In the first version of how to develop a chat system using ASP.NET, we developed a quiz-based system to allow “matching souls” to chat with each other. We used a Signal-R based web chat system for this.
Now we will develop the same chat but very differently.
First, we will not use the signal-R chat but we will develop our own chat server instead. So here, we develop everything from scratch.
What we will try to achieve is a system where users can register and find a unique ‘matching soul’ by trying to find the unique combination of Emojis that will reveal a single user.
At the start, a user will register and will choose a unique combination of Emojis symbols. This will act as a ‘code” to give him/her a very unique signature.
Chances that someone else chooses that precise combination of symbols is almost zero.
Then the user can find its ‘unique’ matching soul by forming combinations of emojis.
When the number of chat users having a “common intersection” with that sequence of symbols is equal to 1, the user can start chatting privately with the “soulmate”.
Of course, before that happens, an invitation must be sent by the user and accepted by the other party.
We design the user interface of the chat by adding little fancy effects. The Emojis will shake and make various sounds when they are clicked on.
When you click on the blue sphere, a form allows the registration of new users.
Then the new user must select its unique sequence of Emojis. This will allow him/her to be found later on.
We put a lot of emojis in the chat so that there can be a wide range of possible choices.
Another user can try some combinations and find the corresponding unique matching profile:
Once a request has been accepted the two soulmates can chat with each other.
The chat system is on-to-one and, a lot of emojis are available!
Behind the Hood
Now we must explain how all that magic works and what kind of framework we used.
The Database
That chat system is a typical example where you do not need at all a ‘professional’ database such as the SQL databases like MySQL or MSSQL.
Such databases are complicated to use and debug. They always require connection strings and can create network errors very easily.
Here we prefer to use a no-SQL approach. MongoDB database would have been fine but it’s also a big machine and we do not really need it.
We simply use object storage: we serialize the objects and store them as flat files.
We will store the following objects:
public class ChatMessage : dataVault.dataVaultStorage
{
public String from;
public String to;
public String message;
public string time;
public int timestamp;
public String room_id;
}
public class ChatRequest : dataVault.dataVaultStorage
{
public String From;
public String To;
public String date_issued;
public String date_accepted;
public String date_refused;
public Guid request_uid;
public bool displayed;
public bool accepted;
public bool actual;
public Member from_member;
public Member to_member;
}
And the chat user data:
public class Member : dataVault.dataVaultStorage
{
public String name;
public String password;
public String email;
public String genre;
public String city;
public String emoticon1;
public String emoticon2;
public String emoticon3;
public String emoticon4;
public String emoticon5;
public bool selected = false;
public int age;
public String avatar;
}
This is all we need in terms of data storage! From that, we can register a user and search through the database for matching emoticon (emoji) profiles.
Our matching will be mostly performed by a class that will look at the combinations of emoticons:
public class combination
{
List<int> L = new List<int>();
//build the C(k,n) k-uples of the n integers {0,... ,n-1}
public static List<List<int>> getCombinations(int k, int n)
{
List<List<int>> L_ = new List<List<int>>();
//should never happen
if ((k>n)||(k == 0)||(n==0))
return L_;
if (k == 1)
{
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
{
L_.Add(new List<int>() { i+1 });
}
return L_;
}
//get it from k-1,n-1 and k,n
L_.AddRange(getCombinations(k, n - 1));
List<List<int>> L__ = getCombinations(k - 1, n - 1);
List<List<int>> L2__ = new List<List<int>>();
foreach (List<int> Z in L__)
{
Z.Add(n);
L2__.Add(Z);
}
L_.AddRange(L2__);
return L_;
}
}
public static void printListofLists(List<List<int>> L_)
{
foreach (List<int> Z in L_)
{
foreach (int i in Z)
{
Console.Out.Write("{"+i+"}");
if(i!=Z.Last())
Console.Write(",");
}
Console.Out.WriteLine();
}
}
public static bool Equals_(int[] a,int[] b)
{
if (a.Length != b.Length)
return false;
int[] a_ = a.OrderBy(s1 => s1).ToArray();
int[] b_ = a.OrderBy(s1 => s1).ToArray();
for (int i=0;i<a_.Length;i++)
{
if (a_[i] != b_[i])
return false;
}
return true;
}
}
These routines perform the matching itself:
public static List<Member> matchingProfiles(List<String> list)
{
if (list == null)
return null;
List<Member> Z = new List<Member>();
int n = list.Count;
if (n == 0)
return Z;
Z= MatchingProfiles(list[0]);
for (int i = 1; i < n; i++)
{
List<Member> A = MatchingProfiles(list[i]);
Z = Z.Intersect(A).ToList();
}
return Z;
}
public static List<Member> MatchingProfiles(String img)
{
int n = 0;
List<Member> Z = new List<Member>();
init();
var x = L.FindAll(s1 => s1.emoticon1 == img);
if (x != null)
n += x.Count;
Z.AddRange(x);
x = L.FindAll(s1 => s1.emoticon2 == img);
if (x != null)
n += x.Count;
Z.AddRange(x);
x = L.FindAll(s1 => s1.emoticon3 == img);
if (x != null)
n += x.Count;
Z.AddRange(x);
x = L.FindAll(s1 => s1.emoticon4 == img);
if (x != null)
n += x.Count;
Z.AddRange(x);
x = L.FindAll(s1 => s1.emoticon5 == img);
if (x != null)
n += x.Count;
Z.AddRange(x);
return Z;
}
We explained how to develop an original chat in C# and ASP.NET.
The source code is provided for free use and without any restrictions or guarantees. You can download it here.
We hope that you enjoyed the tutorial and that you found some useful inspiration for your own ASP.NET applications!
Acodez is a leading website design and web development company in India. We offer all kinds of web design and web development services to our clients using the latest technologies. We are also a leading digital marketing agency providing SEO, SMM, SEM, Inbound marketing services, etc at affordable prices. For further information, please contact us.
Looking for a good team
for your next project?
Contact us and we'll give you a preliminary free consultation on the web & mobile strategy that'd suit your needs best.
Jamsheer K, is the Tech Lead at Acodez. With his rich and hands-on experience in various technologies, his writing normally comes from his research and experience in mobile & web application development niche.
