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Buddy List window is the main Gaim window. In addition to showing the buddy list, it also provides access to all Gaim features such as:
Starting and ending IM conversations and chats.
Configuring your IM accounts, in particular, signing on and off.
This section describes using the buddy list window for managing the buddy list. Other functions that can be accessed from this window is described in other sections of this manual.
This window shows you the list of all your buddies for each of the accounts which are currently signed on. For each buddy, the following information is shown:
Buddy nickname; if you have created an alias for this buddy (see the Section called Screen names, nicks, and aliases), then the alias is shown instead,
Buddy status. Possible values are Online, Offline, or Away. See the Section called Going Away for description of Away status.
Buddy icon. If the buddy has selected a custom buddy icon (for protocols that allow it, such as AIM), it will be used. Otherwise, the default icon for this protocol is used. The icon also reflects the buddy's status. A full list of all status icons and their meaning for each supported protocol can be found on Gaim's web page at the gaim.sourceforge.net/statusicons.php
The order in which the buddies are shown depends on the setting selected in the Preferences dialog. If you have selected option Buddy List Sorting: None, then the buddies are shown in the order they were added. You can reorder the buddies simply by dragging them with the mouse.
You can group your buddies so that instead of a single list of buddies, they are arranged in several groups. You can group them in any way you like, mixing buddies from different accounts and protocols. For example, you can create groups called Work and Personal to keep your work contacts separate form the personal ones.
By default, Gaim shows the number of buddies in a group and the number of buddies who are currently online in parentheses to the right of group name. For example, (3/5) next to a group name means that there are 5 buddies in the group, 3 of whom are currently online. You can disable display of this information in the Preferences dialog.
If you click on the triangle to the left of the group name, this group is collapsed: only the group name is shown. Clicking again on the triangle expands the group and shows all buddies in it again.
To create a new buddy group, choose Buddies->Add Group in buddy list window and enter the new group name. To or rename an existing buddy group, right-click on the group name and choose Delete or Rename from the popup menu.
After creating a new group, you can add buddies to it as described in the Section called Adding, Removing, or Modifying a Buddy. You can also move buddies from one group to another simply by dragging them.
To add a buddy, choose Buddies->Add Buddy... (Ctrl-B). This will open Add Buddy dialog. In this dialog, enter buddy's screen name and alias (see the Section called Screen names, nicks, and aliases). You should also select the group to put this buddy in (see the Section called Buddy Groups); this group must already exist. Finally, you should select with which of your accounts this buddy should be associated. The account you select should use the same protocol as the buddy: if you want to add an MSN user as a buddy, you should select one of your accounts that use MSN protocol.
You can also add an IRC chat channel as a buddy in your buddy list. To do it, select the appropriate IRC account and enter the channel name (including the # sign) in the Add Buddy dialog. FIXME: waht about ICQ and other protocols??
To delete a buddy, right-click on the corresponding entry in the buddy list and choose Remove from the pop-up menu.
You can also add or remove a buddy from an IM or chat window as described in the Section called Conversation Window.
The only modification allowed for the IM buddies in your buddy list is changing an alias. To change the alias used for an existing buddy, right-click on the corresponding entry in the buddy list and choose Alias... from the pop-up menu. For chat channels, you can also enable Auto-login option. If it is enabled, Gaim will automatically join the chat after signing on.
You can configure Gaim to watch for some of your buddies and play a special sound, send a message, or perform another action when a buddy signs on or signs off. This is called "Buddy Pounce".
To set a new buddy pounce, choose Tools->Buddy Pounce->New Buddy Pounce in the Buddy List window, or right-click on a buddy in the buddy list and choose Add Buddy Pounce. This will open Add Buddy Pounce dialog shown in .
This dialog contains the following settings:
In this field you should enter the buddy's screen name.
Here you can select the event that triggers the buddy pounce. All the events refer to your buddy's action: e.g., if you choose Sign On, the buddy pounce will be performed when your buddy signs on.
Here you select the action to be performed. Possible choice are:
Open an IM window. Opens an IM window for conversation with this buddy. This window is originally empty
Pop up notification. Pop up a dialog informing you of the event.
Send a message. Send an IM to the buddy.
Execute a command. You will need to enter the command to execute.
Play a sound. You should select the sound file to play using the Browse button.
If this option is selected, the buddy pounce is saved as a permanent buddy pounce and used for all future uses of Gaim (until you decide to remove it). Otherwise, this buddy pounce is used only once. FIXME: is this correct?
Gaim allows you to block messages from certain users. To enable this feature, choose Tools->Privacy in Bug Buddy window. This will open Privacy dialog in which you can select one of the following settings.
If this option is selected, all incoming IM messages are allowed. This is the default mode.
If this option is selected, only the messages from people on your buddy list are allowed; all other messages are blocked.
Selecting this option opens a window in which you can enter screen names of people you want to allow to contact you. Messages from these people are allowed; all other messages are blocked.
To add a user to the list, click on Add button and enter the user's screen name. To remove a user from the list, select the user and lcick on Remove button. To remove all names from the list, click on Clear button. FIXME: doesn't seem to work in version 0.75.
If this option is selected, all IM messages are blocked.
Selecting this option opens a window in which you can enter screen names of people you want to block. Messages from these people are blocked; all other messages are allowed.
To add a user to the list, click on Add button and enter the user's screen name. To remove a user from the list, select the user and lcick on Remove button. To remove all names from the list, click on Clear button.
You can also add users to this list by clicking on Block button in the Conversation Window.
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