Chat++ was built as a concept to be run in our school’s computer lab.
We built a simple UI and demonstrated the exchange of messages using file handling and 3rd party file syncing(networking only).
LAN/Wi-Fi Concept (Small Scale)
The exe is placed on a server accessible by other computers over the network. On running the exe file, the sender’s computer creates a [chat] file which is read by the receiver’s computer. The messages are simultaneously also placed in a [chat history] file. Apart from the messages, this file also records the ‘connecting’ / ‘disconnecting’ time of the users.
Internet Concept (Large Scale)
In theory, every computer runs a chat client locally which connects to a host computer via the Internet Protocol. All files are exchanged over the server; many leading companies such as Google, Facebook and WhatsApp use a similar concept.
Cool Stuff
Chat++ has a simple and easy to understand code and as its open source, you can customise it as per your requirement, enabling it to work on any kind of topology. Its components can be dismantled with ease to support different networks.
For example,
- If users wish to hide their timestamps in the chat history. They may simply remove the connect() and disconnect() functions from chatmain().
- If users wish to disable the chat history feature, they may simply delete the chathist() function.
Chat++ has been tested on the Windows Homegroup sharing, it does not connect to all computers due to firewalls and Read/Write Permission issues.
We used BitTorrent Sync on a local network enabling peer to peer communication.
Chat++ is by
Raghav Bhasin
Puranjay Rajvanshi
Priyanshu Mukhopadhyay
Abhishek Sarin
Goto GitHub Repo
View Uploaded Files [Google Drive]
