View source for MIRC scripting language

{{short description|Scripting language embedded in mIRC}}
{{multiple issues|
{{more footnotes|date=August 2012}}
{{prose|date=August 2012}}
}} <!-- not too technical for users of mIRC. Definitely NOT [[WP:TOOLONG]], too long, too long. (lyrics to something). Needs to be prose. -->
{{lowercase|title=mIRC Scripting Language}}

{{Infobox programming language
| name                   = mIRC Scripting Language
| file_ext               = .mrc, .ini
| paradigm               = [[Event-driven programming]], [[Procedural programming]]
| year                   = {{Start date|1995}}
| designer               = [[Khaled Mardam-Bey]]
| developer              = Khaled Mardam-Bey
| typing                 = [[Dynamic typing]]
| implementations        = [[mIRC]] [[AdiIRC]]<ref>
{{cite web
| title        = Features - AdiIRC - AdiIRC Support/Bugs/Feature Requests
| url          = https://dev.adiirc.com/projects/adiirc/wiki/Features#26-Scripting-Engine
| publisher    = Per Amundsen
| access-date   = 2 December 2020
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20201202144248/https://dev.adiirc.com/projects/adiirc/wiki/Features#26-Scripting-Engine
| archive-date = 2 December 2020
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| title        = Scripting - AdiIRC - AdiIRC Support/Bugs/Feature Requests
| url          = https://dev.adiirc.com/projects/adiirc/wiki/Scripting#mIRC-scripting-compatibility
| publisher    = Per Amundsen
| access-date   = 2 December 2020
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20201202145150/https://dev.adiirc.com/projects/adiirc/wiki/Scripting#mIRC-scripting-compatibility
| archive-date = 2 December 2020
}}</ref><ref name=Slant>{{cite web
| title        = mIRC vs AdiIRC detailed comparison as of 2020 - Slant
| url          = https://www.slant.co/versus/4185/4195/~mirc_vs_adiirc
| publisher    = Parli, Inc.
| access-date   = 2 December 2020
| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20201202151151/https://www.slant.co/versus/4185/4195/~mirc_vs_adiirc
| archive-date = 2 December 2020
}}</ref>
| operating_system       = [[Microsoft Windows]]
| license                = [[Proprietary software]]
| website                = {{URL|https://www.mirc.com/}}
}}

[[Image:MIRC scripts editor.png|thumb|300px| mIRC scripts editor (built-in)]]
The '''mIRC scripting language''' (often unofficially abbreviated to "'''mSL'''"{{R|Slant}}<ref>{{citation
| title = mIRC Scripting Language - WikiChip
| url = https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/mirc#article-title
| publisher = WikiChip LLC
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201112031552/https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/MIRC#article-title
| archive-date = 12 November 2020
}}</ref>) is the [[scripting language]] embedded in [[mIRC]] and [[Adiirc]], [[IRC]] clients for [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] but work with [[Wine (software)|WiNE for Linux]].

==Primary uses==
*Light channel and personal protection against many types of attacks (flooding, spamming, takeovers, etc.).
*Dialog windows can be created in mIRC to better serve user-compatibility; rather than everything in popup menus.
**Popular mIRC dialog extensions include MDX ('''m'''IRC '''D'''ialog '''Ex'''tension) and DCX ('''D'''ialog '''C'''ontrol '''Ex'''tension). There are also a few versions of mdx.dll and dcx.dll modded by IRC hackers.
*[[IRC bot|Bot]]s that provide automated IRC channel management, trivia or other games, and other desired functions for chatters.
*Commands that save typing or otherwise simplify life on IRC (such as automatically [[IRC services|identifying]] as the owner of a nickname).
*Proxy '''CONNECT''' servers (www.mslscript.com) and '''Bounce''' servers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZNC) to replace '''some''' mSL scripting with faster code and convenient features.

==Script storage==
Scripts are stored as either plain text files, usually with a .mrc [[file extension]], or as [[INI file]]s. They, however, can be stored with any extension. Multiple script files can be loaded at one time, although in some cases, one script will conflict with another and cause one or both of them to no longer work properly. The order in which in the script files are loaded may make a difference if the script functions properly or not. A (un)loader-script MUST be used for semi-large scripts to function as intended.

