How to get UTF-8 to work with mIRC: Difference between revisions

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(multibyte display is a nono)
(mIRC 7.x information)
 
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To get UTF-8 working properly with mIRC, you need atleast version 6.17 of mIRC which you can get here: http://www.mirc.com/get.html.


[[Image:Mirc-options-irc-messages.png|thumb|mIRC Options dialog - IRC - Messages section.]]
== mIRC 7.x ==
==Displaying UTF-8==


In order to display UTF-8 properly, there are a few settings in the options you need to set. They are located under <tt>IRC &rarr; Messages</tt>, and they are called "<tt>UTF-<u>8</u> display</tt>", and "<tt>Multibyte <u>e</u>ditbox</tt>". Make sure they are checked. Also you need to make sure that the "<tt><u>S</u>JIS/JIS conversion</tt>" option is unchecked, as this is not ASCII 7-bit compatible, and that the "<tt><u>M</u>ultibyte display</tt>" option is unchecked because this causes problems with bold/underline codes when mixed with japanese characters. Then press the OK button, and presto, you can now see UTF-8!
mIRC 7.x has native Unicode support. If you upgrade, you should have no longer have any problems whatsoever with UTF-8.
{{eyecatch|Note:|However you can not send text to others using UTF-8 by just doing this! (see below)}}


[[Image:Mirc-font-dialog.png|thumb|mIRC Channel Fonts dialog]]
== mIRC 6.x ==
==Sending text with UTF-8==


When it comes to sending text with UTF-8, mIRC is a bit ... odd. You need to consider if every channel you will be sending text to will have UTF-8 enabled clients. (''Note that most clients except mIRC have been UTF-8 enabled for years.'') Also, you need to '''make sure you have the Multibyte editbox option set''' from the ''Displaying UTF-8'' section: "<tt>Multibyte editbox</tt>" in ''Options dialog'' under <tt>IRC &rarr; Messages</tt>.
To get UTF-8 working properly with mIRC, you need at least version 6.17 of mIRC, which you can get here: http://www.mirc.com/get.html. Non-windows users are assumed to have been using clients with proper encoding support for years already. If you want a guide for irssi, we have one here: [[Utf8/irssi]].


* Go to the font window for any channel.
However, mIRC will not display and encode text in UTF-8 by default, you need to change a couple of settings first. There are two places you need to change the settings in: the "'''<tt>mIRC Options</tt>'''" dialogue and the "'''<tt>Select Font</tt>'''" dialogue.
*#Located either under <tt>View &rarr; Fonts...</tt>
*#or under <tt>System-menu &rarr; Fonts...</tt> (Note: the system-menu is located in the button in the top left hand corner of a window, i.e. the button you usually double-click to close a window.)
* In the UTF-8 list, you should select "'''<tt>Display and encode</tt>'''" in order to send text as UTF-8. {{eyecatch|IMPORTANT:|THIS IS NOT SET BY DEFAULT!<br>'''YOU NEED TO CHANGE THIS!'''<br><small>The reason is probably so it won't break compatibility with earlier versions of mIRC.</small>}}
* If you want to send text as UTF-8 in every channel you should select the checkbox marked "Set as <u>d</u>efault channel font".
* Then click the "OK" button.


{{eyecatch|Note:|After you have done this for your channels, you should do the same thing for your Private Chats.}}
[[Image:Mirc-options-irc-messages.png|thumb|mIRC Options dialogue - IRC - Messages section.]]
=== Options ===
To reach the options dialogue, you can press "<tt>Alt+O</tt>" in any window in mIRC, or you can go to it via either the "<tt>View &rArr; Options...</tt>", or the "<tt>Tools &rArr; Options...</tt>" menus.


Once you have reached the options dialogue, you need to go to the '''IRC &rArr; Messages''' section via the category list on the left-hand side of the options dialogue.


==== What needs to be changed ====
In there, you need to make sure that these to options are '''checked''':
*'''<tt>UTF-<u>8</u> display</tt>'''
*'''<tt>Multibyte <u>e</u>ditbox</tt>'''


===Advanced selection===
And you should make sure that the following options are '''unchecked''':
*'''<tt><u>S</u>JIS/JIS conversion</tt>''' - because this is not 7-bit ASCII compatible, and will thus break UTF-8 and every other encoding that might be used.
*'''<tt><u>M</u>ultibyte display</tt>''' - because this will break bold/underline/reverse/colour codes when used with text encoded in UTF-8.


'''You do not need to read this section if you don't feel the need for it.'''
[[Image:Mirc-font-dialog.png|thumb|mIRC Channel Fonts dialogue]]
=== Fonts ===
The fonts dialogue works in a fairly odd way. You can set a specific font for each window you have open, and you can also set a default font to use for every window that does not have a specific font set. You also ''need to set the default font differently'' for '''channels''' and '''private messages''', as well as '''status windows and other windows'''. In order to get to the fonts dialogue for an active window, you can use the "<tt>View &rArr; Font...</tt>" menu, the "<tt>System menu &rArr; Font...</tt>" or the /font command. {{small90|(To reach the system menu, you can click on the window-icon that you normally double-click in order to close a window. Or you can use the "<tt>Alt+-</tt>" hotkey.)}}


If you only want to send text as UTF-8 in individual channels, you should leave the checkbox "Set as <u>d</u>efault channel font" empty.
==== What needs to be changed ====


If however you want to send UTF-8 in most channels, but only in some send text as whatever codepage you have, you should tick the checkbox, and simply change the option in the channels where you don't want to send text as UTF-8.
Once you've reached the font dialogue, you need to change the following things:
*The "'''<tt>UTF-8:</tt>'''" section to "'''<tt>Display and encode</tt>'''".
*If you want to set this as the default setting for windows whose options you have not set (recommended), '''check''' the "'''<tt>Set as default channel font</tt>'''" setting. {{small90|(Assuming you're changing the option for a channel window. If you're changing it for a private message window, the setting is called "'''<tt>Set as default chat font</tt>'''".)}}


This means that mIRC allows you to choose what options to use in any and every channel if you need it.
It is also recommended that you use a font that can actually display Unicode characters.


