Chapter 4 – Levels
Levels of access
The Chat server FXServer has some additional functionality than WinMX.
The first additional function is the possibility to use the colours: there are 38 colours on FXServer. Every colour is seen by the server as a code. For example: #cn # Where n represents the number of the colour.
We can use numbers 1 to 38: #c1 # #c2 #… #c38 #. In the example: "#c17#utenteAgent" #c17# represents red and so in this case the username would be shown in red.
These colours can be used in nicknames, within the chat text, in the motd and anywhere else except in the topic.
To know what colour corresponds to a code type /colour and list of colourcodes will appear.
The colours from #c1 #to c#10 # vary according to the formulations of colour that users have configured in WinMX settings or on other chat clients. For example, to you the code #c3 # might be violet, but I might see it as red because I have modified the default colours of WinMX:)
Many Chat Server, if not all, have adopted the system of user levels expressed by letters. I will futher explain…
A normal user who visits the chat is able to write text normally; therefore in slang the user has "Voice". All users that enter have a level pre-arranged in the configuration and it is there that we set the command /DefaultAccess. In other words, the level of access that any users has when they enter your chat. All the levels for FX Server are expressed in letters. Here is a detailed explanation of each access level:
> Action. You can use the command /action text or /me text. This function serves for expressing an action. For example, /me goes to sleep becomes a text in third person.
The letters that you set in default will allow all users to perfom those commands.
> v – Voice. It allows the user to write text in the chat or to be able to respond to other users.
> c – Color. You can use the command /setcolour and colour codes. This will allow us to colour our text with the color code of our choice. The command /setcolour sets the users text color for the duration of the chat up until the time that he leaves.
For example: /setcolour 17
> C – Capital letters. You can decide whether or not to allow users to type in all capital letters or not (in chat slang typing in all caps is considered yelling). Personally I don’t deprive capitals in my chat because my users understand that every thing must be made with moderation and in the respect of all the other users!!!
> k – Kick. It is the ability to kick users with the command: /kick username
This is the classic command that a user should not be able to perfom. This command is for an Agent or Moderator; therefore we won’t insert the letter "k" in the default access.
> K – Kick is to kick users including Admin/Agents. The command is /kick nickname.
The difference here is the possibility to be able to kick an Admin as an Agent (never the host or the cohost)
> b – Ban. It is the ability to kick and ban an user or an IP using the commands /kickban nickname and /banip ipuser
The ban is certainly a command for agent or admins alone and this level is advisable to give only it to experienced and trusted users!
This chat server not only allows a ban of a nickname or an IP, but also a RANGE Of IPs..
What is a Range of IPs?
IPs are formed with numbers varying from 0 to 255. They are comprised of 4 numbers sepeated by periods. For example: 100.0.1.123 or 100.0.1.999
Sometimes a user enters the chat and behaves badly, he or she can be kick banned with the command: /kickban baduser, but comes back a few moments later. How does that happen? It is simple, the bad user restarts his connection internet and his IP changes. For example, when we banned the user we banned his IP address of 100.0.1.123, but when he retured his IP address was 100.0.1.999 and therefore not in the ban list.
How can be avoid spending the whole day banning?
Simply ban the whole range of his IP to exclude from the chat all the users that have IPs from the same range. In the example above, the first 3 digits of the users IP where always 100.0.1, only the last digit changed; therefore we can use the command /banip 100.0.1. * replacing the last figure of the IP with an Asterisk (*). It is obvious the other 255 people with that IP address then cannot reach the channel either. Therefore before banning a range ensure that you have no friends that use that range. It is not a definitive provisional solution but that surely it will help you to manage users so that those causing problems do not come to bore you anymore and to disturb the quiet of your chat An IP range can subsequently have widened if the user also changes the other figures. For instance imagine a scenario when the user who had the IP: 100.0.1.123 changes IP to: 100.0.99.546. Since the new IP is not within the banned range, we will perform the ban of an wider range /banip 100.0. *. * (this will cause anyone with IPs in the range 100.00.1.1 – 100.0.255.255 to be banned from the chat).
> B – Ban. It is the ability to kick and ban an user, including an Admin/Agent. The commands /kickban nickname and /banip ipuser are similar, however those who posses the abilty to Ban can also ban admins and agents.
