Batch file: Trillian global disconnect and reconnect
I use Trillian for most of my instant messaging, because it allows me to connect to AIM and Yahoo through one common user interface (it also supports ICQ, MSN, and IRC, but I don’t use [it for] those). The features I like about it are numerous, but one of my major complaints is the way it sometimes has trouble reconnecting after being disconnected from one of the networks.
Normally, it tries a few times to reconnect, automatically. But sometimes it seems like it gives up too soon. When this happens, you have to right click the system tray icon, go to the “Connections” submenu, and choose “Global Disconnect”. Then, you have to do the exact same thing, but choose “Global Reconnect”. The initial “Global Disconnect” is usually required, because Trillian is stuck in a state where it thinks you are connected in some way, such that just doing “Global Reconnect” wouldn’t do anything.
As anyone that knows me could tell you, I hate doing extra steps, particularly involving the mouse, when a simple keyboard shortcut could suffice. So, several years ago, I made this simple batch file, which doesn’t do anything magical, but I use it almost every day.
The batch file, included in the box below, uses TrillKey to send a “Global Disconnect” command to the currently-running instance of Trillian. Then, it waits 1 second, to give Trillian time to deal with the first request. Then, it uses TrillKey to send a “Global Reconnect” command to Trillian. For the brief delay in between commends, I use the ’sleep’ command from cygwin, but a couple other ways to put delays into batch files can be found here: http://malektips.com/xp_dos_0002.html.
To call this batch file, I have a shortcut to it on my desktop, with a shortcut key assigned to it (Ctrl-Alt-T). Works like a charm!
c:\programs\trillkey.exe disconnect
sleep 1
c:\programs\trillkey.exe reconnect
While writing this post, I noticed that I’m using a really old version of TrillKey (from 2002). The latest version includes additional features, so my batch file can be simplified to a single command:
TrillKey can do a LOT more than just disconnect and reconnect, though. I highly recommend checking it out.
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