cocoaforge

Is there any way under the sun that any of you can think of for me to either configure Adium or perhaps make an AppleScript, that would essentially prevent any and all changes in my idle status from ever being transmitted to any of my chat mates? I don't actually want them to know whether I am sitting at my computer or not UNLESS I specifically change my status to "Available". Otherwise I will change it to Away and I want them to keep thinking I'm away, and I don't want them to get any kind of update to their IM client if I am going back and forth between IDLE and not IDLE.

It seems I can force my away status to IDLE immediately, but then I assume the minute I start mousing around, they see something showing them I'm not idle anymore. I believe this is the case because whenever I sit down at my computer and start mousing around, suddenly a bunch of chat mates think I'm online, even though my status clearly says away.

So...what is the secret to hiding these idle vs non-idle messages from being sent out?

Just uncheck the setting in Adium's "Status" preferences.

They are already unchecked. So you're saying that if that is unchecked, then it will never go idle? If so, then I need to make sure that none of my away statuses set to idle immediately also. Correct?

Well, if you have a certain custom away status set to "idle immediately" as you say that would constitute an exception to the rule, so, yes, you would need to turn that off.

and you're positive it won't change to idle or any other status after that unless I manually do so?

Yes. How about trying it out?

yea I am now. I don't know how to know for sure that my chat mates aren't watching my status flip on and off as I mouse around. Seems like its very quiet, I come to the computer and all of a sudden they start bugging me, which is what has made me suspicious that they are seeing SOMETHING update to them of my presence at the computer.

You could ask someone.

I'll take that as an answer that you don't know for sure. But thanks, I'll try this for a while...

I'm pretty sure for the fact that I've never tested it myself but that it's the behaviour I'd assume.