# UniChat - Network File-Sharing chat System (Java)

A modern, real-time chat application built using **JavaFX** and **Java Socket Programming**. UniChat allows users to connect to a central server, see who is online, and engage in both public and private conversations through a clean, dark-themed interface.

## 🚀 Key Features

*   **Authentication System:** A dedicated login screen where users can authenticate with a username.
*   **Real-time Public Chat:** A global communication channel to broadcast messages to all connected users.
*   **Private Messaging:** Targeted, one-on-one communication capabilities between users.
*   **Live User List:** A sidebar that displays all currently connected users in real-time.
*   **Modern UI:** Built with JavaFX, featuring a responsive, dark-themed interface for a comfortable user experience.

## 📸 Project Interface

| Login Screen | Authentication Success | Main Chat Interface |
| :---: | :---: | :---: |
| ![Login](images/login_screen.png) | ![Success](images/login_success.png) | ![Chat](images/chat_interface.png) |


## 🛠 Tech Stack

*   **Language:** Java 17+
*   **GUI Framework:** JavaFX
*   **Networking:** Java Sockets (TCP)
*   **Concurrency:** Multi-threaded Client-Server architecture

## 💻 How to Run

1.  **Start the Server:** Ensure the `Server` application is running to listen for incoming connections.
2.  **Launch the Client:** Run the `Launcher` class to open the UI.
3.  **Connect:** Enter your desired username on the login screen and click "Connect".

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3. Reuse your existing socket/streams logic — just move the "send" actions to button handlers and update the UI from `ServerListener` using `Platform.runLater(...)` (**since UI updates must happen on the JavaFX Application Thread**).

This part is **completely optional** and won't affect your core grade — just a fun way to practice connecting a GUI to networking code and multithreading.