= Skype plugin for BitlBee Miklos Vajna == Status [quote, Wilmer van der Gaast (author of BitlBee)] ____ Okay, this exists now, with lots of thanks to vmiklos for his *excellent* work!! It's not in the main BitlBee and it'll never be for various reasons, but because it's a plugin that shouldn't be a problem. ____ One day I browsed the BitlBee bugtracker and found http://bugs.bitlbee.org/bitlbee/ticket/82[this] ticket. Then after a while I returned and saw that it was still open. So I wrote it. It's pretty stable (one day I wanted to restart it because of an upgrade and just noticed it was running for 2+ months without crashing), I use it for my daily work. Being a plug-in, no patching is required, you can just install it after installing BitlBee itself. NOTE: You will see that this implementation of the Skype plug-in still requires a Skype instance to be running. This is because I'm not motivated to reverse engineer Skype's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype_Protocol#Obfuscation_Layer[obfuscation layer]. (Not mentioning that you should ask your lawyer about if it is legal or not..) == Requirements * Skype >= 1.4.0.99. The latest version I've tested is 2.1.0.81. * BitlBee >= 3.0. The latest version I've tested is @BITLBEE_VERSION@. Use old versions (see the NEWS file about which one) if you have older BitlBee installed. * Skype4Py >= 0.9.28.7. Previous versions won't work due to API changes. The latest version I've tested is 1.0.32.0. * Python >= 2.5. Skype4Py does not work with 2.4. * OS: `bitlbee-skype` has been tested under Linux and Mac OS X. The plugin part has been tested under Free/Open/NetBSD as well. The daemon part has been tested on Windows, too. == How to set it up Before you start. The setup is the following: BitlBee can't connect directly to Skype servers (the company's ones). It needs a running Skype client to do so. In fact BitlBee will connect to `skyped` (a tcp server, provided in this package) and `skyped` will connect to to your Skype client. The benefit of this architecture is that you can run Skype and `skyped` on a machine different to the one where you run BitlBee (it can be even a public server) and/or your IRC client. NOTE: The order is important. First `skyped` starts Skype. Then `skyped` connects to Skype, finally BitlBee can connect to `skyped`. === Installing under Frugalware or Debian - Install the necessary packages: ---- # pacman-g2 -S bitlbee-skype ---- or ---- # apt-get install skyped bitlbee-plugin-skype ---- (the later from the unstable repo) and you don't have to compile anything manually. === Installing under OS X - Install the necessary packages from ports: NOTE: You have to edit the Portfile manually to include the install-dev target, just append install-dev after install-etc. ---- # port -v install bitlbee ---- and you have to install `bitlbee-skype` and `skype4py` from source. === Installing from source NOTE: bitlbee-skype by default builds and installs skyped and the plugin. In case you just want to install the plugin for a public server or you want to use skyped with a public server (like `bitlbee1.asnetinc.net`), you don't need both. - You need the latest stable BitlBee release (unless you want to use a public server): ---- $ wget http://get.bitlbee.org/src/bitlbee-@BITLBEE_VERSION@.tar.gz $ tar xf bitlbee-@BITLBEE_VERSION@.tar.gz $ cd bitlbee-@BITLBEE_VERSION@ ---- - Now compile and install it: ---- $ ./configure $ make # make install install-dev ---- - To install http://skype4py.sourceforge.net/[Skype4Py] from source (unless you want to install the plugin for a public server): ---- $ tar -zxvf Skype4Py-x.x.x.x.tar.gz $ cd Skype4Py-x.x.x.x # python setup.py install ---- - Get the plugin code (in an empty dir, or whereever you want, it does not matter): ---- $ wget http://vmiklos.hu/project/bitlbee-skype/bitlbee-skype-@VERSION@.tar.gz $ tar xf bitlbee-skype-@VERSION@.tar.gz $ cd bitlbee-skype-@VERSION@ ---- - Compile and install it: ---- $ ./configure $ make # make install ---- This will install the plugin to where BitlBee expects them, which is `/usr/local/lib/bitlbee` if you installed BitlBee from source. === Configuring - Set up `~/.skyped/skyped.conf`: Create the `~/.skyped` directory, copy `skyped.conf` and `skyped.cnf` from `/usr/local/etc/skyped/skyped.conf` to `~/.skyped`, adjust `username` and `password`. The `username` should be your Skype login and the `password` can be whatever you want, but you will have to specify that one when adding the Skype account to BitlBee (see later). NOTE: Here, and later - `/usr/local/etc` can be different on your installation if you used the `--sysconfdir` switch when running bitlbee-skype's `configure`. - Generate the SSL pem files: ---- # cd ~/.skyped # openssl req -new -x509 -days 365 -nodes -config skyped.cnf -out skyped.cert.pem \ -keyout skyped.key.pem ---- NOTE: Maybe you want to adjust the permissions in the `~/.skyped` dir. For example make it readable by just your user. - Start `skyped` (the tcp server): ---- $ skyped ---- - Start your `IRC` client, connect to BitlBee and add your account: ---- account add skype account skype set server localhost ---- should be your Skype account name, should be the one you declared in `skyped.conf`. If you want to run skyped on a remote machine, replace `localhost` with the name of the machine. If you are running skyped on a custom port: ---- account skype set port ---- If you want to set your full name (optional): ---- account skype set display_name "John Smith" ---- If you want to see your skypeout contacts online as well (they are offline by default): ---- account skype set skypeout_offline false ---- == Setting up Skype in a VNC server (optional) Optionally, if you want to run Skype on a server, you might want to setup up a `VNC` server as well. I used `tightvnc` but probably other `VNC` servers will work, too. First run ---- $ vncpasswd ~/.vnc/passwd ---- and create a password. You will need it at least once. Now create `~/.vnc/xstartup` with the following contents: ---- #!