==Troubleshooting==
=== Troubleshooting ===


*'''Q:''' I have changed all of these settings but I still get strange symbols or empty boxes when someone sends UTF-8 encoded text to me!
'''Q:''' I have changed all of these settings but I still get strange symbols or empty boxes when someone sends UTF-8 encoded text to me!
*'''A:''' This means you don't use a font that has the characters being used. If you want a font with most unicode characters, use this:<br>http://www.lightworker.com/Download/Fonts/ARIALUNI.TTF<br>'''Warning: this font is 22MB large!'''
: '''A:''' This means you don't use a font that has the characters being used. Note, recent windows versions come with 'Lucidia Sans Unicode' - which has most glyphs you're likely to want. Otherwise, you can try use these:
:* [http://saber.kawaii-shoujo.net/Various/ARIALUNI.TTF Arial Unicode MS]
{{eyecatchLight|2|Warning|This is a '''22MB''' download! (courtesy of DeathWolf)}}
:* [http://kosmos.kawaii-shoujo.net/MS-UIGothic.ttf MS UI Gothic]
{{eyecatchLight|2|Note|This is a '''7.8MB''' download. (courtesy of DeathWolf)}}
:* [http://irc.server.md/fixedsys.zip Fixedsys Excelsior] - A monospace font based on the standard Latin windows Fixedsys font, with wide support for different Unicode ranges. Only 100kb download.


----
'''Q:''' How can I fix other problems like characters not in system codepage being sent as ? marks, or logs/dcc file names being scrambled?
:'''A:''' Upgrade to 6.2 which fixes various encoding bugs - and make sure that 'multibyte display' is ''off''.


*'''Q:''' Help! I can send and receive UTF-8 fine, but any character I try and send that's not in my system codepage gets changed to a ? rather than being converted. Howtofix?
[[Category:Problems]]
*'''A:''' As stated under the "Displaying UTF-8" heading, you should mark "Multibyte Editbox" in the options dialog (under IRC - Messages). If you do this, it ought to work.
[[Category:IRC]]
 
----
 
*'''Q:''' Well, I'm not sure what other questions there are, so this is the end.
*'''A:''' Ok, we'll call it a night then.

Latest revision as of 17:43, 27 April 2014

mIRC 7.x

mIRC 7.x has native Unicode support. If you upgrade, you should have no longer have any problems whatsoever with UTF-8.

mIRC 6.x

To get UTF-8 working properly with mIRC, you need at least version 6.17 of mIRC, which you can get here: http://www.mirc.com/get.html. Non-windows users are assumed to have been using clients with proper encoding support for years already. If you want a guide for irssi, we have one here: Utf8/irssi.

However, mIRC will not display and encode text in UTF-8 by default, you need to change a couple of settings first. There are two places you need to change the settings in: the "mIRC Options" dialogue and the "Select Font" dialogue.

mIRC Options dialogue - IRC - Messages section.

Options

To reach the options dialogue, you can press "Alt+O" in any window in mIRC, or you can go to it via either the "View ⇒ Options...", or the "Tools ⇒ Options..." menus.

Once you have reached the options dialogue, you need to go to the IRC ⇒ Messages section via the category list on the left-hand side of the options dialogue.

What needs to be changed

In there, you need to make sure that these to options are checked:

  • UTF-8 display
  • Multibyte editbox

And you should make sure that the following options are unchecked:

  • SJIS/JIS conversion - because this is not 7-bit ASCII compatible, and will thus break UTF-8 and every other encoding that might be used.
  • Multibyte display - because this will break bold/underline/reverse/colour codes when used with text encoded in UTF-8.
mIRC Channel Fonts dialogue

Fonts

The fonts dialogue works in a fairly odd way. You can set a specific font for each window you have open, and you can also set a default font to use for every window that does not have a specific font set. You also need to set the default font differently for channels and private messages, as well as status windows and other windows. In order to get to the fonts dialogue for an active window, you can use the "View ⇒ Font..." menu, the "System menu ⇒ Font..." or the /font command. (To reach the system menu, you can click on the window-icon that you normally double-click in order to close a window. Or you can use the "Alt+-" hotkey.)

What needs to be changed

Once you've reached the font dialogue, you need to change the following things:

  • The "UTF-8:" section to "Display and encode".
  • If you want to set this as the default setting for windows whose options you have not set (recommended), check the "Set as default channel font" setting. (Assuming you're changing the option for a channel window. If you're changing it for a private message window, the setting is called "Set as default chat font".)

It is also recommended that you use a font that can actually display Unicode characters.

Troubleshooting

Q: I have changed all of these settings but I still get strange symbols or empty boxes when someone sends UTF-8 encoded text to me!

A: This means you don't use a font that has the characters being used. Note, recent windows versions come with 'Lucidia Sans Unicode' - which has most glyphs you're likely to want. Otherwise, you can try use these:
Warning This is a 22MB download! (courtesy of DeathWolf)
Note This is a 7.8MB download. (courtesy of DeathWolf)
  • Fixedsys Excelsior - A monospace font based on the standard Latin windows Fixedsys font, with wide support for different Unicode ranges. Only 100kb download.

Q: How can I fix other problems like characters not in system codepage being sent as ? marks, or logs/dcc file names being scrambled?

A: Upgrade to 6.2 which fixes various encoding bugs - and make sure that 'multibyte display' is off.
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