==Language features==
{{Technical|section|date=August 2012}}
mIRC scripting language uses its own nomenclature to refer to language constructs. (However, whilst this can be a little confusing to newcomers, they do not impact on the functionality of mSL.)

*Built-in functions are termed '''commands''' or, if they return a value, '''identifiers'''.
*Custom scripted [[function (computer science)|function]]s are called '''aliases'''.  Aliases that return a value are known as '''custom identifiers'''. Both are called from the command line or other parts of a script in the same ways as built-in commands and identifiers (and can even supersede them).
*'''Popups''' are scripted [[context menu]] items.  Popups are called when they are selected by the user. The term originally referred to the menus—which pop up upon a right click. It is still used this way in the manual. 
*Remotes are [[event handler|event-handling]] scripts.  Remotes are called when the event they handle occurs.
*All variables are [[dynamic typing|dynamically typed]].
*[[Hash table]]s are available for larger data storage; [[array]]s are not.
*mIRC scripts make use of [[sigil (computer programming)|sigils]].  Identifiers (whether custom or built-in) are preceded by <code>$</code>, binary variables are preceded by <code>&</code>, and other variables (whether local or global) are preceded by <code>%</code>.  Commands and aliases are not preceded by any particular character (although when entered from a window's command line they must be preceded by the command prefix, usually <code>/</code>).

===File handling===
*Scripts can read from and write to files [<code>$read(file,[args])</code> | <code>/write</code> ]
The above is intended for singular access to the file. Because each time you issue <code>$read</code> or <code>/write</code> you open and close the file for access.
Multiple accesses, during a loop for instance, is best handled through <code>/fopen</code>, <code>/fwrite</code> and <code>/fclose</code>. Since this opens the file only once. In some cases <code>/filter</code> and <code>/savebuf</code> is an even more efficient (non scripted loop) method.
*Scripts can also copy and delete files. [<code>/copy</code> | <code>/remove</code>]

===Binary variables===
*Contain unlimited (8192 bytes prior to mIRC 6.1) raw data
*Globally accessible via commands and identifiers
*Automatically unset when script returns control to mIRC (and not to another part of a script)
*Prefixed with <code>&</code> (e.g. <code>&Variable</code>)
*Cannot be accessed other than by <code>/bread</code> and <code>/bwrite</code>, so these variables cannot be passed onto other parts of the script

===Hash tables===
*May contain unlimited binary data or up to 4,150 (950 prior to mIRC 6.32) bytes of plain text. This limit is imposed by mIRC's scripting parser's own line length limitation (unless assigning a binary variable)
*Globally accessible via commands and identifiers
*Automatically unset when exiting mIRC as they are only stored in memory
*Can be saved for later use
*Not prefixed
*Faster than accessing from a file, as hash tables are stored in memory rather than the hard disk
*Size limited only by the computer's memory limits.
*Allows any bucket size to be used

===Global variables===
*May contain up to 4,150 (950 prior to mIRC 6.32) bytes of data including its name (however due to line-length limitations in mIRC's scripting parser, a maximum of 4,146 bytes can be assigned explicitly using /set or /var&nbsp;— this number decreasing as the variable's name grows longer)
*Cannot store NUL (ASCII 0) or trailing spaces
*Globally accessible
*Do not automatically unset unless a switch is used (stored automatically in a mIRC initialization file)
*Prefixed with <code>%</code> (e.g. <code>%Variable</code>)
*Created using the <code>set</code> command or <code>var -g</code> or <code>%Variable = value</code> notation

===Local variables===
*May contain up to 4,150 (950 prior to mIRC 6.32) bytes of data including the variable name (however due to line-length limitations in mIRC's scripting parser, a maximum of 4,146 bytes can be assigned explicitly using the /set or /var commands&nbsp;— this number decreasing as the variable's name grows longer)
*Can store NUL (ASCII 0) or trailing spaces
*Are destroyed when the triggered alias or event ends
*Prefixed with <code>%</code> (e.g. <code>%Variable</code>)
*Created using the <code>var</code> command. <code>var</code> is merely an internal alias for <code>set -l</code> but <code>var</code> poses the means to declare multiple local variables on a single line (e.g. <code>var %a = 1, %b, %c = 2</code>)

==Limitations==
*Scripting parser supports a maximum of 8,292 (950 prior to mIRC 6.32) characters per line (not including newlines or indentation).
*Strings are not syntactically enclosed, creating ambiguities in code where characters meant as literal strings are treated as part of the language's [[syntax]].
*Each line of code is broken down into a set of space-delimited tokens. As mIRC's parser does not support null tokens and the language doesn't provide a syntax to clearly differentiate literal strings from code; Prior to mIRC version 6.2 it was impossible to pass multiple consecutive spaces to any command or alias. However, this was fixed with the introduction of the returnex command which allows the preservation of spaces.