> L – List bans. You can use the command /listbans Every time that someone performs a ban it will be added to the ban list. The /listbans command shows current bans in order starting with the most recent. For example
03:19:38 << 1 [01:12:06 12/04/06] 100.0.*.* ‘/banip’ for Endless minutes or forever…
03:19:38 << 2 [01:10:59 12/04/06] 100.0.1.123 ¤~UTENTECATTIVO636'519_36035s for Endless minutes or forever…
> U – Unban. It is the ability to unban a user with the command: /unban
The command unban is simply the annulment of one or more preceding bans As we have seen on listbans the bans are numbered starting with the most recent. Accordingly we will use the accociated numbers to eliminate a ban. For example, if we wanted to unban the range of ips that we previously banned we look at the list and perform the command: /unban 1. Before performing another ban we should check the list of the bans with /listbans to see that the ban was removed. We type /listbans in the chatroom and we will see the following:
03:19:38 << 1 [01:10:59 12/04/06] 100.0.1.123 ¤~UTENTECATTIVO636'519_36035s for Endless min.
Have you noticed that the ban that is now first was previously the second ban in the list? When the previous ban was removed the second ban became number one. If we want to annul this ban also we type /unban 1
The level "U" it is exclusively for Admin (except if you designate otherwise)
> t – Topic. You can change the Topic (command /topic) Here we had already seen it first while we were planning it in the config and we now find again it. Those who possesses the letter "t" can directly modify the topic of the chat from within his client (WinMX etc..) Therefore it is recommended that this letter doesn’t appear in the defaut access otherwise any user can change the topic of the chat
> m – Motd. You can change the Motd (command /setmotd) The MOTD can be modified by any user if such letter is possessed. It is also recommend that this letter is not inserted in the default access
> w – With this level you can see the commands of the other consumers (Watch commands). This level allows user to be able to read the commands typed by admins. For example: /notice /setuserlevel or other commands exclusively for admins. Personally I believe that a normal userd doesn’t have interest in what and admin does, therefore this letter doesn’t apprear in my default access.
> i – Show IPs. You can see user’s IPs. This allows us to see the IP of whoever enters the chat. For example:
03:00:37 ¤~UTENTECATTIVO636'519_36035s (100.0.1.999) (DSL 0 files)
This level is recommended for Agents or Admins.
> l – Show Levels. You can see the levels of the user commands in chat byt using the command: /level nickname. This gives the possibility to see the statistics of a user includeing IP, connection type, etc. It is not a command for Users.
> M – You can see the Admin messages. Admin messages are sentences that are preceded with /opmsg. Those who do no possess the level or letter "M" are unable to see these messages. Needless to say that in the default access this letter is not recommended.
> n – Notice. You can use the command /notice to anonymously write in chat. It is not recommended to include this letter in the default because if no moderator or Admin is present you won’t know who sends the message.
> N – You can send multiple lines with #NEWLINE # or \n. This is useful for very long texts. Keep in mind if you choose to insert it in the default access those who possesses such level could disturb the other users with large amounts of text.
> q – This level simply allows a user to make multiple connections with unlimited nicknames or to be able to have quite a lot of clones. This is used by admins to allow them to enter with Bots or other clients that help with the management of the channel
> r – This is the ability to redirect the channel to another (/redirect nomechat_123456789012). The redirect command sends all of your users to another channel. It is a command for Admins only.
> p – The ability to send private messages (in chat) with the command: /message. This is not anything else other than a private message. It can only be read by the user who sends it, the user who receives it and the host of the chat, but only from the server window. Co-Hosts cannot read a message sent with /message from the users. The only difference between a real pm and this is that instead of receiving a normal pm the message will appear in chat together with the text of the other users even if it can only be read by the sending and receiving parties. For example:
/message utentecattivo123_12345 hi are you are?
The user utentecattivo will see the following:
PM
> f – Flood. You can send flood messages. Flood messages are enormous trouble for users. It is best not to insert the letter "f" in the default access, but to reserve only it for admin or friends He who doesn’t possess the letter "f" will be automatically kicked from the channel if he attempts to flood it.
> j – With this ability you can see the name of who performs a command of kick or ban in the channel. Here you can choose if you want to publicly display the name of who performs a kick or ban (I dissuade it).
> J – The ability to see /kick and /ban messages. This is similar to the above command however this option users will read /kick or /ban nickname (without seeing who has performed the command).
> * – You can change the access level of the other users. (You cannot give a letter that you don’t possess) This command allows a user to give a level to another user through the command /setuserlevel nickname + letter. Obviously a consumer that doesn’t possess the letter "J" cannot give it, if it will try the result it will be such:
/setuserlevel nickname +J
Denied access
Syntax of the command /setuserlevel:
/setuserlevel
/setuserlevel
It uses ‘+’ to add, and ‘- to remove. ‘Access’ is replaced with one of the letters explained above.
> + – Show a + in the list users
If we inserted the letter + in the default access all the users in list would have a + before the nickname
> @ – Show one @ in the list users
Same alone reasoning that instead of the + we would have one @ beside the nick
FX Guide ©2006,2007 TNT-Tony. English Translation by Calypso.