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https://github.com/d99kris/nchat
Terminal-based Telegram / WhatsApp client for Linux and macOS
https://github.com/d99kris/nchat
console linux macos ncurses telegram telegram-client terminal-based tui whatsapp whatsapp-client
Last synced: about 2 hours ago
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Terminal-based Telegram / WhatsApp client for Linux and macOS
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/d99kris/nchat
- Owner: d99kris
- License: mit
- Created: 2019-02-19T13:24:47.000Z (over 5 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2024-09-14T09:31:04.000Z (11 days ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-09-20T19:32:59.601Z (5 days ago)
- Topics: console, linux, macos, ncurses, telegram, telegram-client, terminal-based, tui, whatsapp, whatsapp-client
- Language: C++
- Homepage:
- Size: 15.2 MB
- Stars: 652
- Watchers: 11
- Forks: 46
- Open Issues: 2
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
nchat
=====
| **Linux** | **Mac** |
|-----------|---------|
| [](https://github.com/d99kris/nchat/actions?query=workflow%3ALinux) | [](https://github.com/d99kris/nchat/actions?query=workflow%3AmacOS) |
nchat is a terminal-based chat client for Linux and macOS with support for
Telegram and WhatsApp.
Features
--------
- Customizable color schemes and key bindings
- Jump to unread chat
- Message history cache with support for text export
- Message read receipt
- Receive / send markdown formatted messages
- Reply / delete / edit / forward / send messages
- List dialogs for selecting chats, contacts, emojis, files
- Show user status (online, away, typing)
- Toggle to view textized emojis vs. graphical
- View / save media files (documents, photos, videos)
- Send and display reactions
Usage
=====
Usage:
nchat [OPTION]
Command-line Options:
-d, --confdir use a different directory than ~/.config/nchat
-e, --verbose enable verbose logging
-ee, --extra-verbose enable extra verbose logging
-h, --help display this help and exit
-k, --keydump key code dump mode
-m, --devmode developer mode
-r, --remove remove chat protocol account
-s, --setup set up chat protocol account
-v, --version output version information and exit
-x, --export export message cache to specified dir
Interactive Commands:
PageDn history next page
PageUp history previous page
Tab next chat
Sh-Tab previous chat
Ctrl-f jump to unread chat
Ctrl-g toggle show help bar
Ctrl-l toggle show contact list
Ctrl-n search contacts
Ctrl-p toggle show top bar
Ctrl-q quit
Ctrl-s insert emoji
Ctrl-t send file
Ctrl-x send message
Ctrl-y toggle show emojis
KeyUp select message
Alt-d delete/leave current chat
Alt-e external editor compose
Alt-n goto chat
Alt-t external telephone call
Alt-/ find in chat
Alt-? find next in chat
Alt-$ external spell check
Alt-, decrease contact list width
Alt-. increase contact list width
Interactive Commands for Selected Message:
Ctrl-d delete selected message
Ctrl-r download attached file
Ctrl-v open/view attached file
Ctrl-w open link
Ctrl-x send reply to selected message
Ctrl-z edit selected message
Alt-c copy selected message to clipboard
Alt-q jump to quoted/replied message
Alt-r forward selected message
Alt-s add/remove reaction on selected message
Alt-w external message viewer
Interactive Commands for Text Input:
Ctrl-a move cursor to start of line
Ctrl-c clear input buffer
Ctrl-e move cursor to end of line
Ctrl-k delete from cursor to end of line
Ctrl-u delete from cursor to start of line
Alt-Left move cursor backward one word
Alt-Right move cursor forward one word
Alt-Backsp delete previous word
Alt-Delete delete next word
Alt-c copy input buffer to clipboard (if no message selected)
Alt-v paste into input buffer from clipboard
Alt-x cut input buffer to clipboard
Supported Platforms
===================
nchat is developed and tested on Linux and macOS. Current version has been
tested on:
- macOS Sonoma 14.5
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Install using Package Manager
=============================
macOS
-----
**Build / Install Stable Release using Brew**
brew tap d99kris/nchat
brew install nchat
Optionally one can disable protocols using `--without-whatsapp` and
`--without-telegram`, for example:
brew install nchat --without-telegram
Arch Linux
----------
**Build / Install Latest Git**
yay -S nchat-git
**Build / Install Stable Release**
yay -S nchat
Build from Source
=================
nchat consists of a large code-base (mainly the Telegram library tdlib), so be
prepared for a relatively long first build time.
