What's new in Visual IRC 2.0rc2?

Additions

• ViRC.lib notices when you change your script path or filenames in client
  setup, and automatically rehashes.
• New event: <OnCacheBitmaps>, called at startup and after
  FlushBitmapCache. This is a good place to replace built-in bitmaps.
• ViRC.lib will automatically replace the built-in join/quit/etc bitmaps
  with any corresponding files it finds in your image path:
  _join.bmp, _part.bmp, _joinign.bmp, _partign.bmp,
  _quit.bmp, _nick.bmp, _mode.bmp, _topic.bmp
  If you release a color scheme for 2.0rc2 with new bitmaps, you can
  simply include these files in an image folder, and reference it in your
  scheme file. ViRC.lib will notice when you change your image path and
  automatically recache the bitmaps.+
• New command: CacheBitmap <name> <hbitmap>. You can replace ViRC's
  built-in TextOut images by using a 'name' of _join.bmp, _part.bmp, etc.
  'hbitmap' is the value returned by $bitmap(filename.bmp).
• A scripted popup menu now appears when right-clicking a web hyperlink,
  allowing you to either go to the URL or copy it to the clipboard. This
  makes use of TMS's new OnHyperlinkPopup event.
• New function: $GetTimerServer(<timer name>) returns the ID of the
  server that the timer is associated with, or -1 if not found.
• The script editor has buttons for event options and menu tree
  merge options. If your script uses MergeMenu and you want the script
  editor to recognize it, rename the source tree to the destination
  tree's name followed by __MERGE (e.g., MT_MAINMENU__MERGE), then
  move the MergeMenu line immediately after the last MenuItem for
  the tree.
• ViRC will be drawn with themes under Windows XP.
• New included scripts: sounds.vsc (handles CTCP SOUND) and
  smileys.vsc (shows graphical smileys).
• ViRC.exe now includes 48x48 icons.
• New exception handling for scripts. Now you can catch errors that
  come up when working with files or OVS:
  Try
  @l $filename = $?="Enter a filename"
  $stringlist.LoadFromFile $filename
  Except
  if [$ExceptClass] == [EInOutError]
  MessageBox I/O error prevented me from loading the file: $ExceptMsg
  else
  MessageBox Unexpected exception: $ExceptClass was raised at $ExceptAddr ($ExceptMsg)
  endif
  EndTry
  Use a 'finally' part to run some code whether an exception was
  raised or not. You can omit the 'finally' or 'except' part, or both
  (to ignore all exceptions).
  @l $cur_dir = $GetCurrentDir()
  Try
  ChDir $getpath()
  MkDir $?="Enter a new directory name"
  Finally
  ChDir $cur_dir
  Except
  MessageBox Couldn't make new directory: $ExceptMsg
  EndTry
  In an 'except' part, you can reraise the exception, so it
  will be caught by an outer Try..EndTry statement, with the Raise
  statement. Or you can raise your own exceptions at any time:
  Alias OUTER
  // ignore any exception that occurs in Inner1
  Try
  Inner1
  EndTry
  EndAlias
  Alias INNER1
  Try
  Inner2
  Except
  // display "Inner1 caught Exception - an exception from Inner2"
  MessageBox Inner1 caught $ExceptClass - $ExceptMsg
  // re-raise the exception for Outer to catch
  Raise
  EndTry
  EndAlias
  Alias INNER2
  Raise an exception from Inner2
  EndAlias
• Inline graphics for text windows: \S@bmp:filename[:alt text]\S
  If supplied, the alt text will be copied to the clipboard when the
  graphic is selected. You can also make a graphical script link:
  \S@slbmp:command:filename[:alt text]\S
  <filename> can be either a FULL PATH to the bmp file, or a bitmap
  handle returned by $bitmap(filename.bmp). ViRC will automatically
  look in your image path if you use $bitmap(filename.bmp).
• Tables for text windows. These are basically like custom tab stops;
  there are separate commands to create a table definition, select
  an active table, and move to the next column within a line of text.
  All the commands are used by outputting them to a text control, so
  tables should be defined in <OnCreateWindow>, not <OnStart>.
  define (or redefine) a table: \S@td:<name>:<col1>[:<col2>:...]\S
  - Name must be a single word. A table only has to be defined
  once, then it can be used in any window. Each <colN> sets
  the width of a column; it can specify pixels ('50px'),
  characters ('25ch'), or let ViRC choose a size ('?'). The
  /f flag ('50px/f', '25ch/f') tells ViRC not to resize the
  column, even if some text won't fit.
  (re)define a wrappable table: \S@td/w:<name>:<col1>[:<col2>:...]\S
  - Just like regular @td, but text shown with a wrappable table
  is allowed to wrap to the next line.
  select a table for one line: \S@uset:<name>\S
  - This must appear at the beginning of the line. The named
  table definition will be used for this line only.
  select a table for several lines: \S@pusht:<name>\S
  - The named table will be added to the top of the "table stack",
  and it will be active until it is removed with @popt. Each
  window has its own table stack.
  display text with columns: \S@col\S<some text>
  - Moves to the next table column before displaying the text.
  The previous column may be resized if it wasn't defined with
  /f and if the text that has already been displayed is wider
  than the column's original size.
  unselect a table: \S@popt\S
  - Removes the most recently selected table from the stack.
  unselect all tables: \S@popt/a\S
  - Clears the table stack. When the stack is empty, the default
  table (set with @setdeft) will be used.
  set a default table: \S@setdeft:<name>\S
  - Sets the named table as the default table, so it will be
  active whenever the table stack is empty. ViRC.lib uses a
  default table to line up nicks, so you should only change
  the default table if you know exactly what you're doing.
• New function: $replace(<text> <from1> <to1> [<from2> <to2>...])
  returns the text after replacing each "from" string with the
  corresponding "to" string. All parameters must be quoted as list
  items, and they are case sensitive. The replacement is done on a
  single pass through <text>, so $replace(ABC A X X Z) will return
  "XBC", not "ZBC". $replace(ABCD A foo ABC bar) will return "fooBCD",
  not "barD", because the leftmost from/to pairs are replaced first.
• '@ ${foo} = bar', '-@ ${foo}', etc. are supported.
• https:// and irc:// URLs are highlighted.
• The server list can now be mapped as !ServerList.
• CTCP SOUND support is now included as an add-on script, sounds.vsc.
• New OVS event utilities (in virc.lib):
  // add an event handler to an object. any existing handlers will
  // still run, but this will replace an existing handler with the
  // same ID (first_box).
  @e+ $button.OnClick = first_box, MessageBox You clicked the button!
  // add another, now both boxes will appear when you click it
  @e+ $button.OnClick = second_box, MessageBox You clicked at $time()
  // remove the first handler
  @e- $button.OnClick = first_box
  // list all handlers
  foreach ($id,$code; $eventhandlers($button.OnClick))
  MessageBox handler "$id" runs "$code"
  endforeach
• New function: $upeval(<text>) evaluates the text in the previous
  local variable context, so a called alias can access its caller's
  local variables. (This is used by @e+ and @e-.) For example:
  Alias FOO
  @l $secretnumber = 17
  Bar
  EndAlias
  Alias BAR
  MessageBox The secret number is $upeval($$secretnumber).
  EndAlias
• New commands: 'SetEventLine <text>' and 'AbortEvents'. SetEventLine
  lets an earlier event change the parameters that will be given to
  later events. AbortEvents stops event processing after the current
  event finishes. For example, to ignore all /msgs from Mr2001, and
  change everything LuceNT says to uppercase:
  Event PRIVMSG_test -before "% PRIVMSG"
  if [$nick] == [Mr2001]
  AbortEvents
  else if [$nick] == [LuceNT]
  SetEventLine $0 $1 $2 :$upper($strtrim($3-))
  endif
  EndEvent
• Event options to run before/after other events, use variables in
  the activation mask, and more. New event definition syntax:
  Event <name> [-before|-after] [-eval] [-exact] [-case] [-regexp] "<mask>"
  <code>
  EndEvent
  -before: the event will run before the event's message is displayed
  (either internally or by a priority-matching event). all matching
  'before' events will be run in the opposite order they were added
  (that is, newest first), unless one of them calls FallThrough,
  which will skip all remaining 'before' events.
  -after: just like -before, but runs after the message. the order is
  still newest first. this shouldn't be combined with -before.
  -eval: the mask will be evaluated when it is being matched against
  a server line (caution: if you put a function call in the event
  mask, the function will be called A LOT). use this to match your
  current nick, for example, instead of the nick you had when the
  event was defined.
  -exact: the mask will have to match the entire server line. that is,
  "% JOIN" will not match ":Mr2001 JOIN #virc" if -exact is used.
  also, the event mask won't be evaluated when the event is set,
  although it will still be evaluated at match time if -eval is used.
  -case: the mask will be case-sensitive.
  -regexp: the mask is a unix-style "regular expression" rather than
  a $wildmatch() mask. any subexpressions enclosed in parentheses
  will be available to the event handler in the $matches array:
  the mask ":\w+ PRIVMSG (#\w+) :(.*)" will put the channel name in
  $matches[1] and the message in $matches[2]. the mask will not be
  evaluated when it is set, since some regexp syntax collides with
  ViRC's attribute codes.

