This page just includes various tips I have found for using iChat's new ability to use Jabber servers. If you have any more tips, feel free to add them as comments!

xmpp: URI/IRI Support

NOTE: The version of iChat that ships with Leopard has support for the XMPP URI directly, which makes this utility unnecessary on Leopard. Consider this tool Tiger-only.

If you are like me, you really wish that iChat had support for the xmpp: URI/IRI scheme. This would allow you to join conference rooms by clicking on a hyperlink, like so.

Well here is a way to do just that. Just download this program and put the application somewhere on your hard drive (ideally in your Applications folder). Bingo, you are done. The xmpp: scheme will now magically work.

Here is the readme file:

XMPP IRI/URI Helper Application v0.1
2005-09-22
http://www.deepdarc.com/ichat-jabber-tips
darcoATdeepdarcDOTcom

This application will allow you to use the "xmpp:"
URL/URI/IRI with iChat. Simply copy it onto your
computer (Preferably into your applications folder)
and it will magicly work. The following queries
are supported:

Send Message Query: xmpp:username@example.com?message
    [;body=my+message+body][;subject=my+message+subject]
(Subjects are currently ignored. This is also the default query.)

MUC Join Query: xmpp:roomname@rooms.example.com?join
(Works great)

MUC Invite Query: xmpp:roomname@rooms.example.com?invite
    ;jid=username@example.com[;body=my+invite+message]
(Works great)

Ad-Hoc Command Query: xmpp:myrandomjid.example.com?command
    ;node=adhocnode[;action=execute]
(only works with an extra command line utility at the moment)

Roster Query: xmpp:roomname@rooms.example.com?roster
(Not well tested, but should work)

Subscribe Query: xmpp:roomname@rooms.example.com?subscribe
(Not well tested, but should work)

File Query: xmpp:roomname@rooms.example.com?file
(Not well tested, but should work)

Attempting to use any other query will result in an error.
XMPP-IRI will close itself after completing one URL
request, keeping it low-profile.

This program works due to a curious hack that allows us
to use a bastardized version of the "aim:" URI syntax. Using
this program allows you to not think about that evilness.

Auto Accept Video Chats

defaults write com.apple.ichat AutoAcceptVCInvitations 1

Causes iChat to automatically accept video chat invitations

Priority

Sorry, this actually won't work. If you feel adventurous, open up ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iChat.Jabber.plist in the property list editor (which is an application included with the MacOS X developer tools) and look around in there for something to tweak with. :P

You can set the priority of your jabber session by opening up command line and typing in the following:

defaults write com.apple.iChat.Jabber Priority 10

Here I have the priority set to 10, but you can set it to anything you want.