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Getting
started (For Frequently Asked Questions - click here)
Trillian
is a powerful tool that combines ICQ, IRC, AOL, MSN and Yahoo in one.
Needing a regular 1.8 MB resource (icq uses almost 19 MB resources)
and having a very futuristic skin as well as user made skins to download
this free tool has definately got a bright future. All your contacts
can be saved in groups for better organization and the best advantage,
no more having 3 or 4 programs running when you can use them all in
this one. First of all, you need to download the software. This can
be done using the link to the right. If that doesn't work, try looking
on these sites:
www.ceruleanstudios.com
www.download.com
After
you have downloaded and installed Trillian, you need to run the connection
wizard. This should happen automaticly. Simply enter any existing
IM accounts (MSN Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger,
ICQ (I Seek You)) into the fields. AIM and MSN should download their
contact lists automaticly when you connect to the internet. Also,
you can import existing ICQ lists from the hard drive.
When you first run Trillian while connected to the net, you can login
to your IM accounts.
First
you need to get to the connection manager. To get to your Connection
Manager, locate the icons for the chat mediums at the bottom of your
contact list. Click one of them and choose Connection Manager. You
may also right-click your Trillian system tray icon or click your
Trillian button (located near the bottom of the contact list on the
default skin) and choose Connection Manager.
-MSN
Blue
-AIM Yellow
-ICQ Green
-YIM Red
-IRC White
MSN:
Clicking on this icon will give you a menu with only one choice, that
being the Connection Manager.
First of all, the obvious ones. Sign-in Name and Password are quite
obvious, and Display Name is the name that other people will see.
The Create a new MSN Messenger account (Passport) is used to create
a new MSN Messenger account (Passport). Now, the Automatically connect
to this account on startup checkbox is fairly self-explanatory, and
the Chat Medium menu is used to pick the chat medium. It's easier
to just go through the main window, but you can use this menu to change
manager.
AIM
& ICQ:
Both
of these services use the same connection manager. Other than that,
it's almost the same as the MSN Connection Manager, aside from the
fact that you can create AIM and ICQ accounts from here.
YIM:
IRC:
This one is slightly more complicated. First of all, you need to enter
the Servername and Port (you can find the current SWCombine server
details here. After entering these numbers,
Trillian will automaticly add the server to your server list. Underneath
the Server fields are the personal options.
On the first page (see below), the Nickname is your Display name and
the Alternate is the nickname when the primary one is in use (so it's
like a backup). The other two fields (Username and User Information)
appear when someone performs a WhoIs query on your name.
The Identd tab, or Identification, is really only for advanced users.
Best to leave this alone.
The third tab, the Perform Buffer, is a place where auto-connect commands
can be inputted. This means, when you connect to the room, Trillian
will automaticly perform these operations. In this example, Trillian
will login to my registered nickname, then connect to the hapes room.
Next, we move onto the Contact List.
Trillian incorporates contacts from every supported chat medium into
one contact list. Some of your contacts may be stored on a server
and imported into your contact list. You can manage your current connections
by clicking the chat medium icons at the bottom of the contact list.
You can sort your contact list by medium, or alphabetically. Sorting
by medium will order your list by chat medium. Access this by right-clicking
anywhere on the Contact List and selecting Sort.
From here, you can add chat contacts. Here are some ways to add a
contact:
- Click
the (+) Add Contact button at the top of the contact list.
- Right-click in your contact list and choose Add..
- While in a conversation, click (+) Add Contact
You must
then choose which chat medium the contact is on followed by the name
of the contact.
To import an ICQ contact list, you need to import the .CLB file from
your ICQ directory. To do this, choose "Import from an old contact
list."
You can delete selected contacts by pressing your delete key. Right-clicking
and choosing Remove Contact works, as well as using the (X) Remove
Contact button on the contact list.
Now
onto the Message Windows.
Message windows are where the conversations happen. Trillian uses
split windows, where the top half is your ongoing conversation and
your bottom half is where you can type your outgoing message. There
is no way to 'hang up'; if you close a message window, the other user
may still have theirs open and can continue to talk to you, opening
a new window on your screen. For a list of options and commands you
can execute, right-click within the top half of the message window.
You can send a message to a contact by double-clicking their entry
in your contact list. A message window will open up. Begin typing,
and hit enter to send the message. Other options exist; see Preferences->Windows->Edit
to customize the keys available for message sending.
Now
the Status Windows.
