CLI-TCP-ChatRoom-Application

This repository contains the code for implementing a command line interfaced TCP Chatroom Application. This fully-functioning TCP chat will have one server that hosts the chat and multiple clients that are connected to it and communicate with each other. This is implemented as a client-server architecture, that is multiple clients (the users) and one central server that hosts everything and provides the data for these clients.

PEP 8 Python style guide is followed for all codes in python

Contents

• Getting started
• Instructions
• Approach
• References

Getting started

• Install Python3 - Follow this link to download and install Python3
• Install pip - Follow this link to install pip
• Install Colorama - Run the following command to install the package

pip install colorama

• Run the below command to copy the source code locally (Assuming git is installed)

git clone https://github.com/RAGUL1902/CLI-TCP-ChatRoom-Application.git

• Now the complete source code is setup on your local computer and ready to run.
• Run server.py in a terminal first and then client.py in multiple other terminal using the following commands.

python3 server.py

python3 client.py

• Now the clients can interact with each other using the server.

Instructions to Use

• Client will be asked to enter a username before connecting to the chatroom.
• Server is the admin, which can either accept or reject the request of the client to join.
• Once the client is accepted into the chatroom, all the messages sent is broadcasted to every other client by default
• Client can use the command /color <colorname> <message> to send the message in different colors.
• Available colors are red, green, yellow, blue, megenta, cyan and white.
• To send a private message to a user the command /private <username> <message> can be used.
• Both the commands can be combined like /private <username> /color <colorname> <message> to send a colored message to a private user
• The command /leave can be used to leave the chat. When a client leaves the chat, the same in announced to the rest of the clients.

Approach followed to implement

The socket library in python is used to implement socket programming in a client-server architecture. The /color and /leave command is implemented in client.py whereas the /private command is implemented in server.py. Seperate functions are made for every implemented feature.

Server.py

• Server.py acts as a server to manage different clients. It is responsible for recieving the messages from a client and broadcast it to other clients.
• It maintains the list of connection sockets of the clients present in the chatroom. It also maintains their respective usernames and addresses.
• Server creates a seperate thread for every connected client, so receiving and sending messages between mutiple clients becomes independent of the presence of other clients.
• The private message functionality is also implemented in the server.py.
• The private message is sent to the desired client by finding it's connection socket from the list using it's username.

Client.py

• The client program has two seperate function for sending and receiving messages from the server.
• Those two functions are run in seperate threads so they can send and receive messages of independent of each other.
• A seperate function is created to validate the incoming message so as to find if it should be outputed in a different color.
• The client also checks for the /leave command, on which finding it will close the connection socket.

References

• Sockets in python
• Socket programming python - GeeksforGeeks
• Threading in python - GeeksforGeeks
• Colorama in python
• Stackoverflow