Python P2P Chat Application 🐍💬

A decentralized peer-to-peer chat implementation for educational purposes, supporting both console and GUI interfaces.

By Dedkov Ivan

Features ✨

• Dual Interface - Choose between console or graphical UI
• File Transfer - Share files directly through the chat
• Dynamic Port Management - Change ports without restarting (only in console mode)
• Contact Management - Save and organize your chat partners
• Local Network Support - Option to run in localhost mode

Getting Started 🚀

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• Tkinter (usually included with Python)

Installation

git clone https://github.com/durak-online/python-chat.git
cd python-chat

Launch Options 🖥️

# Basic startup
python main.py

# Localhost mode
python main.py -l

# Console-only mode
python main.py -c

# Custom port configuration
python main.py -p 9000

# Combined options
python main.py -l -p 8000  # Localhost on port 8000

Console Commands 🔧

Command	Syntax	Description
Add Contact	/add <username> <ip> <port>	Save new chat partner
Send Message	/send <username> <message>	Direct message to contact
Send File	/sendfile <username> <path>	Transfer files (supports paths)
List Contacts	/list	Show all saved contacts
Clear Contacts	/clear	Reset contact list
Change Name	/chname <newname>	Update your display name
Change Port	/chport <port>	Switch listening port
Exit	/exit	Quit application

GUI Guide 🖼️

Interface Components

1. Chat List Panel (Left)
   • Active conversations
   • "New Chat" button
   • Click to switch chats
2. Message Display (Center)

   [14:32:15] Alice: Hello everyone!
   [14:33:23] You: Hi Alice!
   

3. Input Area (Bottom)

   [Message Input Field]  [Send Button]
   

Key Features

• New Chat Setup

1. Click "New Chat"
2. Fill:
   - Chat Name: John Doe
   - IP: 192.168.1.5
   - Port: 8000
3. Click "Add"

• File Transfers

# Console
/sendfile colleague report.pdf

# GUI
1. Click "Send File"
2. Choose file you want to share
3. Click "Open"

Technical Specs ⚙️

Network Configuration

DEFAULT_PORT = 8000
LOCALHOST_IP = "127.0.0.1"

File Structure

.
├── chat_downloads/     # Received files
├── history/            # Chats history
├── config.json         # User preferences
└── contacts.json       # Contact list

Troubleshooting 🛠️

Common Issues:

1. Connection Refused

   # Verify ports match
   netstat -ano | findstr :8000  # port on which you run app

2. Missing Dependencies

   pip install tk