Chat Application

This project contains both a console-based C chat application and a GUI-based Python chat application that are interoperable with each other.

Project Structure

• C Implementation:

  • client.c: Console-based chat client
  • server.c: Chat server implementation
  • common.h: Common definitions used by both client and server

• Python Implementation:

  • chat_client.py: Tkinter GUI chat client
  • chat_server.py: Python implementation of the chat server

• Data Files:

  • users.txt: Stores user account information
  • chatlog.txt: Stores chat history
  • chat_logs/: Directory containing daily chat logs (Python client only)

Features

• User registration and authentication
• Public chat messaging
• Private messaging between users
• Chat history viewing
• Encryption of messages (simple Caesar cipher for demonstration)
• File-based chat logs
• Cross-compatibility between C and Python clients

Running the Application

Server

You can run either the C server or the Python server:

C Server:

server.exe

Python Server:

python chat_server.py

The server will start listening on port 8888 by default.

Client

You can use either the C console client or the Python GUI client:

C Client:

client.exe [server_ip]

Python Client:

python chat_client.py

In both clients, if you don't specify a server IP address, it will default to 127.0.0.1 (localhost).

Python GUI Client Features

The Python Tkinter client provides the following features:

1. User Authentication:

   • Login with existing credentials
   • Register new user accounts

2. Chat Interface:

   • Scrollable message display
   • Different colors for different message types
   • Timestamps for all messages

3. Messaging Features:

   • Send public messages to all users
   • Send private messages to specific users
   • View chat history

4. Notifications:

   • Window title updates for new messages

5. File Logging:

   • Automatic logging of chat messages to daily log files
   • Logs stored in a chat_logs directory

Protocol Compatibility

Both the C and Python implementations use the same message structure and protocol, ensuring compatibility between them. This means:

• A Python client can connect to a C server
• A C client can connect to a Python server
• Python and C clients can chat with each other through either server

Dependencies

C Implementation

• Windows socket library (ws2_32.lib)

Python Implementation

• Python 3.6 or higher
• Standard library modules only (no external dependencies)

Notes

• The encryption used (Caesar cipher) is for demonstration purposes only and is not secure.
• Both server implementations store user credentials in plaintext, which is not secure for production environments.
• The Python client creates a separate log file for each day in the chat_logs directory.

License

This project is provided as educational material and can be freely used and modified.