StormIRC

A completely accessible GUI IRC client built specifically for blind users and anyone who values keyboard-first design. Built with Python and Qt6 (PySide6).

Features

🎯 Accessibility First

• Screen Reader Support: Fully compatible with Orca, NVDA, and other screen readers
• Keyboard Navigation: Complete keyboard control - mouse optional
• Text-to-Speech: Optional Speech Dispatcher integration for self-voicing
• Cursor Navigation: Arrow keys work in chat history for easy navigation

💬 Full IRC Protocol Support

• Multi-server support with SSL/TLS
• SASL PLAIN authentication
• Channel management (join, part, topic)
• Private messages in tabs
• User lists per channel
• Nick changes, WHOIS, CTCP ACTION (/me)
• Automatic reconnection with exponential backoff
• CAP negotiation (IRCv3)

🗂️ Tabbed Interface

• Server Console tab for server messages
• One tab per channel with independent chat, topic, user list, and input
• One tab per PM conversation (no separate windows!)
• Easy tab navigation with keyboard shortcuts

⚙️ Highly Configurable

• Multi-server configuration with auto-connect
• Per-channel autojoin settings
• Customizable highlight patterns (regex)
• Speech settings (rate, pitch, volume, voice selection)
• Window dimensions and UI preferences
• Export/import configuration for backup

🔔 Smart Notifications

• System notifications for highlights and PMs
• Customizable regex highlight patterns
• Unread message counters
• Sound notifications

🎹 Programmable Function Keys

• F1-F12 keys can execute:
  • Plain text messages
  • IRC commands (e.g., /away I'm away)
  • Shell commands (e.g., /usr/bin/date)
  • Shell with output to channel (e.g., /usr/bin/fortune|)

Installation

Prerequisites

Required:

• Python 3.8 or later
• Qt6 (via PySide6)

Optional (for text-to-speech):

• Speech Dispatcher

Install Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://git.stormux.org/storm/stormirc.git
   cd stormirc
   

2. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Optional - Install Speech Dispatcher:

   # Arch/Manjaro:
   sudo pacman -S speech-dispatcher python-speechd
   
   # Debian/Ubuntu:
   sudo apt install python3-speechd
   
   # Fedora:
   sudo dnf install python3-speechd
   

4. Run StormIRC:

   ./stormirc
   

   Or with debug logging:

   ./stormirc -d
   

Keyboard Shortcuts

Tab Navigation

• Ctrl+Tab: Next tab
• Ctrl+Shift+Tab: Previous tab
• Ctrl+W: Close current tab (sends PART for channels)
• Alt+7, Alt+8, Alt+9: Jump to tab 7, 8, or 9

Configuration

• Ctrl+S: Save settings to disk

Within a Tab

• F6: Cycle focus (chat → input → user list → chat)
• Ctrl+L: Focus input field from anywhere
• Enter on user in user list: Open PM tab
• Shift+Enter in input: Insert newline (for multi-line messages)
• Enter in input: Send message

Speech Control

• Ctrl: Stop speech immediately
• Alt+1: Decrease volume (-10)
• Alt+2: Increase volume (+10)
• Alt+3: Decrease pitch (-10)
• Alt+4: Increase pitch (+10)
• Alt+5: Decrease rate (-10)
• Alt+6: Increase rate (+10)

Note: Speech adjustments apply immediately, save to config, and announce the new value.

Function Keys

• F1-F12: Execute programmable commands (configure in Settings)

IRC Commands

StormIRC supports all standard IRC commands. Just prefix with /:

Channel Management

• /join #channel - Join a channel
• /part [#channel] - Leave current or specified channel
• /list - Browse available channels (opens dialog)
• /topic [new topic] - View or set channel topic

User Communication

• /msg <nick> [message] - Open PM tab and optionally send message
• /query <nick> - Open PM tab (alias for /msg)
• /me <action> - Send CTCP ACTION
• /whois <nick> - Get user information

Configuration

• /autojoin - Show autojoin channels for current server
• /autojoin add #channel1,#channel2 - Add channels to autojoin
• /autojoin remove #channel - Remove channel from autojoin
• /autojoin clear - Clear all autojoin channels
• /autojoin list - List autojoin channels

Connection

• /nick <newnick> - Change nickname
• /quit [message] - Disconnect and quit application

Any Other IRC Command

Send raw IRC commands by prefixing with /:

• /mode #channel +o nick - Give ops
• /kick #channel nick [reason] - Kick user
• /away [message] - Set away status
• etc.

Configuration

StormIRC stores configuration in ~/.config/stormirc/config.json.

Settings Dialog

Access via menu or keyboard shortcut. Five tabs:

1. General: Window dimensions, timestamps, theme
2. Accessibility: Screen reader, notifications, display options
3. Speech: TTS enable/disable, rate, pitch, volume, voice selection
4. Servers: Add, edit, remove IRC servers
5. Highlights: Manage regex highlight patterns
6. Function Keys: Configure F1-F12 programmable keys

Server Configuration

Each server can have:

• Host, port, SSL/TLS
• Nickname, username, real name
• Optional server password
• SASL authentication (username/password)
• Auto-connect on startup
• Auto-join channels (per-channel checkbox)

Message Logging

All messages are automatically logged to ~/.config/stormirc/logs/:

• Per-server, per-channel log files
• Daily rotation (YYYY-MM-DD format)
• Recent history loaded when opening channels

Accessibility Features

Screen Reader Compatibility

• Proper ARIA roles and labels for all UI elements
• Live message announcements (when window is active)
• Logical tab order
• Context announcements when switching tabs

Keyboard-First Design

• All functionality accessible via keyboard
• No mouse-only interactions
• Intuitive keyboard shortcuts
• F6 cycling for common navigation patterns

Text-to-Speech (Optional)

• Speech Dispatcher integration
• Configurable voice, rate, pitch, volume
• On-the-fly adjustments with Alt+1 through Alt+6
• Per-message speech control
• Interrupt speech with Ctrl key
• Optional reading of your own messages

Visual Accessibility

• High DPI support
• Customizable font sizes
• Clear focus indicators
• Unread message indicators

Architecture

stormirc/
├── stormirc               # Main executable
├── requirements.txt       # Python dependencies
└── src/
    ├── irc/
    │   └── client.py      # IRC protocol implementation
    ├── config/
    │   └── settings.py    # Configuration management
    └── ui/
        ├── main_window.py # Main tabbed window
        ├── channel_tab.py # Reusable tab widget
        ├── accessible_tree.py # Accessible tree widget
        ├── settings_dialog.py # Settings dialog
        ├── autocomplete_textedit.py # Text input with autocomplete
        ├── speech.py      # Speech Dispatcher TTS
        ├── sound.py       # Sound notifications
        └── logger.py      # Message logging

Threading Model

• IRC client runs in background daemon thread
• UI updates via Qt signals/slots (thread-safe)
• Speech runs in separate thread to avoid blocking

Known Limitations

• No DCC file transfers yet
• No channel modes UI (use /mode command)
• URLs not clickable yet (can be copied)
• No message formatting (bold/italic/colors) yet
• No custom keyboard shortcut configuration yet

Contributing

This project prioritizes accessibility. When contributing:

1. Never break screen reader functionality - This is the highest priority
2. Test with a screen reader (Orca on Linux, NVDA on Windows)
3. Maintain keyboard navigation - All features must be keyboard accessible
4. Follow code quality standards - See .claude/CLAUDE.md for details

License

[Add your license here]

Credits

Built with Python, Qt6 (PySide6), and lots of care for the user experience.

StormIRC proves that accessibility and good UX aren't mutually exclusive.