msg [-server/]<nickname> <text to send>
msg [-server/]<channel> <text to send>
msg =<dcc chat peer> <text to send>
msg %<process id|process name> <text to send>
msg /<command> <command arguments>

The /msg command is how you send a message to someone else. You can send a message to another nick on irc, to a channel, to someone you have a DCC CHAT connection open with, to an /exec'd process, or to an EPIC command. You may use a comma-separated list (no spaces) to send a single message to more than one recipient at a time. You may freely mix and match each of the types of targets in any way you want.

You may specify an another server when using /msg to send a message to a nick or channel. Use the syntax /msg -server/nick, where the server is server's refnum, full name or a group.

There are three “magic” recipients. The comma (',') recipient is the last person to send you a message. The period ('.') recipient is the last person you sent a message to. The asterisk ('*') recipient is the current channel in your current window. These “magic” recipients may not be included with any other recipients in a comma-separated list; they must be used alone.

There are never any restrictions on sending a /msg to an /EXEC target, a /DCC CHAT target, or an /ALIAS target.

However, from within an /ON MSG, /ON PUBLIC, /ON DCC_OFFER, or any other /ON that occurs because of a “PRIVMSG”, the /MSG command (and other commands that send PRIVMSGs, such as /SAY, /SEND, /CTCP, and /DCC) sends your message with a “NOTICE”. The effect of this is that you cannot properly use /DCC CHAT or /DCC SEND from within these /ON's. This requirement is specified by the irc protocol and is intended to prevent infinite message loops between clients.

You may not always be able to send a message to a channel. If the channel mode is +n, you must be a member of the channel to send a message to it. If the channel mode is +m, you must be a member of the channel and also must either be a channel operator (+o) or a channel voice (+v) to send a message to it. The MODE help page talks about this in more detail.

You may not always be able to send a message to multiple irc targets. Because of the spread of spambots/floodbots, some servers restrict the number of irc targets you can send a message to in any one message. As with every server restriction, what happens if you exceed this limit varies from server to server.

To send a private message to your friend Buddha:

    /msg buddha hi there!

To send a message to your current channel:

    /msg #channel how is everyone today?

To send a message to a person on a connected server “irc.wh.verio.net”:

    /msg -irc.wh.verio.net/booya boo!

To send a message to the running EXECed process with id 2:

    /msg %2 exit

To send a message to your friends buddha, booya (with whom you have a DCC CHAT running), and channel #foobar:

    /msg buddha,=booya,#foobar see you later!

To send a message to an EXECed process named “mail”:

    /msg %mail x