horatio-blackwood/datchat

Client / Server chat application written in Java using MVC.

datchat

datchat is a dirt simple client/server chat application written in Java. I wrote it because I was stuck using an terrible tool in an environment that did not support my needs, and I needed a basic reliable chat client.

datchat is written with a Swing front-end using a basic model-view-controller implementation for both the server and client applications. Currently it is expected that both client and server will be run in GUI mode, but a command-line version of either is easily doable.

datchat's Issues

System Tray Icon should flash when a new message is received.

Client should be able to optionally log conversation to file.

The font in the input text field should also be set to Courier

Client Chat Area Should Allow for Customizable Colors

This should include:

• Customizable Chat Text Color
• Customizable Chat Text Background Color
• Customizable Username Colors (for just usernames? or also for messages from given users?)

When users with a 'null' username are connected they should be rejected by the server.

If not the following error appears in the log and the server is effectively killed. This appears in Server.java

// General catch-all Not a long-term resident in this class, but in early development...
showServerLogOutput("Error occured processing thread for client: " + this.username);

If two users have the same screen name and one of them disconnects, both are removed from client guis when a UserStatus message is received.

This even happens in the client of the client who remains online but is had a duplicated screen name.

Occasionally a server won't start up properly and the process doesn't die when the app is closed.

This program is (thus far) terrible about cleaning up threads. An effort should be made to make it less horrendous.

Server should log conversation to file.

Client GUI should include a list of users online.

It should be possible to send multi-line chat messages.

Shift-Enter to put a new line into the input field.
This means the field will need to be a JTextArea in a JScrollPane (or similar) instead of a JTextField.

It should not be possible to send the empty string as a chat message.

Chat server should be configurable to offer multiple channels / rooms.

• The channels should be defined in a properties file, perhaps like this?
  • server.channels=1:Lobby,2:Gaming,3:Music
• The first channel in the list is where users are placed upon log in by default.
• A CHANGE_CHANNEL MessageType will need to be added that supplies the necessary info to the server regarding the channel a user wishes to change to.
• For now, all channels should be available to all users on the server. Permissions are not a thing. But maybe one day they could be....if this happens, password management will need to be considered....
  • store them in plaintext like this?
    • server.channels=1:Lobby:pw1,2:Gaming:pw2,3:Music:pw5 or like this:
    • server.channels=1:Lobby:None,2:Gaming:pw2,3:Music:pw5 (if the lobby has no password)
  • have the server generate them randomly at startup so the admin can distribute them.
  • Consider researching and implementing a more modern/proper password management system?

DatChat needs an Icon!

Message area in Client adds horizontal scroll bars instead of wrapping text.

Should wrap text instead.

Server online/offline Schedule Configuration

Add a feature to server configurations that allows them to have scheduled online and offline times for automated on/off cycles.

For example you should be able to configure the server to come online at 6pm and go down every night at 12am - you would configure this in the configuration file or possibly through command line arguments.

If a connection is accepted and the client never completes handshaking, that client should be removed after a period of time.

Perhaps using a scheduled executor the Server could cull these on a periodic basis if any exist? Or a runnable could be scheduled for ~2 minutes or so after a connection is established to check whether the user has completely initialized and remove it if not.

Currently, such connections are started, a ClientThread is spawned and that client thread will block forever waiting on the invalid client to complete a connection - this is bad.

ChatMessage should be expanded and used for all communications between client and server

Chat Message currently has a string for the message and a message type. I propose is be updated with the following:

• Message Type - enum representing message type
• time - long representing when this message was originated. Is this client our server time? How important is it that these times stay on sync? Not very important yet, bit someday soon it probably will be. Probably the server could set this time when the messages were received or generated there....
• Payload - an object that contains any necessary data needed to process the message. This could be smash casted after checking the message type to its correct type.
• User - chat user who originated the message, could be server. Probably just a string to start but could become a more complex object
• hostname - the hostname of the client that originated the message.

This would allow user status and chat messages to both be of type Chat Message, with the User Status or string as it's payload, paving the way for channel change messages, users having away status or password entry messages for password protected chat servers or rooms.

Apologies in advance for typos, did this on my phone.

Server GUI should include a list of users connected to server.

Configuration (default username/server/server port) should be done via properties/configuration file.

....bonus points if its updated via the GUI of the application.

Make Swing use the OS Look & Feel so the Client and Server GUIs look more native.

Up arrow for entry History

When a user hits the up arrow, the previous chat message should be populated in the text entry box. If they hit it again, the one before that and so on. Not sure how many messages back this should go but something in the neighborhood of say....15-20 should do it.

Usernames in "Who's on DatChat?" should be sorted without respecting upper vs lower case characters.

The "Who's on DatChat?" list should include an indication when the person is typing a message or has entered text.

An additional field on the UserStatus message could achieve this goal, or a new Message object could be used.

Server crashes sometimes when users connect/disconnect

The "Who's on Datchat?" label should read: "Who's on DatChat?" instead.