==Code examples==
The code below is in the remote scripts format. If placed into an alias file, the command names should not be preceded by the word "<code>alias</code>". Test Comments include the common <code>/* comment */</code> and <code>;comment</code>.

Here is an example of a [["Hello, World!" program|Hello World]] alias:

<syntaxhighlight lang="autoit">
;Defines the alias 'hello' in the remote script

;Note: if this is placed in an alias script,
;the 'alias' part must be removed (result: hello {)
;Usage: /hello

alias hello {

  ;Displays(/echo) 'Hello World!' into the active window(-a)
  echo -a Hello World!

}
</syntaxhighlight>

A remote script to automatically respond to certain text

<syntaxhighlight lang="autoit">
;Placed in a remote script

;When a user types Hello! in a channel,
;you answer back: Hello, [nickname]!

on *:TEXT:Hello!:#:{ msg $chan Hello, $nick $+ ! }

;When a user types Hello! in a private message,
;you answer back: Hello, [nickname]!

on *:TEXT:Hello!:?: { msg $nick Hello, $nick $+ ! }

;Here is a script which automatically gives voice to a user
;who joins a particular channel (The Bot or user should have HOP)

on *:JOIN:#?: { mode $chan +v $nick }

;A bad word script

on *:Text:die*:#: { .mode $chan +b $nick | kick $chan $nick Dont say that again }
</syntaxhighlight>

==See also==
* [[Internet Relay Chat]]
* [[mIRC]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
<!-- This are discussions in several books of the mIRC scripting language. Notable over a period of years. To be converted to inline citations.-->
* Smith, Chris. (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=MbHAnBh9AqQC&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PA71 "Hack #20 Automate IRC with Scripting" in ''IRC Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools'']. Paul Mutton, ed. O'Reilly Media, Inc. pp.&nbsp;71–74. ''(In-depth example of script features and usage)''
* Jose Nazario (2004)[https://books.google.com/books?id=swfZIwWZepYC&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PA53 ''Defense and Detection Strategies Against Internet Worms'']. Artech House, 2004. p.&nbsp;53, 55. ''(Discusses 1997 mIRC script attack.)''
*Ken Dunham, Jim Melnick (2008) [https://books.google.com/books?id=nmgK7KcibSUC&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PA9 ''Malicious Bots: An Inside Look into the Cyber-Criminal Underground of the Internet'']. CRC Press. p.&nbsp;7-31. ''(In-depth analysis/reverse engineering of mIRC-script-based malware bot)''
* [[Peter Szor]] (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=XE-ddYF6uhYC&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PT141 ''The Art of Computer Virus Research and Defense'']. Pearson Education. Ch. 3.7.7.
* David Harley, Robert S. Vibert (2007). [https://books.google.com/books?id=LBzXf0A-jQwC&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PA147 ''AVIEN Malware Defense Guide for the Enterprise''].  Elsevier. p.&nbsp;147. (usage in script attacks)
*Esharenana E. Adomi (2008). [https://books.google.com/books?id=jZwaZhCqbEAC&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PT195 ''Security and Software for Cybercafés''].  Idea Group Inc (IGI). p.&nbsp;173.
*Markus Jakobsson, Zulfikar Ramzan. (2008). [https://books.google.com/books?id=U8bh6a9Jvz0C&dq=mIRC+scripting+language&pg=PA194 ''Crimeware: Understanding New Attacks and Defenses'']. Addison-Wesley Professional. p.&nbsp;194.

==External links==
{{wikibooks|mIRC Scripting}}
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* [https://www.mirc.com/ Official mIRC website]
* [https://www.mirc.com/help/html/index.html Online version of mIRC help file]
* [https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/mirc WikiChip mIRC pages]&nbsp;— A Wiki-based user-maintained help reference primarily for mIRC scripting

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[[Category:Scripting languages]]

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