In PyLink, protocol modules communicate with plugins through a system of hooks. This has the benefit of being IRCd-independent, allowing most plugins to function regardless of the IRCd being used.
2) **command**: The command name (hook name) of the payload. These are *always* UPPERCASE, and those starting with "PYLINK_" indicate hooks sent out by PyLink IRC objects themselves; i.e. they don't require protocol modules to handle them.
*Note:* the `ts` key is **automatically added** (using the current time) to all hook data dicts that don't include it - such a key should only be provided if the command the uplink IRCd sends a TS value itself.
On UnrealIRCd, because SETHOST is mapped to CHGHOST, `:GL SETHOST blah` would return the raw hook data of this (with the nick converted into UID automatically by the protocol module):
Some hooks, like MODE, are more complex and can include the entire state of a channel! This will be further described later. `:GL MODE #chat +o PyLink-devel` is converted into (pretty-printed for readability):
- The service bot API and plugins like relay use this to make sure networks are properly connected. Should ENDBURST not be sent or emulated, they will likely fail to spawn users entirely.
- This hook handles both SJOIN and JOIN commands, to make writing plugins slightly easier (they only need to listen to one hook).
-`channel` sends the channel name, `users` sends a list of joining UIDs, and `ts` returns the TS (an `int`) that we have for the channel.
-`modes` returns a list of parsed modes: `(mode character, mode argument)` tuples, where the mode argument is either `None` (for modes without arguments), or a string.
- The sender of this hook payload is IRCd-dependent, and is determined by whether the command was originally a SJOIN or regular JOIN - SJOIN is only sent by servers, and JOIN is only sent by users.
- For IRCds that support joining multiple channels in one command (`/join #channel1,#channel2`), consecutive JOIN hook payloads of this format will be sent (one per channel).
- For SJOIN, the `channeldata` key may also be sent, with a copy of the `IrcChannel` object BEFORE any mode changes from this burst command were processed.
-`text` refers to the kick reason. The `target` and `channel` fields send the target's UID and the channel they were kicked from, and the sender of the hook payload is the kicker.
-`text` refers to the kill reason. `target` is the target's UID.
- The `userdata` key may include an `IrcUser` instance, depending on the IRCd. On IRCds where QUITs are explicitly sent (InspIRCd), `userdata` will be `None`. Other IRCds do not explicitly send QUIT messages for KILLed clients, so the daemon must assume that they've quit, and deliver their last state to plugins that require this info.
-`target` is the target the mode is being set on: it may be either a channel (for channel modes) OR a UID (for user modes).
-`modes` is a list of prefixed parsed modes: `(mode character, mode argument)` tuples, but with `+/-` prefixes to denote whether each mode is being set or unset.
- One use for this is to prevent oper-override hacks: checks for whether a sender is opped have to be done before the MODE is processed; otherwise, someone can simply op themselves and circumvent this detection.
- *Note:* `target` can not only be a channel or a UID, but also a channel with a prefix attached (e.g. `@#lounge`). These cases should not be overlooked!
-`text` can also be an empty string, as part messages are *optional* on IRC.
- Unlike the JOIN hook, multiple channels can be specified in a list for PART. This means that a user PARTing one channel will cause a payload to be sent with `channels` as a one-length *list* with the channel name.
-`channeldata` provides the channel index of the network before the netsplit was processed, allowing plugins to track who was affected by a netsplit in a channel specific way.
-`oldtopic` denotes the original topic, and `text` indicates the new one being set.
-`setter` is the raw sender field given to us by the IRCd; it may be a `nick!user@host`, a UID, a SID, a server name, or a nick. This is not processed any further.
- SETHOST, CHGHOST, and any other events that cause host changes should return a CHGHOST hook payload. The point of this is to track changes in users' hostmasks.
- For protocols that use TS6-style nick saving. During nick collisions, instead of killing the losing client, servers that support SAVE will send such a command targeting the losing client, which forces that user's nick to their UID.
- This hook is sent whenever a user logs in to a services account, where `text` is the account name. The sender of the hook is the UID of the user logging in.
- **CLIENT_OPERED**: `{'text': 'IRC_Operator'}`
- This hook is sent whenever an oper-up is successful: when a user with umode `+o` is bursted, when umode `+o` is set, etc.
- The `text` field denotes the oper type (not the SWHOIS), which is used for WHOIS replies on different IRCds.
- This hook is called by `coreplugin` during its WHOIS handling process, to allow plugins to provide custom WHOIS information. The `target` field represents the target UID, while the `server` field represents the SID that should be replying to the WHOIS request. The source of the payload is the user using `/whois`.
- Plugins wishing to implement this should use the standard WHOIS numerics, using `irc.proto.numeric()` to reply to the source from the given server.
- This hook replaces the pre-0.8 fashion of defining custom WHOIS handlers, which was non-standard and poorly documented.
At this time, commands that are handled by protocol modules without returning any hook data include PING, PONG, and various commands sent during the initial server linking phase.