**Get Source**
git clone https://github.com/d99kris/nchat && cd nchat
Using make.sh script
--------------------
If using macOS, Alpine, Arch, Fedora, Gentoo, Raspbian, Ubuntu or Void, one
can use the `make.sh` script provided.
**Dependencies**
./make.sh deps
**Build / Install**
./make.sh build && ./make.sh install
Manually
--------
**Dependencies**
macOS
brew install gperf cmake openssl ncurses ccache readline help2man sqlite libmagic go
Arch
sudo pacman -S ccache cmake file go gperf help2man ncurses openssl readline sqlite zlib base-devel
Debian-based (Ubuntu, Raspbian, etc)
sudo apt install ccache cmake build-essential gperf help2man libreadline-dev libssl-dev libncurses-dev libncursesw5-dev ncurses-doc zlib1g-dev libsqlite3-dev libmagic-dev golang
Fedora
sudo dnf install git cmake clang golang ccache file-devel file-libs gperf readline-devel openssl-devel ncurses-devel sqlite-devel zlib-devel
Gentoo
sudo emerge -n dev-util/cmake dev-util/ccache dev-util/gperf sys-apps/help2man sys-libs/readline dev-libs/openssl sys-libs/ncurses sys-libs/zlib dev-db/sqlite sys-apps/file dev-lang/go
Void
sudo xbps-install base-devel go ccache cmake gperf help2man libmagick-devel readline-devel sqlite-devel file-devel openssl-devel
**Build**
mkdir -p build && cd build && cmake .. && make -s
**Install**
sudo make install
Advanced Build Options
----------------------
By default nchat requires ~3.5GB RAM to build using G++ and ~1.5GB RAM with
clang++, but it is possible to reduce the memory needed,
see [Building on Low Memory Systems](/doc/LOWMEMORY.md).
All nchat features are enabled by default, but it's possible to control
inclusion of some features using cmake flags, see [Feature Flags](/doc/FLAGS.md).
Getting Started
===============
In order to configure / setup an account one needs to run nchat in setup mode:
nchat --setup
The setup mode prompts for phone number, which shall be entered with country
code. Example:
$ nchat --setup
Protocols:
0. Dummy
1. Telegram
2. WhatsAppMd
3. Exit setup
Select protocol (3): 1
Enter phone number (ex. +6511111111): +6511111111
Enter authentication code: xxxxx
Succesfully set up profile Telegram_+6511111111
If unsure of what phone number to enter, open the Telegram app on the phone
and press the menu button and use the number displayed there (omitting spaces,
so for the below screenshot the number to enter is +6511111111).
Once the setup process is completed, the main UI of nchat will be loaded.
In order to set up multiple protocols/profiles, exit nchat and perform the
setup step again.
Troubleshooting
===============
Refer to [Debugging](/doc/DEBUGGING.md) for details.
Telegram Group
==============
A Telegram group [https://t.me/nchatusers](https://t.me/nchatusers) is
available for users to discuss nchat usage and related topics.
Security
========
User data is stored locally in `~/.config/nchat`. Default file permissions
only allow user access, but anyone who can gain access to a user's private
files can also access the user's personal Telegram data. To protect against
the most simple attack vectors it may be suitable to use disk encryption and
to ensure `~/.config/nchat` is not backed up unencrypted.
Configuration
=============
The following configuration files (listed with current default values) can be
used to configure nchat.
~/.config/nchat/app.conf
------------------------
This configuration file holds general application settings. Default content:
attachment_prefetch=1
attachment_send_type=1
cache_enabled=1
coredump_enabled=0
downloads_dir=
emoji_list_all=0
link_send_preview=1
logdump_enabled=0
proxy_host=
proxy_pass=
proxy_port=
proxy_user=
timestamp_iso=0
### attachment_send_type
Specifies whether to detect file type (audio, video, image, document) and send
attachments as those types, instead of sending all attachments as document
type (which typically leaves original file content intact).
### attachment_prefetch
Specifies level of attachment prefetching:
0 = no prefetch (download upon open/save)
1 = selected (download upon message selection) <- default
2 = all (download when message is received)
### cache_enabled
Specifies whether to enable cache functionality.
### coredump_enabled
Specifies whether to enable core dumps on application crash.
### downloads_dir
Specifies a custom downloads directory path to save attachments to. If not
specified, the default dir is `~/Downloads` if exists, otherwise `~`.
