Simple Chat Application in C++

Introduction

The goal of this project is to develop a simple text-based chat application that enables users to send messages. The program simulates basic messaging functionality without connecting to a server or using networking protocols. It is intended to help beginners understand basic input-output operations in C++ and how to structure a simple program for interactive communication.

Objective

The objective of the chat application is to:

• Allow users to send messages to each other.
• Display the sent messages in a chat window.
• Enable users to exit the chat using a command.

Code Implementation

#include 
#include 
using namespace std;

int main() {
    string message;
    cout << "Welcome to the Simple Chat Application!" << endl;
    cout << "Type 'exit' to end the chat." << endl;

    while (true) {
        cout << "You: ";
        getline(cin, message);

        if (message == "exit") {
            cout << "Exiting chat. Goodbye!" << endl;
            break;
        }

        cout << "Friend: " << message << endl;
    }

    return 0;
}

Explanation of Program Structure

This chat application is designed to run in a console and allows two users to communicate by typing messages. The main components of the program are:

• Header File Inclusion: We include the header file #include <iostream> for input-output operations and #include <string> to handle string data types.
• Message Input Loop: The program continuously asks for user input through getline(cin, message) which stores the message typed by the user.
• Exit Condition: The loop will continue until the user types “exit”. At this point, the program will print a farewell message and exit.
• Echoing Messages: After receiving a message, the program simply echoes it back as a simulated response, showing how a basic chat might look.

How to Run the Program

To run the Simple Chat Application, follow these steps:

1. Ensure you have a C++ compiler installed, such as g++.
2. Open a text editor and paste the code into a new file, saving it as chat.cpp.
3. Open a terminal (or Command Prompt) and navigate to the folder where you saved chat.cpp.
4. Compile the program using the command: g++ chat.cpp -o chat
5. Run the program by typing: ./chat
6. Start typing your messages in the terminal. Type exit to end the chat session.