PingClient Swing Application

Table of Contents

• Project Overview
• Features
• Installation
• Usage
• Screenshot
• License
• Feedback
• Contributing
• Authors

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Project Overview

PingClient Swing Application is a lightweight Java-based messaging client built with a clean architecture. This project was developed to demonstrate effective software design principles, including modularity, testability, and the use of the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern. The application allows users to:

• Log in or sign up.
• Create and manage message threads.
• Send and receive messages in real-time.

The project was built as part of the CSC207 curriculum at the University of Toronto to reinforce object-oriented programming concepts and design patterns.

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Features

• User Authentication:
  • Login and signup functionality with form validation.
  • Secure backend communication using REST APIs.
• Thread Management:
  • View and manage a list of message threads.
  • Create new threads with user-defined participants.
• Real-Time Messaging:
  • Send and receive messages in a selected thread.
  • Refresh functionality to view the latest messages.
• Clean Architecture:
  • Separation of concerns with clearly defined layers.
  • Testable and scalable code structure.

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Installation

To set up and run the PingClient Swing Application, follow the steps below:

Prerequisites

• Java Development Kit (JDK) version 11 or higher.
• Maven for dependency management.
• An active internet connection for fetching dependencies.

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-repo/PingClientSwing.git
   cd PingClientSwing

2. Build the project using Maven:

   mvn clean install

3. Run the application:

   mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="app.Main"

Dependencies

The application uses the following libraries:

• org.json for JSON parsing.
• OkHttp for REST API requests.
• JUnit 4 and 5 for testing.
• Guava for utility functions.

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Usage

Launching the Application

Once installed, run the main class (app.Main) to start the PingClient Swing Application.

Using the Application

1. Login or Sign Up:
   • Enter your credentials to log in or sign up.
   • Navigate to the threads view upon successful login.
2. Managing Threads:
   • View existing threads.
   • Create new threads by specifying a name and participants.
3. Messaging:
   • Select a thread to view messages.
   • Send new messages and refresh the thread to view updates.

Placeholder for UI Screenshot

(Insert a screenshot of the application's main UI here.)

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

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Feedback

We value your feedback to improve this project! Please reach out through:

• Issues tab on GitHub.
• Fill out our feedback form.

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Contributing

Contributions to this project are welcome! To contribute:

1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature:

   git checkout -b feature-name

3. Commit your changes and push to your branch:

   git push origin feature-name

4. Submit a pull request with a detailed explanation of your changes.

Guidelines

• Ensure your code follows the style guidelines (maven-checkstyle-plugin is enforced).
• Provide adequate tests for new features or bug fixes.
• Respect the project's existing architecture and design principles.

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Authors

• CSC207: Group 167
  • Ali Rahbar
  • Wilton Miller
  • Matteo Gentili
  • Benedict Cummins-Mburu
  • Benjamin Gavriely
  • Robert Reder

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Enjoy using PingClient Swing Application! 🎉