Collaborative Text Editor

This is a real-time collaborative text editor application built with Java, Spring Boot, JavaFX, and WebSocket. It supports multiple users editing a shared document simultaneously, with features like:

• Undo/redo functionality
• Commenting on text
• Real-time user cursors
• Role-based access (editor/viewer)

Project Structure

• server/: Spring Boot backend handling WebSocket communication, CRDT document management, and REST APIs.
• client/: JavaFX frontend for the collaborative editor interface.
• src/main/resources/: Contains FXML files (welcome.fxml, editor.fxml) and CSS (styles.css).

Setup

Prerequisites

• Java 17 or higher: Ensure the Java Development Kit (JDK) is installed.
• Maven: For building and managing dependencies.
• Git: For cloning the repository.
• Network: Server and clients must be on the same network for automatic server discovery.

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/3atar2004/Collaborative_Text_Editor.git
cd collaborative-text-editor

Install Dependencies

1. Navigate to the project root directory.
2. Run the following command to download dependencies:

mvn clean install

Running the Application

Start the Server

Run the server to handle WebSocket connections and document management:

mvn spring-boot:run -pl server

The server will start on http://localhost:8080 and listen for WebSocket connections at ws://localhost:8080/ws.

Start the Client

Launch the JavaFX client to access the editor interface:

mvn javafx:run -pl client

Using an IDE (e.g., IntelliJ IDEA)

1. Open the project in IntelliJ using the repository URL: https://github.com/3atar2004/Collaborative_Text_Editor.git.
2. Run the server application first (ServerApplication.java).
3. Run as many client instances as needed (CollaborativeEditorApp.java).

Notes

• Ensure the server is running before starting any client instances.
• If the client cannot find the server, manually enter the server's IP address when prompted.
• The application uses a CRDT (Conflict-free Replicated Data Type) for conflict-free editing.
• For large-scale use, consider optimizing memory usage and adding persistence (see project documentation for details).

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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For issues or contributions, visit the GitHub repository.