### emoji_list_all
Specifies whether the emoji dialog should list all emojis, it is otherwise
restricted to listing emojis that renders properly in common terminals.
### link_send_preview
Specifies whether to enable preview for links in messages sent (Telegram only).
### logdump_enabled
Specifies whether to dump warning and error log messages to stdout upon exit.
### proxy_
SOCKS5 proxy server details. To enable proxy usage the parameters `host` and
`port` are required, while `user` and `pass` are optional (depending on the
SOCKS server). Note: In order to use a proxy while setting up nchat the first
time, it is recommended to first run nchat without arguments (`nchat`) for its
config dir to be created, and then edit proxy settings in
`~/.config/nchat/app.conf` as needed, before running `nchat -s` to setup an
account.
### timestamp_iso
Specifies whether to use ISO-style timestamps (`YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM`) in the UI
and at export of chat history. By default nchat uses a dynamic "human-friendly"
format:
- `HH:MM` for timestamps on same date as today, e.g. `19:00`
- `DAY HH:MM` for timestamps in the last week, e.g. `Mon 19:00`
- `DD MMM HH:MM` for timestamps in the current year, e.g. `14 Nov 19:00`
- `DD MMM YYYY HH:MM` for timestamps in non-current year, e.g. `14 Nov 2022 19:00`
- `DD MMM YYYY HH:MM` for timestamps during export, e.g. `14 Nov 2022 19:00`
~/.config/nchat/ui.conf
-----------------------
This configuration file holds general user interface settings. Default content:
attachment_indicator=📎
attachment_open_command=
away_status_indication=0
call_command=
chat_picker_sorted_alphabetically=0
confirm_deletion=1
desktop_notify_active=0
desktop_notify_command=
desktop_notify_inactive=0
downloadable_indicator=+
emoji_enabled=1
entry_height=4
failed_indicator=✗
file_picker_command=
file_picker_persist_dir=1
help_enabled=1
home_fetch_all=0
linefeed_on_enter=1
link_open_command=
list_enabled=1
list_width=14
listdialog_show_filter=1
mark_read_on_view=1
mark_read_when_inactive=0
message_edit_command=
message_open_command=
muted_indicate_unread=1
muted_notify_unread=0
muted_position_by_timestamp=1
online_status_share=1
online_status_dynamic=1
phone_number_indicator=
proxy_indicator=🔒
read_indicator=✓
reactions_enabled=1
spell_check_command=
status_broadcast=1
syncing_indicator=⇄
terminal_bell_active=0
terminal_bell_inactive=1
terminal_title=
top_enabled=1
top_show_version=0
transfer_send_caption=1
typing_status_share=1
### attachment_indicator
Specifies text to prefix attachment filenames in message view.
### attachment_open_command
Specifies a custom command to use for opening/viewing attachments. The
command shall include `%1` which will be replaced by the filename
to open. If not specified, the following default commands are used:
Linux: `xdg-open >/dev/null 2>&1 '%1' &`
macOS: `open '%1' &`
Note: Omit the trailing `&` for commands taking over the terminal, for
example `w3m -o confirm_qq=false '%1'` and `see '%1'`.
### away_status_indication
Specifies whether to indicate away status in the top bar while sharing away
status with other users. I.e. the status will read `Away` instead of `Online`
when the terminal is inactive (assuming `online_status_share=1` and
`online_status_dynamic=1`).
### call_command
Specifies a custom command to use for starting a call using an external
tool. The command shall include `%1` which will be replaced by the phone
number of the contact. If not specified, the following default commands
are used:
Linux: `xdg-open >/dev/null 2>&1 'tel://%1' &`
macOS: `open 'tel://%1' &`
### chat_picker_sorted_alphabetically
Specifies whether the chat selection dialog (used when forwarding message)
should be sorted alphabetically. If not, its order follows the main chat
list order.
### confirm_deletion
Specifies whether to prompt the user for confirmation when deleting a message
or a chat.
### desktop_notify_active
Specifies whether new message shall trigger desktop notification when nchat
terminal window is active.
### desktop_notify_command
Specifies a custom command to use for desktop notifications. The command may
include `%1` (will be replaced by `sender name` or `group name - sender name`)
and `%2` (will be replaced by `message text`) enclosed in single quotes (to
prevent shell injection). Default command used, if not specified:
Linux: `notify-send 'nchat' '%1: %2'`
macOS: `osascript -e 'display notification "%1: %2" with title "nchat"'`
### desktop_notify_inactive
Specifies whether new message shall trigger desktop notification when nchat
terminal window is inactive.
