PyQt5 Chat Application with Exclusive Voice

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Features
• Technologies
• Architecture
• Prerequisites
• Installation
  • Clone the Repository
  • Setup Backend (Server)
  • Setup Frontend (Client)
• Configuration
• Usage
  • Running the Server
  • Running the Client
• Message Protocol
• Contributing
• License
• Contact
• Acknowledgements

Introduction

Welcome to the PyQt5 Chat Application with Exclusive Voice, a real-time chat platform that seamlessly integrates both text and voice communication. This application ensures that only one user can speak at a time, preventing overlapping audio and fostering organized conversations. Built with Python's PyQt5 for the client and leveraging socket programming for the server, this project offers a robust solution for real-time interactions.

Features

• User Authentication: Securely log in using unique nicknames.
• Real-time Text Chat: Instant messaging with all connected users.
• Exclusive Voice Communication: Only one user can speak at a time, preventing audio overlap.
• Online Users List: View currently connected users with active voice indicators.
• Responsive GUI: User-friendly interface built with PyQt5.
• Error Handling: Graceful handling of connection issues and other errors.
• Voice Transmission: Real-time voice data transmission using PyAudio.
• Threaded Server: Efficiently manages multiple clients using Python's threading.

Technologies

Frontend (Client)

• Framework: PyQt5
• Audio Handling: PyAudio
• Networking: Socket Programming
• Threading: Python's threading module

Backend (Server)

• Runtime: Python 3.x
• Networking: Socket Programming
• Threading: Python's threading module
• Data Handling: Base64 Encoding/Decoding for audio data

Architecture

The application follows a Client-Server architecture:

• Client: Built with PyQt5, the client handles the user interface, capturing audio input, displaying messages, and managing user interactions.
• Server: Manages multiple client connections, relays messages and audio data between clients, and ensures that only one user can transmit voice at a time.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6 or higher
• pip (Python package installer)
• Git (for cloning the repository)
• PyQt5: For the client GUI
• PyAudio: For audio handling in the client
• Other Python Packages: As specified in requirements.txt for both server and client

Installation

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/freeb5d/chatroom.git
cd chatroom

Setup Backend (Server)

1. Navigate to the server Directory:

   cd server

2. Create a Virtual Environment (Optional but Recommended):

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure Server Settings:

   • Open server.py and ensure the HOST and PORT variables are set correctly. By default, it uses localhost.
   • Alternatively, you can use environment variables or a config.py file for configuration.

Setup Frontend (Client)

1. Open a New Terminal and Navigate to the client Directory:

   cd client

2. Create a Virtual Environment (Optional but Recommended):

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Configure Client Settings:

   • Open client.py and ensure the SERVER_HOST and SERVER_PORT variables match the server's IP address and port. By default, it uses localhost.
   • You can also set these via environment variables or a configuration file.

Configuration

Server Configuration (server/server.py)

HOST = 'localhost'  # Server's IP address
PORT = 5050         # Port number

Client Configuration (client/client.py)

# Server configuration
SERVER_HOST = 'localhost'  # Update to server's IP if accessing remotely
SERVER_PORT = 5050         # Port number

Note: Ensure that the server's IP address and port are correctly configured in both the server and client. If accessing the server remotely, replace 'localhost' with the server's public IP address in the client configuration.

Usage

Running the Server

1. Ensure You Are in the server Directory and the Virtual Environment is Activated.

2. Start the Server:

   python server.py

   • The server will start and listen for incoming client connections on the specified HOST and PORT.
   • You should see output indicating that the server has started, e.g., Chat server started on localhost:5050.

Running the Client

1. Ensure You Are in the client Directory and the Virtual Environment is Activated.

2. Start the Client Application:

   python client.py

   • A PyQt5 GUI window will appear.
   • Enter a unique nickname in the provided input field.
   • Click the Connect button to establish a connection with the server.

Message Protocol

While this application uses socket programming for real-time communication, here's an overview of the key message protocols used between the client and server:

Message Type	Format	Description
User Registration	<nickname>\n	Sent by the client immediately after connecting to register a unique nickname.
User List Update	USERLIST:<user1>,<user2>,...\n	Sent by the server to update the list of online users.
Status Update	STATUS:<START/STOP>:<nickname>\n	Indicates a user has started or stopped talking.
Text Message	MSG:<message>\n	Sent by the client to broadcast a text message.
Voice Data	VOICE:<base64_encoded_audio>\n	Sent by the client to transmit voice data.
Server Message	SERVER:<message>\n	General messages from the server (e.g., user joined).
Busy Status	STATUS:BUSY\n	Sent by the server to a client if someone else is currently talking.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! To ensure a smooth collaboration, please follow these steps:

1. Fork the Repository

2. Create a Feature Branch

   git checkout -b feature/YourFeature

3. Commit Your Changes

   git commit -m "Add some feature"

4. Push to the Branch

   git push origin feature/YourFeature

5. Open a Pull Request

Please ensure your code adheres to the project's coding standards and includes appropriate tests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Contact

• Author: kaveh T

• GitHub: freeb5d

Acknowledgements

• PyQt5 Documentation
• PyAudio Documentation
• Python Socket Programming
• Shields.io for Badges
• Base64 Encoding in Python