Bug fixes

• UltimateIRCD's "channel admin" flag (*nick) won't confuse ViRC's
  nick list.
• The script editor won't write a MenuTree block if the only item is
  <DoubleClick>.
• $GetWindowID() works for all window types.
• <OnDCCFinished> is fired when closing a DCC chat window.
• '^Msg =nick text' correctly hides any text displayed by
  <OnMyQueryText>.
• The DCC progress bad should appear correctly for large files.
• !Application's Active property is now readable.
• The script editor doesn't prompt to save when you view a <DoubleClick>
  menu item without making any changes.
• The userlist loads correctly from INI files.
• $listquote() now escapes strings containing tabs and CR/LF.
• Fixed an array parsing bug.
• MergeMenu now copies hints correctly.
• Making the server hostname edit box empty, or calling /server with no
  parameters, will now connect to the previous server instead of giving
  an error.

Changed features

• Opening server windows is faster.
• String expressions can now use nested square brackets:
  if [$array[$key]] == [foo]
  ...
  endif
  @l $x = []
  if [$x] == [[]]
  MessageBox Naturally!
  endif
• Built-in menu trees in the script editor are now merged by default.
  This means you can add items to a menu simply by, well, adding them.
• The script editor shows a warning when you omit an event mask.
• RightAlt+Num no longer switches windows, since right Alt is used for
  typing symbols on non-U.S. keyboards. Use left Alt instead.
• The server list and server import/export forms are now resizable, and
  the tree views won't expand automatically if there are more than 15
  items to show.
• File dialog boxes ($opendialog(), etc.) now start in the current
  directory.

• 2.0 (25 changes)
• 2.0 RC5 (30 changes)
• 2.0 RC4 (46 changes)
• 2.0rc3 (47 changes)
• 2.0rc2 (42 changes)
• 2.0rc1 (33 changes)
• 2.0pre11 (44 changes)
• 2.0pre10 (34 changes)
• 2.0pre9 (46 changes)
• 2.0pre8 (50 changes)