### downloadable_indicator
Specifies text to suffix attachment filenames in message view for attachments
not yet downloaded. This is only shown for `attachment_prefetch` < 2.
### emoji_enabled
Specifies whether to display emojis. Controlled by Ctrl-y in run-time.
### entry_height
Specifies height of text entry area.
### failed_indicator
Specifies text to suffix attachment filenames in message view for failed
downloads.
### file_picker_command
Specifies a command to use for file selection, in place of the internal file
selection dialog used when sending files. The command shall include `%1` (a
temporary file path) which the command should write its result to. Examples:
nnn: `nnn -p '%1'`
ranger: `ranger --choosefiles='%1'`
### file_picker_persist_dir
Specifies whether the file selection dialog shall persist the directory of
last selected file.
### help_enabled
Specifies whether to display help bar. Controlled by Ctrl-g in run-time.
### home_fetch_all
Specifies whether `home` button shall repeatedly fetch all chat history.
### linefeed_on_enter
Specifies if enter key press should be read as linefeed (LF `\12`).
Otherwise read as carriage return (CR `\15`). This setting is only
relevant if `key.conf` uses numerical key value for enter (LF `\12`,
CR `\15`). The key name `KEY_RETURN` always maps to the one in use.
### link_open_command
Specifies a custom command to use for opening/viewing links. The
command shall include `%1` which will be replaced by the url
to open. If not specified, the following default commands are used:
Linux: `xdg-open >/dev/null 2>&1 '%1' &`
macOS: `open '%1' &`
Note: Omit the trailing `&` for commands taking over the terminal, for
example `w3m -o confirm_qq=false '%1'` and `see '%1'`.
### list_enabled
Specifies whether to display chat list. Controlled by Ctrl-l in run-time.
### list_width
Specifies width of chat list.
### listdialog_show_filter
Specifies whether list dialogs should display the search filter input by user.
### mark_read_on_view
Specifies whether nchat should send message read receipts upon viewing. If
false nchat will only mark the messages read upon `next_page` (page down),
`end` (end) or upon sending a message/file in the chat.
### mark_read_when_inactive
Controls whether nchat marks messages in the current chat as read while the
terminal is inactive.
### message_edit_command
Specifies a custom command to use for external editor compose. If not
specified, nchat will use `EDITOR` environment variable if set, or
otherwise use `nano`.
### message_open_command
Specifies a custom command to use for opening/viewing message text part. If
not specified, nchat will use `PAGER` environment variable if set, or
otherwise use `less`.
### muted_indicate_unread
Specifies whether chat list should indicate unread status `*` for muted chats.
This also determines whether the such chats are included in jump to unread.
### muted_notify_unread
Specifies whether to notify (terminal bell) new unread messages in muted chats.
### muted_position_by_timestamp
Specifies whether chat list position of muted chats should reflect the time of
their last received/sent message. Otherwise muted chats are listed last.
### online_status_share
Share online status with other users.
Note: Disabling this stops updates on other users online/typing status for
WhatsApp.
### online_status_dynamic
Dynamically update online status based on terminal active state.
Note: Enabling this stops updates on other users online/typing status for
WhatsApp when the terminal is not active.
### phone_number_indicator
Specifies status bar text to indicate phone number of the current chat is
available. This field may contain `%1` which will be replaced with the actual
phone number of the contact. Other examples: `🎧`
### proxy_indicator
Specifies top bar text to indicate proxy is enabled.
### read_indicator
Specifies text to indicate a message has been read by the receiver.
### reactions_enabled
Specifies whether to display reactions.
### spell_check_command
Specifies a custom command to use for spell checking composed messages. If not
specified, nchat checks if `aspell` or `ispell` is available on the system (in
that order), and uses the first found.
### status_broadcast
Specifies (WhatsApp) Status Updates chat level of visibility:
0 = hidden
1 = visible and muted <- default
2 = visible
### syncing_indicator
Specifies text to suffix attachment filenames in message view for downloads
in progress.
### terminal_bell_active
Specifies whether new message shall trigger terminal bell when nchat terminal
window is active.
### terminal_bell_inactive
Specifies whether new message shall trigger terminal bell when nchat terminal
window is inactive.
