Chat App Frontend

This README details the frontend setup for a real-time chat application using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with Socket.IO.

Overview

This frontend application is designed to work in conjunction with a backend chat server, allowing users to join chat rooms, send and receive messages in real-time, and view active users and rooms. It uses Socket.IO for seamless real-time communication.

Features

• Real-time messaging.
• User can join and leave chat rooms.
• Displays messages dynamically in the chat window.
• Shows active users in the current room.
• Lists all active chat rooms.
• Indicates when a user is typing a message.

Setup

Prerequisites

• A compatible backend server running Socket.IO.
• Basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Files Included

• index.html: The main HTML file.
• style.css: Styling for the application.
• app.js: JavaScript file handling the client-side logic.

Usage

1. Open index.html in a web browser.
2. Enter a name and a room to join.
3. Start chatting by typing messages and sending them.
4. Real-time updates will appear in the chat window.

Key Components

• Socket.IO Client: Establishes a connection with the backend server.
• Event Listeners: Handles chat messages, joining rooms, and displaying user and room lists.
• UI Interactions: Updates the chat display and shows user activities like typing.

Event Handling

• message: For sending and receiving messages.
• enterRoom: For a user entering a chat room.
• activity: To show when a user is typing.
• userList: To display the list of users in a room.
• roomList: To display a list of active rooms.

HTML Structure

• Forms for joining a room and sending messages.
• A display area for chat messages.
• Sections to show active users and chat rooms.

CSS

style.css includes basic styles to organize the layout and appearance of the chat application.

JavaScript

app.js contains the logic for connecting to the Socket.IO server, handling events, and updating the UI in response to server messages.

Conclusion

This frontend setup, when connected to a suitable backend, provides a fully functional real-time chat application. It's a great starting point for anyone looking to learn real-time web communication.