Chat arrives. It provides these elements in the word[] array:

> > word[1] Address
> > word[2] Port
> > word[3] Nick
> > word[4] The Message

> "Key Press" - Called when some keys are pressed in the input-box (since 2.4.2). It provides these elements in the word[] array:

> > word[1] Key Value
> > word[2] State Bitfield (shift, capslock, alt)
> > word[3] String version of the key
> > word[4] Length of the string (may be 0 for unprintable keys)

Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> name: Name of the print event (as in Edit Event Texts Window).
> pri: Priority of this command. Use XCHAT_PRI_NORM.
> callb: Callback function. This will be called when this event name is printed.
> userdata: Pointer passed to the callback function.

Returns: Pointer to the hook. Can be passed to xchat_unhook.
Example:

>     static int youpart_cb(char *word[], void *userdata)
>     {
>     	xchat_printf(ph, "You have left channel %s\n", word[3]);
>     	return XCHAT_EAT_XCHAT;	/* dont let xchat do its normal printing */
>     }

>     xchat_hook_print(ph, "You Part", XCHAT_PRI_NORM, youpart_cb, NULL);

### xchat_hook_server()

Prototype: xchat_hook *xchat_hook_server(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *name, int pri, xchat_serv_cb *callb, void *userdata);
Description: Registers a function to be called when a certain server event occurs. You can use this to trap PRIVMSG, NOTICE, PART, a server numeric etc... If you want to hook every line that comes from the IRC server, you may use the special name of "RAW LINE".
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> name: Name of the server event.
> pri: Priority of this command. Use XCHAT_PRI_NORM.
> callb: Callback function. This will be called when this event is received from the server.
> userdata: Pointer passed to the callback function.

Returns: Pointer to the hook. Can be passed to xchat_unhook.
Example:

>     static int kick_cb(char *word[], char *word_eol[], void *userdata)
>     {
>     	xchat_printf(ph, "%s was kicked from %s (reason=%s)\n", word[4], word[3], word_eol[5]);
>     	return XCHAT_EAT_NONE;	/* don't eat this event, let other plugins and xchat see it too */
>     }

>     xchat_hook_server(ph, "KICK", XCHAT_PRI_NORM, kick_cb, NULL);

### xchat_hook_timer()

Prototype: xchat_hook *xchat_hook_timer(xchat_plugin *ph, int timeout, xchat_timer_cb *callb, void *userdata);
Description: Registers a function to be called every "timeout" milliseconds.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> timeout: Timeout in milliseconds (1000 is 1 second).
> callb: Callback function. This will be called every "timeout" milliseconds.
> userdata: Pointer passed to the callback function.

Returns: Pointer to the hook. Can be passed to xchat_unhook.
Example:

>     static xchat_hook *myhook;

>     static int stop_cb(char *word[], char *word_eol[], void *userdata)
>     {
>     	if(myhook != NULL)
>     	{
>     		xchat_unhook(ph, myhook);
>     		myhook = NULL;
>     		xchat_print(ph, "Timeout removed!\n");
>     	}

>     	return XCHAT_EAT_ALL;
>     }

>     static int timeout_cb(void *userdata)
>     {
>     	xchat_print(ph, "Annoying message every 5 seconds! Type /STOP to stop it.\n");
>     	return 1;	/* return 1 to keep the timeout going */
>     }

>     myhook = xchat_hook_timer(ph, 5000, timeout_cb, NULL);
>     xchat_hook_command(ph, "STOP", XCHAT_PRI_NORM, stop_cb, NULL, NULL);

### xchat_unhook()

Prototype: void *xchat_unhook(xchat_plugin *ph, xchat_hook *hook);
Description: Unhooks any hook registered with xchat_hook_print/server/timer/command. When plugins are unloaded, all of its hooks are automatically removed, so you don't need to call this within your xchat_plugin_deinit() function.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> hook: Pointer to the hook, as returned by xchat_hook_*.

Returns: The userdata you originally gave to xchat_hook_*.

### xchat_command()

Prototype: void xchat_command(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *command);
Description: Executes a command as if it were typed in xchat's input box.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> command: Command to execute, without the forward slash "/".

### xchat_commandf()

Prototype: void xchat_commandf(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *format, ...);
Description: Executes a command as if it were typed in xchat's input box and provides string formating like printf.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> format: The format string.

### xchat_print()

Prototype: void xchat_print(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *text);
Description: Prints some text to the current tab/window.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> text: Text to print. May contain mIRC color codes.

### xchat_printf()

Prototype: void xchat_printf(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *format, ...);
Description: Prints some text to the current tab/window and provides formating like printf.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> format: The format string.

### xchat_emit_print()

Prototype: int xchat_emit_print(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *event_name, ...);
Description: Generates a print event. This can be any event found in the Preferences > Advanced > Text Events window.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> event_name: Text event to print.

Returns: 1-Success 0-Failure.
Example:

    xchat_emit_print(ph, "Channel Message", "John", "Hi there", "@", NULL);

### xchat_send_modes() (new for 2.0.9)

Prototype: void xchat_send_modes (xchat_plugin *ph, const char *targets[], int ntargets, int modes_per_line, char sign, char mode)
Description: Sends a number of channel mode changes to the current channel. For example, you can Op a whole group of people in one go. It may send multiple MODE lines if the request doesn't fit on one. Pass 0 for modes_per_line to use the current server's maximum possible. This function should only be called while in a channel context.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> targets: Array of targets (strings). The names of people whom the action will be performed on.
> ntargets: Number of elements in the array given.
> modes_per_line: Maximum modes to send per line.
> sign: Mode sign, '-' or '+'.
> mode: Mode char, e.g. 'o' for Ops.

