Simply Messenger

Simply Messenger is a simple, web-based messaging application built with the Python Flask framework. It offers a clean interface for users to send and receive messages in real time.

Features

• User authentication system.
• Contact list with the ability to search for users.
• Real-time one-on-one chatting with other users.
• Notifications for new messages using tooltips.

Installation

To set up Simply Messenger on your local machine, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository: git clone https://github.com/philothoph/simply-messenger.git
2. Navigate into the project directory: cd simply-messenger
3. Install required dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt
4. Run the Flask application: flask run

Usage

After starting the app, navigate to http://localhost:5000 in your web browser to access Simply Messenger.

• Register a new account or log in.
• Add contacts to your contact list.
• Click on a contact to start chatting.
• Type your message and hit send.

Structure of the project

Python Files

• messenger.py: The main Flask application file which contains the app configuration, route definitions, and view logic for user authentication, message sending, and chatting functionalities. At first it was named app.py, but it was easier to config nginx and gunicorn with another name and separate wsgi.py file.

• helpers.py: Includes helper functions to open and close database connections, execute SQL queries, and perform user authentication.

• wsgi.py: The entry point for WSGI-compatible servers like Gunicorn. It imports the app from messenger.py and allows it to be served by WSGI servers.

• config.py: Contains configuration variables for the application, such as the database file name.

Templates

• layout.html: The layout template for the app, including the navigation bar and footer.

• index.html: The index template for the app, which displays the contact list and chat window.

• chat.html: The chat template for the app, which displays the chat window and message history.

• login.html: The login template for the app, which displays the login form.

• register.html: The registration template for the app, which displays the registration form.

Static Files

• styles.css: The CSS stylesheet for the app. The most of the styling is done by Bootstrap but some of it is done by this CSS file.

• messageScript.js: JavaScript file that handles the sending and receiving of chat messages, manages the scrolling behavior in the chat box, and checks for new messages periodically.

• tooltip.js: JavaScript file that enables tooltips.

• favicon.ico: The icon for the app.

Database

• simply.db: The SQLite database for the app. It stores user information, contact information, and chat messages.

Other Files

• requirements.txt: The list of required Python packages for the app.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

• Flask for the web framework.
• Bootstrap for frontend styling.
• Codeium for javascript code linting and code formatting.