### terminal_title
Specifies custom terminal title, ex: `terminal_title=nchat - telegram`.
### top_enabled
Specifies whether to display top bar. Controlled by Ctrl-p in run-time.
### top_show_version
Specifies whether to display nchat version in top bar.
### transfer_send_caption
Specifies if entered text should be sent as caption when transferring a file.
### typing_status_share
Specifies whether to share typing status with other user(s) in the
conversation.
~/.config/nchat/key.conf
------------------------
This configuration file holds user interface key bindings. Default content:
backspace=KEY_BACKSPACE
backspace_alt=KEY_ALT_BACKSPACE
backward_kill_word=\33\177
backward_word=
begin_line=KEY_CTRLA
cancel=KEY_CTRLC
clear=KEY_CTRLC
copy=\33\143
cut=\33\170
decrease_list_width=\33\54
delete=KEY_DC
delete_chat=\33\144
delete_line_after_cursor=KEY_CTRLK
delete_line_before_cursor=KEY_CTRLU
delete_msg=KEY_CTRLD
down=KEY_DOWN
edit_msg=KEY_CTRLZ
end=KEY_END
end_line=KEY_CTRLE
ext_call=\33\164
ext_edit=\33\145
find=\33\57
find_next=\33\77
forward_msg=\33\162
forward_word=
goto_chat=\33\156
home=KEY_HOME
increase_list_width=\33\56
jump_quoted=\33\161
kill_word=
left=KEY_LEFT
linebreak=KEY_RETURN
next_chat=KEY_TAB
next_page=KEY_NPAGE
ok=KEY_RETURN
open=KEY_CTRLV
open_link=KEY_CTRLW
open_msg=\33\167
other_commands_help=KEY_CTRLO
paste=\33\166
prev_chat=KEY_BTAB
prev_page=KEY_PPAGE
quit=KEY_CTRLQ
react=\33\163
right=KEY_RIGHT
save=KEY_CTRLR
select_contact=KEY_CTRLN
select_emoji=KEY_CTRLS
send_msg=KEY_CTRLX
spell=\33\44
terminal_focus_in=KEY_FOCUS_IN
terminal_focus_out=KEY_FOCUS_OUT
terminal_resize=KEY_RESIZE
toggle_emoji=KEY_CTRLY
toggle_help=KEY_CTRLG
toggle_list=KEY_CTRLL
toggle_top=KEY_CTRLP
transfer=KEY_CTRLT
unread_chat=KEY_CTRLF
up=KEY_UP
The key bindings may be specified in the following formats:
- Ncurses macro (ex: `KEY_CTRLK`)
- Hex key code (ex: `0x22e`)
- Octal key code sequence (ex: `\033\177`)
- Plain-text single-char ASCII (ex: `r`)
- Disable key binding (`KEY_NONE`)
To determine the key code sequence for a key, one can run nchat in key code
dump mode `nchat -k` which will output the octal code, and ncurses macro name
(if present).
~/.config/nchat/color.conf
--------------------------
This configuration file holds user interface color settings. Default content:
default_color_bg=
default_color_fg=
dialog_attr=
dialog_attr_selected=reverse
dialog_color_bg=
dialog_color_fg=
entry_attr=
entry_color_bg=
entry_color_fg=
help_attr=reverse
help_color_bg=black
help_color_fg=white
history_name_attr=bold
history_name_attr_selected=reverse
history_name_recv_color_bg=
history_name_recv_color_fg=
history_name_recv_group_color_bg=
history_name_recv_group_color_fg=
history_name_sent_color_bg=
history_name_sent_color_fg=gray
history_text_attachment_color_bg=
history_text_attachment_color_fg=gray
history_text_attr=
history_text_attr_selected=reverse
history_text_quoted_color_bg=
history_text_quoted_color_fg=gray
history_text_reaction_color_bg=
history_text_reaction_color_fg=gray
history_text_recv_color_bg=
history_text_recv_color_fg=
history_text_recv_group_color_bg=
history_text_recv_group_color_fg=
history_text_sent_color_bg=
history_text_sent_color_fg=gray
list_attr=
list_attr_selected=reverse
list_color_bg=
list_color_fg=
listborder_attr=
listborder_color_bg=
listborder_color_fg=
status_attr=reverse
status_color_bg=
status_color_fg=
top_attr=reverse
top_color_bg=
top_color_fg=
Supported text attributes `_attr` (defaults to `normal` if not specified):
normal
underline
reverse
bold
italic
Supported text background `_bg` and foreground `_fg` colors:
black
red
green
yellow
blue
magenta
cyan
white
gray
bright_black (same as gray)
bright_red
bright_green
bright_yellow
bright_blue
bright_magenta
bright_cyan
bright_white
Custom colors may be specified using hex RGB code, for example `0xff8937`.