/bin/sh blackbox ---- Adjust the permissions: ---- $ chmod +x ~/.vnc/xstartup ---- Then start the server: ---- $ vncserver ---- Then connect to it, start an `xterm`, set up Skype (username, password, enable X11 API and allow the `Skype4Py` client), quit from Skype, and start `skyped`. If you want to watch its traffic, enable debug messages and foreground mode: ---- $ skyped -n -d ---- == Features - Download nicks and away statuses from Skype - Noticing joins / parts while we're connected - Sending messages - Receiving messages - Receiving away status changes - `skyped` (the tcp daemon that is a gateway between Skype and tcp) - Error handling when `skyped` is not running and when it exits - Marking received messages as seen so that Skype won't say there are unread messages - Adding / removing contacts - Set away state when you do a `/away`. - When you `account off`, Skype will set status to `Offline` - When you `account on`, Skype will set status to `Online` - Detect when somebody wants to add you and ask for confirmation - Detect when somebody wants to transfer a file - Group chat support: * Detect if we're invited * Send / receive group chat messages * Invite others (using `/invite `) * Part from group chats * Starting a group chat (using `/j #nick`) - Topic changes in group chats: * Show the current topic (if any) on join * Notice when someone changes the topic * Support changing the topic using `/topic` - Viewing the profile using the `info` command. - Handling skype actions (when the `CHATMESSAGE` has `EMOTED` type) - Setting your display name using the `nick` command. - Running Skype on a machine different to BitlBee is possible, the communication is encrypted. - Managing outgoing calls (with call duration at the end): * `/ctcp nick call` * `/ctcp nick hangup` - Managing outgoing SkypeOut or conference calls: * `account skype set call +18005551234` * `account skype set call nick1 nick2` * `account skype set -del call` - Managing incoming calls via questions, just like when you add / remove contacts. - Querying the current SkypeOut balance: * `account skype set balance query` - For debug purposes, it's possible to send any command to `skyped`. To achieve this, you need to: * `account skype set skypeconsole true` * then writing `skypeconsole: ` will work in the control channel. * `account skype set skypeconsole_receive true` will make the `skypeconsole` account dump all the recieved raw traffic for you - If you want to automatically join bookmarked groupchats right after you logged in, do: * `account skype set auto_join true` - Edited messages are shown with the `EDIT:` prefix. If you don't like this, you can set your own prefix using: * `account skype set edit_prefix "updated message:"` - The `echo123` test account is hidden by default. If you want to see it: * `account skype set test_join true` - Mood texts are not shown by default. If you want to see it: * `account skype set show_moods true` == What needs to be done (aka. TODO) - Notice if foo invites bar. Currently you can see only that bar joined. - Public chats. See link:https://developer.skype.com/jira/browse/SCL-381[this feature request], this is because it is still not possible (under Linux) to `join_chat` to a public chat.. - Add yasrd (Yet Another Skype-Related Daemon) to allow using a public server for users who are behind NAT. == I would like to have support for ... If something does not work and it's not in the TODO section, then please contact me! Please also try the link:HACKING[git version] before reporting a bug, your problem may be already fixed there. In fact, of course, I wrote this documentation after figured out how to do this setup, so maybe I left out some steps. If you needed 'any' additional tricks, then it would be nice to include them here. == Known bugs - File transfers are view-only from BitlBee. Quoting the https://developer.skype.com/Docs/ApiDoc/FILETRANSFER_object[relevant documentation]: 'File transfers cannot be initiated nor accepted via API commands.' So it's not something I can add support for, sadly. == Screenshots You can reach some screenshots link:shot[here]. == Additional resources You can reach the Changelog link:Changelog[here], and a gitweb interface http://vmiklos.hu/gitweb/?p=bitlbee-skype.git[here]. The Skype API documentation is http://developer.skype.com/resources/public_api_ref.zip[here] if you're interested. == Testimonials ---- 00:56 < scathe> I like your skype plugin :) ---- ---- It's really working great so far. Good Job and thank you! Sebastian ---- ---- Big respect for your work, i really appreciate it. Martin ---- ---- Thanks for bitlbee-skype. As a blind Linux user, I cannot use the skype GUI client because qt apps ar not accessible yet with the available screen readers. bitlbee-skype allows me to make use of skype without having to interact much with the GUI client, which helps me a lot. Lukas ---- ---- 02:12 < newton> i must say, i love this little bee ;) 02:15 < newton> tried it out today with the skype plugin, good work! ---- ---- 18:10 < miCSu> it works fine ---- ---- 13:56 < seo> i just want to thank you :) 13:56 < seo> for bitlbee-skype 13:57 < seo> it's working very well, so, again, thank you for your work, and for sharing it ---- ---- 22:16 < ecraven> vmiklos: thanks a lot for the skype plugin for bitlbee! ---- ---- I'm blind and so I have to use a screen reader, in my case Gnome-Orca. But since Skype is written in QT, while Orca uses gtk+, I have no direct access to the Skype interface. That's why I desided to use Skyped and Erc. The text console is fully accessible. Thank you very much. Hermann ---- ---- i love that bitlbeeplugin. big thx for that. michael ---- ---- 23:47 < krisfremen> thanks for creating this fabulous piece of software vmiklos :) ---- == Thanks to the following people: * Wilmer van der Gaast, for answering questions about the BitlBee plugin interface * Arkadiusz Wahlig, author of skype4py, for making suggestions to skyped * Gabor Adam Toth (tg), for noticing extra code is needed to handle multiline messages * Cristobal Palmer (tarheelcoxn), for helping to testing the plugin in a timezone different to mine * Risko Gergely, for his SkypeOut ideas * people on `#bitlbee` for feedback Back to my link:/projects[projects page]. // vim: ft=asciidoc