Example: (Ops the three names given)

    const char *names_to_Op[] = {"John", "Jack", "Jill"};
    xchat_send_modes(ph, names_to_Op, 3, 0, '+', 'o');

### xchat_find_context()

Prototype: xchat_context *xchat_find_context(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *servname, const char *channel);
Description: Finds a context based on a channel and servername. If servname is NULL, it finds any channel (or query) by the given name. If channel is NULL, it finds the front-most tab/window of the given servname. If NULL is given for both arguments, the currently focused tab/window will be returned.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> servname: Servername or NULL.
> channel: Channelname or NULL.

Returns: Context pointer (for use with xchat_set_context) or NULL.

### xchat_get_context()

Prototype: xchat_context *xchat_get_context(xchat_plugin *ph);
Description: Returns the current context for your plugin. You can use this later with xchat_set_context.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).

Returns: Context pointer (for use with xchat_set_context).

### xchat_get_info()

Prototype: const char *xchat_get_info(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *id);
Description: Returns information based on your current context.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> id: ID of the information you want. Currently supported IDs are (case sensitive):

> > away | away reason or NULL if you are not away.
> > channel | current channel name.
> > charset | character-set used in the current context (since 2.4.2).
> > host | real hostname of the server you connected to.
> > inputbox | the input-box contents, what the user has typed (since 2.4.1).
> > libdirfs | library directory. e.g. /usr/lib/xchat. The same directory used for auto-loading plugins (since 2.4.0).This string isn't necessarily UTF-8, but local file system encoding.
> > network | current network name or NULL.
> > nick | your current nick name.
> > nickserv | nickserv password for this network or NULL (since 2.4.3).
> > server | current server name (what the server claims to be). NULL if you are not connected.
> > topic | current channel topic.
> > version | xchat version number.
> > win_status | window status: "active", "hidden" or "normal" (since 2.0.9).
> > xchatdir | xchat config directory, e.g.: /home/user/.xchat2 This string is encoded in UTF-8, which means you _should_ to convert it to "locale" encoding before using functions like open() or OpenFile().
> > xchatdirfs | xchat config directory, e.g.: /home/user/.xchat2 (since 2.0.9).This string is encoded in local file system encoding, making it ideal for direct use with functions like open() or OpenFile().

Returns: A string of the requested information, or NULL. This string must not be freed and must be copied if needed after the call to xchat_get_info.

### xchat_get_prefs()

Prototype: int xchat_get_prefs(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *name, const char **string, int *integer);
Description: Provides xchat's setting information (that which is available through the /set command). A few extra bits of information are available that don't appear in the /set list, currently they are:

> state_cursor | Current input-box cursor position (characters, not bytes). Since 2.4.2.

Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> name: Setting name required.
> string: Pointer-pointer which to set.
> integer: Pointer to an integer to set, if setting is a Boolean or Integer type.

Returns: 0-Failed 1-Returned a string 2-Returned an Integer 3-Returned a Boolean.
Example:

>     {
>     	int i;
>     	const char *str;

>     	if (xchat_get_prefs (ph, "irc_nick1", &str, &i) == 1)
>     	{
>     		xchat_printf (ph, "Current nickname setting: %s\n", str);
>     	}
>     }

### xchat_set_context()

Prototype: int xchat_set_context(xchat_plugin *ph, xchat_context *ctx);
Description: Changes your current context to the one given.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> ctx: Context to change to (obtained with xchat_get_context or xchat_find_context).

Returns: 1 for success, 0 for failure.

### xchat_nickcmp()

Prototype: int xchat_nickcmp(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *s1, const char *s2);
Description: Performs a nick name comparision, based on the current server connection. This might be a RFC1459 compliant string compare, or plain ascii (in the case of DALNet). Use this to compare channels and nicknames. The function works the same way as strcasecmp.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> s1: String to compare.
> s2: String to compare s1 to.

Quote from RFC1459:

> Because of IRC's scandanavian origin, the characters {}| are considered to be the lower case equivalents of the characters []\, respectively. This is a critical issue when determining the equivalence of two nicknames.

Returns: An integer less than, equal to, or greater than zero if s1 is found, respectively, to be less than, to match, or be greater than s2.

### xchat_strip() (new for 2.4.2)

Prototype: char *xchat_strip(xchat_plugin *ph, const char *str, int len, int flags);
Description: Strips mIRC color codes and/or text attributes (bold, underlined etc) from the given string and returns a newly allocated string.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> str: String to strip.
> len: Length of the string (or -1 for NULL terminated).
> flags: Bit-field of flags: 0-Strip mIRC colors, 1-Strip text attributes.

Returns: A newly allocated string or NULL for failure. You must free this string with xchat_free.
Example:

>     {
>     	char *new_text;

>     	/* strip both colors and attributes by using the 0 and 1 bits (1 BITWISE-OR 2) */
>     	new_text = xchat_strip(ph, "\00312Blue\003 \002Bold!\002", -1, 1 | 2);

>     	if(new_text)
>     	{
>     		/* new_text should now contain only "Blue Bold!" */
>     		xchat_printf(ph, "%s\n", new_text);
>     		xchat_free(ph, new_text);
>     	}
>     }

### xchat_free() (new for 2.4.2)

Prototype: void xchat_free(xchat_plugin *ph, void *ptr);
Description: Frees a string returned by xchat_* functions. Currently only used to free strings from xchat_strip.
Arguments:

> ph: Plugin handle (as given to xchat_plugin_init).
> ptr: Pointer to free.