How to Make a Chat Room in Visual Basic Express
Having the knowledge of how to create a chat room using Microsoft Visual Basic Express can save you time when you need to create a chat room application. Visual Basic Express is available for free to anyone interested in creating applications using VB.NET. A chat room involves two applications, the server and the client. The server handles all the client connections, and the client application connects users to the server room to send messages.
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Instructions
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Start Microsoft Visual Basic Express, and then click "New Project." On the left pane of your screen, select "Console Application." Click "OK."
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Press "Ctrl" + "A," and then press "Delete." Copy and paste the following code into your "Module1.vb" to create the server program:
Imports System.Net.Sockets
Imports System.Text
Module Module1
Dim clientsList As New Hashtable
Sub Main()
Dim serverSocket As New TcpListener(8888)
Dim clientSocket As TcpClient
Dim infiniteCounter As Integer
Dim counter As Integer
serverSocket.Start()
msg("Chat Server Started ....")
counter = 0
infiniteCounter = 0
For infiniteCounter = 1 To 2
infiniteCounter = 1
counter += 1
clientSocket = serverSocket.AcceptTcpClient()
Dim bytesFrom(10024) As Byte
Dim dataFromClient As String
Dim networkStream As NetworkStream = _
clientSocket.GetStream()
networkStream.Read(bytesFrom, 0, CInt(clientSocket.ReceiveBufferSize))
dataFromClient = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytesFrom)
dataFromClient = _
dataFromClient.Substring(0, dataFromClient.IndexOf("$"))
clientsList(dataFromClient) = clientSocket
broadcast(dataFromClient + " Joined ", dataFromClient, False)
msg(dataFromClient + " Joined chat room ")
Dim client As New handleClinet
client.startClient(clientSocket, dataFromClient, clientsList)
Next
clientSocket.Close()
serverSocket.Stop()
msg("exit")
Console.ReadLine()
End Sub
Sub msg(ByVal mesg As String)
mesg.Trim()
Console.WriteLine(" >> " + mesg)
End Sub
Private Sub broadcast(ByVal msg As String, _
ByVal uName As String, ByVal flag As Boolean)
Dim Item As DictionaryEntry
For Each Item In clientsList
Dim broadcastSocket As TcpClient
broadcastSocket = CType(Item.Value, TcpClient)
Dim broadcastStream As NetworkStream = _
broadcastSocket.GetStream()
Dim broadcastBytes As [Byte]()
If flag = True Then
broadcastBytes = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(uName + " says : " + msg)
Else
broadcastBytes = Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(msg)
End If
broadcastStream.Write(broadcastBytes, 0, broadcastBytes.Length)
broadcastStream.Flush()
Next
End Sub
Public Class handleClinet
Dim clientSocket As TcpClient
Dim clNo As String
Dim clientsList As Hashtable
Public Sub startClient(ByVal inClientSocket As TcpClient, _
ByVal clineNo As String, ByVal cList As Hashtable)
Me.clientSocket = inClientSocket
Me.clNo = clineNo
Me.clientsList = cList
Dim ctThread As Threading.Thread = New Threading.Thread(AddressOf doChat)
ctThread.Start()
End Sub
Private Sub doChat()
Dim infiniteCounter As Integer
Dim requestCount As Integer
Dim bytesFrom(10024) As Byte
Dim dataFromClient As String
Dim sendBytes As [Byte]()
Dim serverResponse As String
Dim rCount As String
requestCount = 0
For infiniteCounter = 1 To 2
infiniteCounter = 1
Try
requestCount = requestCount + 1
Dim networkStream As NetworkStream = _
clientSocket.GetStream()
networkStream.Read(bytesFrom, 0, CInt(clientSocket.ReceiveBufferSize))
dataFromClient = System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(bytesFrom)
dataFromClient = _
dataFromClient.Substring(0, dataFromClient.IndexOf("$"))
msg("From client - " + clNo + " : " + dataFromClient)
rCount = Convert.ToString(requestCount)
broadcast(dataFromClient, clNo, True)
Catch ex As Exception
MsgBox(ex.ToString)
End Try
Next
End Sub
End Class
End Module
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3
Start Microsoft Visual Basic Express, and then click "New Project." On the left pane of your screen, select "Windows Forms Application." Click "OK." Click the "Toolbox" pane, and then double-click "TextBox" to add a new text box. Add two more text boxes. Add two buttons from the "Toolbox" menu.
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4
Double-click the form, and then Press "Ctrl" + "A." Press "Delete." Copy and paste the following code into your "Form1.vb" module to create the client program:
Imports System.Net.Sockets
Imports System.Text
Public Class Form1
Dim clientSocket As New System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient()
Dim serverStream As NetworkStream
Dim readData As String
Dim infiniteCounter As Integer
Private Sub Button1_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button1.Click
Dim outStream As Byte() = _
System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(TextBox2.Text + "$")
serverStream.Write(outStream, 0, outStream.Length)
serverStream.Flush()
End Sub
Private Sub msg()
If Me.InvokeRequired Then
Me.Invoke(New MethodInvoker(AddressOf msg))
Else
TextBox1.Text = TextBox1.Text + Environment.NewLine + " >> " + readData
End If
End Sub
Private Sub Button2_Click(ByVal sender As System.Object, _
ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles Button2.Click
readData = "Conected to Chat Server ..."
msg()
clientSocket.Connect("127.0.0.1", 8888)
'Label1.Text = "Client Socket Program - Server Connected ..."
serverStream = clientSocket.GetStream()
Dim outStream As Byte() = _
System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetBytes(TextBox3.Text + "$")
serverStream.Write(outStream, 0, outStream.Length)
serverStream.Flush()
Dim ctThread As Threading.Thread = New Threading.Thread(AddressOf getMessage)
ctThread.Start()
End Sub
Private Sub getMessage()
For infiniteCounter = 1 To 2
infiniteCounter = 1
serverStream = clientSocket.GetStream()
Dim buffSize As Integer
Dim inStream(10024) As Byte
buffSize = clientSocket.ReceiveBufferSize
serverStream.Read(inStream, 0, buffSize)
Dim returndata As String = _
System.Text.Encoding.ASCII.GetString(inStream)
readData = "" + returndata
msg()
Next
End Sub
End Class
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5
Run the server program first by pressing "F5", and then run the client program. Type your name in "Textbox3" and click "Button2" to connect to the server. Type a message in "TextBox2," and then click "Button1" to send a message.
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