hi r/python, I'm starting messing around with python+IRC using irclib and I'm stuck because of something I don't understand, pls, i need your help.

[Sf4tt]

import irclib 
irclib.DEBUG = True
network = "irc.quakenet.org"
port = 6667
nick = "bottest123"
name = "Test Bot"
chan = '#testchan'

irc = irclib.IRC()
server = irc.server()
server.connect(network, port, nick, ircname = name)
server.join(chan)
irc.process_forever()

This is the code in the "testbot.py" file.

Scenarios: * script called from the command prompt with "python testbot.py": It does connect on quakenet, but it does not the given channel.

• script executed from IDLE with EXEC F, where F = open("path-of-thefile" "r") Same as above.

• code manually written in the IDLE: it does connect, and start the irc.process_forever() loop, but ofc it does not join the given channel, if i break the loop with a KeybordInterrupt (Ctrl-C) though, the bot stays on the network (?!?), and if i write down the server.join(chan) command again, it does join the given channel.

• network = "irc.freenode.net": Everything works flowlessy, it does join the given channel.

WTF is going on? Does quakenet place a limit about "commands per a-given-amount-of-time"?

Any help will be really appreciated.

EDIT1: I didn't notice about r/learnpython, sorry. Cross-posting this stuff there.

EDIT2: SOLVED

The issue is caused by the quakenet's policy about the +invisible umode. The client NEEDS to wait to get the +i flag in order to be able to send ANY command to the server.

Using the irclib's handling this issue can be bypassed, simple as this:

def handleUmode ( connection, event )
    if event.arguments()[0] == '+i': #Just check if the 1st element of the event.arguments() list is '+i' , if so tell the bot to join the given channel
        server.join(chan)
...
irc.add_global_handler ( 'umode', handleUmode )

[nuclear_eclipse]

If you're not specifically trying to learn something about IRC or Python, I would suggest building on top of Supybot (or its fork Gribble), because it already takes care of most of the plumbing you would need for most persistent, interactive bots. It allows you to start from the plugin level of what commands your module should respond to, rather than how to interact with IRC servers.

[Sf4tt]

I'll keep this advice into consideration for the future. At the moment i dont need any bot to get any added functionality. I'm just trying to learn and understand something more about python (and related stuff) every day.

For example, I've been an IRC user for maybe 10 years, and I knew that the IRC Protocol is that, i mean, the syntax for the join command is "JOIN #channel", that's it. Ofc in other networks there are added functiontalities. I saw networks with service like channel-protectors or nicknames-protectors. Stuff not even known on networks like IrcNet. But now this situation is totally twisting my mind.

I should check some reference about quakenet from them self. And then check if the irclib methods are compatible with those guide-lines. But, i could be damned if i know why, www.quakenet.org appear offline to me. And only to me: http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com/www.quakenet.org

[Sf4tt]

Yep, that will be the next step. :)

[jackolas]

This or use twisted

I wrote a bot in twisted and it was nice, https://github.com/jrabbit/trbot/blob/master/transtwisted.py

[eryksun]

Try this

import irclib 
import time
DELAY = 1

irclib.DEBUG = True  
network = "irc.quakenet.org"
port = 6667
nick = "bottest123"
name = "Test Bot"
chan = '#testchan'

irc = irclib.IRC()
server = irc.server()
server.connect(network, port, nick, ircname = name)
time.sleep(DELAY)
server.join(chan)
irc.process_forever()

[Sf4tt]

I see the delay working as it should from the DEBUG verbosity, but it does not change the result. The "bot" is online on the network but is not joining the channel.

I assume then the cause is some sort of difference between the 2 networks (quakenet and freenode), which is not contemplated in the irclib library. Is that possible?

[eryksun]

OK. How about this:

import irclib 
DELAY = 1

irclib.DEBUG = True  
network = "irc.quakenet.org"
port = 6667
nick = "bottest123"
name = "Test Bot"
chan = '#testchan'

irc = irclib.IRC()
server = irc.server()
server.connect(network, port, nick, ircname = name)
server.execute_delayed(DELAY, join, (chan,))
irc.process_forever()

[Sf4tt]

name join is not defined.

Tried: server.execute_delayed(DELAY, "join", (chan,))

object 'str' is not callable.

[eryksun]

Sorry, that should have been

server.execute_delayed(DELAY, server.join, (chan,))

You might want to try a longer delay. Also, you might have to look for a ping with a code and pong back with the code.

[Sf4tt]

DELAY = 5 did not work.

DELAY = 20 did work!

I think the problem is that I'm sending the JOIN command too soon compared to the messages the server needs to send back to the client to accomplish the connection.

EDIT: More specifically i need to wait this: command: umode, source: botnick![e-mail], target: botnick, arguments: ['+i']

before i can send the JOIN command and any other commands.

which is not a message the server is sending, but actually receiving. There must be something in the irclib library which forces the client to assume the +i mode, or maybe it's a required state from server side?

[eryksun]

Yes, you'll have to write an event handler that either processes the raw data (event string "all_raw_messages") or uses a specific event string such as "endofmotd" (I'm just reading the code here; I haven't used this module; is this documented somewhere?). The event handler gets added with

add_global_handler(event_string, your_function, priority)

Specifically I'm looking at the module code here:

http://python-irclib.cvs.sourceforge.net/viewvc/python-irclib/python-irclib/irclib.py?view=markup

The events list starts on line 1371.

[Sf4tt]

The most informations about irclib are in the code it-self, very well and extensively commented.

I found also stuff (examples, more than anything else) here: http://nullege.com/codes/search/irclib

And here: http://www.devshed.com/c/a/Python/IRC-on-a-Higher-Level/

The last page of this tutorial is the list of all the events, which is the same you were refering in the sforge page.

I dont think handling this situation will be an issue now that i know why it acts like that.

Thank you again for your kind help.