Text File Compressor using C (Huffman Coding)

This project implements a text file compressor and decompressor using Huffman coding in C.

How to Run This Project

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/sourinPal2003/textFile-Compressor-using-c.git
   cd textFile-Compressor-using-c

2. Compile the Programs

   gcc compressor.c -o compressor.exe
   gcc decompressor.c -o decompress.exe

3. Compress a File

   • Place your input file as inp.txt in the project directory.

   • Run the compressor:

     ./compressor.exe

   • This will generate a compressed file: inp_compressed.bin.

4. Decompress the File

   • Run the decompressor:

     ./decompress.exe

   • This will generate inp_decompressed.txt, which should be identical to your original inp.txt.

Algorithms and Data Structures Used

• Algorithm:
  Huffman Coding for lossless data compression.

• Data Structures:

  • Min-Heap (Priority Queue) for building the Huffman tree.
  • Binary Tree for representing the Huffman tree.
  • Arrays for storing frequencies, codes, and file data.

---

Problems Faced

1. Dynamic ArrayList for Large Files:
   Initially, fixed-size arrays were used, which limited the size of files that could be processed. To handle large text files efficiently, a dynamic array list was implemented so that the array size adjusts automatically as needed.

2. Binary File Output:
   At first, a normal .txt file was used for storing the compressed output. Later, it was realized that a binary file (.bin) is necessary for proper compression and decompression, as text files cannot accurately store binary data.

---

Note:
This project is for educational purposes and demonstrates the basic principles of Huffman coding.