The `history_name_recv_group_color` and `history_text_recv_group_color`
parameters also supports the special value `usercolor`. When set, nchat will
determine which color to use for a user, based on a hash of their user id
used to pick a color from the list in `~/.config/nchat/usercolor.conf`.
Themes
------
Example color config files are provided in `$(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes`
and can be used by copying to `~/.config/nchat/`.
### Default Theme
cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/default/* ~/.config/nchat/
### Basic Color Theme
cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/basic-color/* ~/.config/nchat/
### Dracula Theme
cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/dracula/* ~/.config/nchat/
### iTerm2-Color-Schemes Themes
[iTerm2 Color Schemes](https://github.com/mbadolato/iTerm2-Color-Schemes) can
be used to generate themes for nchat. The following themes generated using
iTerm2 Color Schemes are available in `$(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes`:
- Catppuccin Mocha:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/catppuccin-mocha/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Espresso:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/espresso/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Gruvbox Dark:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/gruvbox-dark/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Solarized Dark Higher Contrast:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/solarized-dark-higher-contrast/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Tokyo Night:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/tokyo-night/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Tomorrow Night:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/tomorrow-night/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Zenbones Dark:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/zenbones-dark/* ~/.config/nchat/`
- Zenburned:
`cp $(dirname $(which nchat))/../share/nchat/themes/zenburned/* ~/.config/nchat/`
To generate additional nchat themes and install for use with `nchat`, refer to
[Generating nchat themes from iTerm2 Color Schemes](/themes/templates/iterm2-color-schemes/README.md).
General
-------
Deleting a configuration entry line (while nchat is not running) and starting
nchat will populate the configuration file with the default entry.
Protocol-Specific Configuration
===============================
The following configuration files (listed with current default values) can be
used to configure nchat.
~/.config/nchat/profiles/Telegram_+nnnnn/telegram.conf
------------------------------------------------------
This configuration file holds protocol-specific settings for Telegram. Default
content:
local_key=
markdown_enabled=1
markdown_version=1
profile_display_name=
### local_key
For internal use by nchat only.
### markdown_enabled
Specifies whether to enable Markdown <-> text conversion for text messages
(default enabled).
### markdown_version
Specifies which Telegram Markdown version to use (default 1).
### profile_display_name
Specifies an optional short/display name in the status bar when using nchat
with multiple profiles. The default profile name is `Telegram` or
`Telegram_+nnnnn` (when more than one Telegram profile is set up) if this
setting is not specified.
~/.config/nchat/profiles/WhatsAppMd_+nnnnn/whatsappmd.conf
----------------------------------------------------------
This configuration file holds protocol-specific settings for WhatsApp. Default
content:
profile_display_name=
### profile_display_name
Specifies an optional short/display name in the status bar when using nchat
with multiple profiles. The default profile name is `WhatsAppMd` or
`WhatsAppMd_+nnnnn` (when more than one WhatsAppMd profile is set up) if this
setting is not specified.
FAQ
===
### 1. Alt/Opt-keyboard shortcuts are not working?
For Linux please ensure the terminal is configured with
[meta to send escape](https://askubuntu.com/questions/442644/how-to-make-xterm-to-send-the-alt-key-to-emacs-as-meta).
For macOS Terminal ensure that the Terminal profile keyboard setting
"Use Option as Meta key" is enabled.
If issues are still encountered, please use `nchat -k` (keydump mode) to
determine the key codes and modify `~/.config/nchat/key.conf` accordingly.
### 2. Send messages with Enter key?
To simply send on enter key press and skip message compose with linebreaks,
one can just set `send_msg=KEY_RETURN` in `~/.config/nchat/key.conf`.
To also be able to compose messages with linebreaks using Alt/Opt-Enter, edit
`~/.config/nchat/ui.conf` and set `linefeed_on_enter=0`. And in
`~/.config/nchat/key.conf` set `linebreak=\33\15`.