Also called a console, these windows contain all of the communication
between Trillian and each medium's network. If you are having problems
logging on to a certain account, you should pull up that connection's
status window and see if there's an error message or other indication
of what might have gone wrong. Feel free to hide your status windows
when not in use. You may also like to place them all into a single
container, which can be done in Prefs -> Windows -> Initial.
To toggle a Status Window's visibility, click on a specific medium's
icon at the bottom of the contact list, then choose Toggle Status
Window.
How
to use Containers
A container is a window that can contain many other windows within
itself. This gives you the capability to group multiple conversations,
channels, or status windows into one view and switch easily between
them, all while using only one task bar entry for the group. It allows
you to stay organized even with a large amount of windows open. You
can only attach Trillian windows to containers.
See also Tutorial: How to use containers |
You can create a container from just about any window within Trillian.
Simply right-click within any message or channel window and choose
Attach -> New Container. If you've made any containers in the past,
their names will be listed for your convenience. To add a window to
an existing container, right-click within the window and choose Attach,
then select the name of the open container. To remove a window from
a container, simply drag it out of the container. To remove all windows
and then dissolve the container, right-click the container's border
and choose Detach All and Close. To close all windows within a container
and close the container itself, simply press the Close button on the
border of the container.
Using
Skins
Trillian's entire interface is skinned in our custom-written SkinXML
language. Each skin can give Trillian a unique look and feel while
introducing the user to a different set of emoticons and emotisounds.
In addition, you may find certain features available with other skins,
such as a mute button within message windows.
Because
each skin contains its own graphics files, you may notice that certain
skins are smaller and faster than others.
There
is no way to remove Trillian's skin; if you would like a standard
Windows look and feel, you would need to run Trillian with a skin
that looks like standard Windows. New skins are available for download
on the Cerulean Studios web site or deviantART.
Skins
need their own subdirectory in your trillian\skins directory. Depending
on where you installed Trillian, this may be
C:\Program Files\Trillian\Skins
Some
skins may come in .ZIP files. These are compressed archives filled
with a bunch of files. Using your favorite Unzip utility, unzip the
files into your Trillian skins directory. Because each skin needs
its own directory, you should make sure that your unzip program extracts
all of the directories inside the zip.
To choose
among the skins you have installed, go into the Skins section of Preferences
and launch the Skin Chooser. The skin you choose will become active
when you exit and reload Trillian.
* Advanced:
If you would like to choose a skin each time you load Trillian, start
it with the command-line argument:
/skinchooser
Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I backup my contacts?
All of your settings are within the users/default directory and your
buddy list is in the users/default/buddies.xml file. Some profiles
may be stored elsewhere, according to your personal settings, but
the file names and directory structures remain constant.
What is the You're On area?
The you're on area (also known as "Connections", "Recent
Connections", or in a drawer on some skins) lists all the servers
you are connected to and the channels or conversations that you're
currently engaged in on those servers. The icons state both what the
item is (type-wise; i.e, query, channel, etc) and the state of that
particular item. For example, consoles will show two different icons
based on connection status, letting you know at a glance if you're
still connected somewhere or not. An icon in the right column will
let you know whether or not the window is minimized. To minimize a
window, left click on the item in the list. All entries in the you're
on list can be minimized with the exception of the two groups "privmsg"
and "channel", which show up for IRC server connections
only. You may also right click on an item for more features which
vary based on the type of entry it is.
How do you log on in 'invisible' mode in a specific medium through
Trillian?
If you set yourself invisible, Trillian will remember this and keep
you invisible on future logins. If you're disconnected, you can click,
set status, invisible and it will also reconnect you invisible.
What
different emoticons are available? How can I add or modify them?
Emoticons are based on the specific skin you are using. If you want
to see exactly which ones are available, you must open a message/query
window with another user and click the Emoticon icon. Alternatively,
you can press Ctrl-E within a message window to see all available
emoticons. In addition, emoticons are stored in your talk.xml file.
You can view the talk.xml file within the current skins directory
and then search for the word 'emoticon'. You will then see them listed,
where you can modify or delete any that you choose.
Are there seperate emoticons for each medium, or are they the same
throughout the entire program?
The emotions are standard throughout the whole program for every window.
The emoticons are shown incorrectly in my window. For example, ":-):-)"
will be shown as ":-(smiley face) -)". What's wrong?
Emoticons are different in different skins. Trillian interprets emoticons
in the order assigned in the skin files. Some skins may include some
rarer combinations of emoticons so you may not be able to adapt to
it.
To solve this, you can either:
(A) Add a space in between the two emoticons.
