node-chat is a good working example of the power of nodejs . However some people have trouble getting started with the source code of node-chat application. In order to help to you get started I have developed the skeleton of application in 12 different steps.
The step1 is as simple as this .
I developed this application with node version 0.1.32 . Installing node is easy.
git clone git://github.com/ry/node.git cd node git checkout v0.1.32 ./configure make make install
All the 12 steps are tagged with step1 to step12. This is how you can get code for tag step1.
git clone git://github.com/neerajdotname/node-chat-in-steps.git cd node-chat-in-steps git checkout -b personal_step1 step1
If you want to go to step2 the just do
git checkout -b personal_step2 step2
node server.js
After the server has been started visit http://localhost:8002 .
- create a server that responds with hello world on port 8002
- create an index.html and serve it
- introduce util.js
- change the logic so that any static file is served
- show 404 in case no file is found
- add jquery-1.4.2.js
- add client.js
- change index.html to prompt user for nickname
- send a join request when user enters nick name
- respond with a JSON in reply to /join request
- after ther nick name is accepted display chat screen
- create session object which identifies if a person is already in
- send this session object back to client when a person joins in
- if the nick is in use the provide that feedback to user
- add style.css
- after logging in display current time
- display number of active users logging in
- after showing the toolbar send a request /who
- capture the number of active users
- display message that user joined after a user joins chat
- better timestamp while displaying message
- when user hits enter then invoke send function