Xchat changes focus to new channels after automatic joins on connect and clears highlight

I can confirm this problem on XChat 2.8.4-0ubuntu7. If I start typing a message before all of the channels are auto-joined. The focus changes as the channels load and the message becomes splayed throughout the channels. While waiting would be an option in this case, cleaning up the splayed text and rewriting the message takes time and someone on a lot of networks may not want to wait until all of the channels are joined. Having the focus remain on the selected channel and not going to autojoined channels would fix this problem.

Confirmed.

This focus change has a bad side effect if you are using a bouncer like ZNC: You get the channel log from your bouncer right after automatic joining the channel. Then xchat focus to the new channel and your highlight will go away if someone pinged you since your last connection to your bouncer.

XChat 2.8.8-1ubuntu1 is still affected.

I found a workaround: Open ~/.xchat2/xchat.conf and set tab_new_to_front to zero.

This bug was fixed in the package xchat - 2.8.8-7ubuntu2

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xchat (2.8.8-7ubuntu2) raring; urgency=low

  * Optimise default settings for efficient chatting
    + Make tab completion by default use last-used order, not alphabetical.
      This way for example if one is chatting with cjwatson, typing
      "cj<tab>" will complete to cjwatson and not cjohnston.
      Manual migration: ~/.xchat/xchat.conf: completion_sort = 1
    + Do not focus channel upon entering, as that clears highlights when using a znc proxy.
      To be honest, there should be a distinction between manually joining
      new channels & auto-joining. (LP: #189222)
      Manual migration: ~/.xchat/xchat.conf: tab_new_to_front = 0
    + Do not clear buffer with Ctrl-L shortcut. (LP: #304477)
      That shortcut is dominated by web-browsers changing URLs and causes
      context loss if the focus was accidently left on xchat.
  * Fix ftbfs, should link against gmodule.
  * Add xchat-indicator to recommends. (LP: #1048335)
  * Include svg icon (LP: #840673)
 -- Dmitrijs Ledkovs <email address hidden> Sun, 24 Feb 2013 23:03:52 +0000

In my experience this is not fixed in 2.8.8-7ubuntu2. Focus is still changed, when a slower server autoconnects and autojoins a channel. However, the workaround works.