New config file format is supported since sendxmpp version 1.24. Issue #9 – passwords with spaces not supported in .sendxmpprc. has been fixed.
Example for Google Talk servers:
$ cat ~/.sendxmpprc username: lubomir.host jserver: talk.google.com password: my-"secure-pass _word with sp@ce! component: gmail.com
Please, don’t try the password above, I have changed them. 🙂