HexChat

Note Upstream's git repository has been archived since February 2024, it is no longer maintained.

HexChat is a multi-platform IRC client for GTK.

Installation

Install hexchat. The development version is hexchat-git^AUR.

For spell checking install enchant, see Language checking for available dictionaries. Restart HexChat for changes to take an effect.

Configuration

HexChat stores configuration files in ~/.config/hexchat, XChat does so in ~/.xchat2.

SSL and SASL

Enable SSL and SASL in Network List (Ctrl+S) > Network name > Edit. See also Configuring SASL for Hexchat.

GNOME integration

To use the new Notifications and messaging tray, activate the following options in Settings > Preferences > Chatting > Alerts:

Show tray balloons
Blink tray icon (optional)
Enable system tray icon: unchecked (the icon appears automatically if you have pending notifications)

Troubleshooting

Missing tray icon

See bug report

If HexChat was loaded before the panel containing its icon, for example when the panel is forcibly reloaded, the icon may be invisible. [1] To restore the icon, run:

$ hexchat --existing --command="set gui_tray 0"
$ hexchat --existing --command="gui apply"
$ hexchat --existing --command="set gui_tray 1"
$ hexchat --existing --command="gui apply"

Or restore the main window with:

$ hexchat --existing --command="gui show"