How can I write my own IRC client?

Most IRC scripts contain one or more aliases. These are used to bind some command to a set of commands, or give it some parameters, to save time when typing them over and over. For example, a simple alias might allow you to type "/j channel" instead of "/join #channel", saving exactly 5 keystrokes (counting Shift). Aliases can add new commands, replace commands built into the IRC client, or provide abbreviations for long commands or sequences of commands. Aliases can usually be used as functions to produce a value that's used elsewhere in the script. In some cases, aliases can be associated with keyboard shortcuts.