(B) Edit the "emoticon" section in "Talk.XML"
of your current skin. This is a more advanced process so it would
be better to request the change from the author of the skin.
Is there a history feature to look back on past conversations?
Make sure to turn on logging first in Preferences -> Components
-> Windows -> Logging. (Some of the terms here may not make
sense. Here's a quick guide: Query = Message windows, Channel = IRC
Channel windows, Consoles = Server information for each service...
If you want to log conversations only, set it to Query.)
Right
click in the chat window of the person you are talking to, and click
show log. A log viewer will appear in a future release.
If you
would like to view history that is stored in the ICQ client, here's
an simple solution: Keep a copy of ICQ with your database installed
on your computer, even though you switched to Trillian. Configure
it so ICQ wont start at startup. After that, you can use ICQ whenever
you need to to retrieve messages that were stored there.
Is there any way to have the times displayed or saved in the logs?
Right click a window and choose Options -> Timestamps. You can
turn it to 'on' to have that window have them. If you want all windows
which are set to 'default' to have timestamps on, go into Preferences
-> Components -> Windows -> Display and turn them on there.
The timestamps will then also be saved in the logs.
How can I stop messages from popping up while I'm playing games
or doing something else on my computer (ala ICQ)?
ICQ style notification of messages (i.e. blinking icon in your buddy
list) is available in Preferences->Windows->Initial. Select
"Hide the window and notify me via the systray" to avoid
pop-ups.
When I select some text to copy, it automatically unselects the
text? How do I copy text from a window?
Trillian acts like many other programs when the only option in the
window is to copy. Instead of making you select the text, and then
telling Trillian to copy it - once you've chosen the text you want
copied, Trillian automatically copies it to the clipboard and unselects
the text. This can save you a great deal of time when you are copying
many items.
When someone changes their nickname in IRC, the window doesn't
update with their new nick. Is there a way to fix this?
Trillian doesn't yet support this feature, but it will be added in
a future version. Also note - once this feature is added, because
of the way IRC works, nick changes will only work if you are currently
in the same channel as the user that is changing their nick. There
is no notification in IRC if the user changes their nick and is not
in the same channel as you. So - look for this feature to be added
in a future version!
What's up with the flashing icons on the IRC connection console?
These are send and receive lights. Every time data comes from the
server, or vice versa, the appropriate light will flicker. Data is
sent back and forth even when you are not typing any messages, so
you may see the lights flicker even when you are inactive.
How can I disable the sound I hear when a buddy logs on or off?
From the Trillian button on the buddy list, click Preferences, Buddies,
and uncheck Play Sounds.
How can I disable emoticons?
Uncheck the box labelled 'Show Emoticons' under Preferences...
> Windows
You mention a few items that don't appear in the same location as
you say, or I can't find them at all. Are you guys making mistakes?
Possibly, but most likely you are running a different skin than what's
standard/packaged with Trillian. Skins allow users to change the look
and feel of the entire product. They not only change the appearance
of the components or buttons, but their locations as well. So, don't
be afraid if after changing a skin your items have shifted around
a bit. Either experiment to locate the item, or look in the skin's
help files to aid in the familiarization process.
After selecting a skin and restarting, I get the error message
"This does not appear to be a valid skin, please pick another
or quit." How do I fix this?
Most skins, when unzipped, will install into their own directory.
When you unzipped the skin, you probably told it to install into a
directory, and ended up not placing the skin in the correct place.
Skins
should be located in the Trillian\Skins folder, under their skin name.
When you double-click the skin name in the skins folder, you should
see lots of files with information about the skin. However, if you
see another folder with the skin name, you've installed it wrong (by
putting it in a folder inside a folder.)
To fix
this, try one of these options:
1) Delete
the skin from the skins folder, and then reinstall it by unzipping
and placing it in the Trillian\Skins folder (and not creating a seperate
folder for it.)
or
2) Select
the folder inside the folder, goto Edit -> Cut, go up one folder
(into the Trillian\Skins folder) and goto Edit -> Paste, and then
delete the other skin folder that you created.
If you
did install the skin correctly and it still does not work, make sure
the skin is compliant with the version of Trillian you are using.
How can I remove a skin?
You can remove it manually by removing the corresponding directory
inside the Trillian skin folder.
(Trillian's Program Path)\skins\(Skin Name Here)
e.g.
C:\Program Files\Trillian\skins\Whistler
OK, that's
the end of this FAQ. If you need more help, try the Trillian help
page (click
here). FAQ curtosy of Marcus Bayne (11/2002)
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