### 3. Custom colors are not shown when running nchat in tmux?
Please try to run nchat with a TERM supporting custom colors, e.g:
TERM=xterm-256color nchat
### 4. Sent messages are not visible?
For terminals with eight colors (or more) the default color theme displays
sent messages in gray (shaded). Some terminals may wrongly report supporting
more colors than two, or the terminal may be set up with gray mapped to black.
In this case sent / own messages may appear invisible. To avoid nchat using
gray one can edit `~/.config/nchat/color.conf` and remove occurances of `gray`.
### 5. How to use Telegram and WhatsApp concurrently?
The **recommended** method is to set up nchat with one config directory per
protocol/phone number, and run each instance in separate terminal windows/tabs.
To simplify such usage one can set up aliases, for example:
alias telegram='nchat -d ~/.config/nchat-telegram'
alias whatsapp='nchat -d ~/.config/nchat-whatsapp'
Then use regular setup for them (separately), for example:
telegram -s
whatsapp -s
The **alternative** method is to set up multiple protocol accounts in a single
nchat config directory. For each protocol/phone nubmer, run setup mode and exit
after initial sync:
nchat -s
Technical Details
=================
Custom API Id / Hash
--------------------
nchat uses its own Telegram API id and hash by default. To use custom id/hash,
obtained from [https://my.telegram.org/](https://my.telegram.org/) one may set
environment variables `TG_APIID` and `TG_APIHASH` when setting up a new Telegram
account. Example (below values must be changed to valid api id/hash):
TG_APIID="123456" TG_APIHASH="aaeaeab342aaa23423" nchat -s
Third-party Libraries
---------------------
nchat is primarily implemented in C++ with some parts in Go. Its source tree
includes the source code of the following third-party libraries:
- [apathy](https://github.com/dlecocq/apathy) -
Copyright 2013 Dan Lecocq - [MIT License](/ext/apathy/LICENSE)
- [cereal](https://github.com/USCiLab/cereal) -
Copyright 2013 Randolph Voorhies, Shane Grant - [BSD-3 License](/ext/cereal/LICENSE)
- [clip](https://github.com/dacap/clip) -
Copyright 2015 David Capello - [MIT License](/ext/clip/LICENSE.txt)
- [sqlite_modern_cpp](https://github.com/SqliteModernCpp/sqlite_modern_cpp) -
Copyright 2017 aminroosta - [MIT License](/ext/sqlite_modern_cpp/License.txt)
- [tdlib](https://github.com/tdlib/td) -
Copyright 2014 Aliaksei Levin, Arseny Smirnov -
[Boost License](/lib/tgchat/ext/td/LICENSE_1_0.txt)
- [whatsmeow](https://github.com/tulir/whatsmeow) -
Copyright 2022 Tulir Asokan -
[MPL License](/lib/wmchat/go/ext/whatsmeow/LICENSE)
The [tdlib](https://github.com/tdlib/td) and
[whatsmeow](https://github.com/tulir/whatsmeow) libraries are actively
developed and need to be updated and integrated into nchat on a regular
basis by nchat maintainer(s). To facilitate this there are scripts available
to update to latest (or a specific) version of these libraries. Example usages:
./utils/tdlib-update 8517026
./utils/whatsmeow-update 7aedaa1
Code Formatting
---------------
Uncrustify is used to maintain consistent source code formatting, example:
./make.sh src
Project Scope
=============
Limitations
-----------
There are no plans to support the following features:
- Facebook Messenger
- Signal
- Telegram secret chats
- Voice / video calls
Roadmap
-------
There is currently no concrete roadmap for further feature development of
nchat. It is not intended to be a full-featured client on par with official
Telegram / WhatsApp clients, but rather a light-weight client providing
essential functionality suitable for the terminal. However, feel free to
submit feature requests if there's something missing, or help upvote
[existing feature requests](https://github.com/d99kris/nchat/discussions/categories/ideas?discussions_q=is%3Aopen+category%3AIdeas), and if it's useful and low effort it can probably be added.
License
=======
nchat is distributed under the MIT license. See LICENSE file.
Contributions
=============
Please refer to [Contributing Guidelines](/doc/CONTRIBUTING.md) and
[Design Notes](/doc/DESIGN.md).
Alternatives
============
Other terminal-based Telegram clients:
- [tg](https://github.com/paul-nameless/tg)
Keywords
========
command line, console-based, linux, macos, chat client, ncurses, telegram,
terminal-based.