Add Qt Widgets application skeleton for Serial Chat with Model-View architecture

.gitignore

@@ -38,6 +38,14 @@ target_wrapper.*
 # QtCreator
 *.autosave
 
+# Qt MOC files
+moc_*.cpp
+moc_*.h
+moc_predefs.h
+
+# Object files
+*.o
+
 # QtCreator Qml
 *.qmlproject.user
 *.qmlproject.user.*
@@ -52,3 +60,15 @@ compile_commands.json
 *creator.user*
 
 *_qmlcache.qrc
+
+# Build directories
+build/
+build-*/
+
+# Binaries
+SerialChat
+SerialChat.exe
+
+# Screenshots and temporary files
+screenshot.png
+*.xwd

README.md

@@ -1,2 +1,74 @@
 # Serial-Chat
-​​Serial Chat​​: Reimagining serial port debugging as an intuitive chat conversation. Visualize data flows between devices and applications in a familiar, collaborative interface.
+**Serial Chat**: Reimagining serial port debugging as an intuitive chat conversation. Visualize data flows between devices and applications in a familiar, collaborative interface.
+
+## Project Status
+This is the initial MVP boilerplate - a clean, well-architected Qt Widgets application skeleton that serves as the foundation for the Serial Chat vision.
+
+## Features
+- **Chat-style interface** inspired by modern messaging apps (WeChat/Telegram)
+- **Model-View architecture** with clear separation of concerns
+- **Data models** for SerialPort, Message, and Session management
+- **Custom message bubble widgets** with direction-based styling
+- **Session management** with sidebar and message history
+- **Serial port support** using Qt SerialPort module
+
+## Architecture
+
+### Data Models (Model Layer)
+- **SerialPort**: Represents a physical/virtual serial port with properties like `portName`, `baudRate`, and signals like `dataReceived(QByteArray)`
+- **Message**: Represents a single communication unit with `content`, `timestamp`, `direction` (Incoming/Outgoing/System), and `sourcePort`
+- **Session**: Manages collections of SerialPort objects and message logs
+
+### UI Components (View Layer)
+- **MainWindow**: Main window with left sidebar for session list, central scrollable message area, and optional right dock for port status
+- **MessageBubbleWidget**: Custom widget that renders chat bubbles with different styles based on message direction
+
+## Building
+
+### Prerequisites
+- Qt 5.x (Core, GUI, Widgets, SerialPort modules)
+- C++17 compatible compiler
+- qmake
+
+### Ubuntu/Debian
+```bash
+sudo apt-get install qtbase5-dev qt5-qmake libqt5serialport5-dev
+```
+
+### Build Instructions
+```bash
+qmake SerialChat.pro
+make
+```
+
+### Run
+```bash
+./SerialChat
+```
+
+## Project Structure
+```
+Serial-Chat/
+├── SerialChat.pro          # Qt project file
+├── src/
+│   ├── main.cpp            # Application entry point
+│   ├── mainwindow.h/cpp    # Main window with chat interface
+│   ├── messagebubblewidget.h/cpp  # Message bubble rendering
+│   └── models/
+│       ├── message.h/cpp   # Message data model
+│       ├── serialport.h/cpp # Serial port wrapper
+│       └── session.h/cpp   # Session management
+```
+
+## Future Development
+This boilerplate provides the foundation for:
+- Actual serial port connection and communication
+- Multiple session support
+- Message filtering and search
+- Hex/text view switching
+- Data export and logging
+- Port configuration UI
+- And more...
+
+## License
+See LICENSE file for details.

SerialChat.pro

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+QT       += core gui widgets serialport
+
+greaterThan(QT_MAJOR_VERSION, 4): QT += widgets
+
+CONFIG += c++17
+
+# You can make your code fail to compile if it uses deprecated APIs.
+# In order to do so, uncomment the following line.
+#DEFINES += QT_DISABLE_DEPRECATED_BEFORE=0x060000    # disables all the APIs deprecated before Qt 6.0.0
+
+SOURCES += \
+    src/main.cpp \
+    src/mainwindow.cpp \
+    src/messagebubblewidget.cpp \
+    src/models/message.cpp \
+    src/models/serialport.cpp \
+    src/models/session.cpp
+
+HEADERS += \
+    src/mainwindow.h \
+    src/messagebubblewidget.h \
+    src/models/message.h \
+    src/models/serialport.h \
+    src/models/session.h
+
+# Default rules for deployment.
+qnx: target.path = /tmp/$${TARGET}/bin
+else: unix:!android: target.path = /opt/$${TARGET}/bin
+!isEmpty(target.path): INSTALLS += target

src/main.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+#include "mainwindow.h"
+#include <QApplication>
+
+int main(int argc, char *argv[])
+{
+    QApplication app(argc, argv);
+
+    app.setApplicationName("Serial Chat");
+    app.setOrganizationName("SerialChat");
+    app.setApplicationVersion("1.0.0");
+
+    MainWindow mainWindow;
+    mainWindow.show();
+
+    return app.exec();
+}

src/mainwindow.cpp

@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+#include "mainwindow.h"
+#include "messagebubblewidget.h"
+#include "models/session.h"
+#include "models/message.h"
+#include "models/serialport.h"
+#include <QSplitter>
+#include <QHBoxLayout>
+#include <QLabel>
+#include <QMenuBar>
+#include <QMenu>
+#include <QAction>
+#include <QApplication>
+#include <QScrollBar>
+
+MainWindow::MainWindow(QWidget *parent)
+    : QMainWindow(parent)
+    , m_sessionListModel(new QStringListModel(this))
+    , m_currentSession(nullptr)
+{
+    setupUI();
+    createMenuBar();
+
+    // Create a default session for demonstration
+    m_currentSession = new Session("Default Session", this);
+    connect(m_currentSession, &Session::messageAdded, this, &MainWindow::handleMessageAdded);
+
+    // Add a welcome system message
+    Message *welcomeMsg = new Message(
+        QByteArray("Welcome to Serial Chat! Connect a serial port to start chatting."),
+        Message::System,
+        nullptr,
+        m_currentSession
+    );
+    m_currentSession->addMessage(welcomeMsg);
+
+    // Update session list
+    QStringList sessions;
+    sessions << "Default Session";
+    m_sessionListModel->setStringList(sessions);
+}
+
+MainWindow::~MainWindow()
+{
+}
+
+void MainWindow::setupUI()
+{
+    setWindowTitle("Serial Chat");
+    resize(1000, 700);
+
+    // Create central widget with horizontal splitter
+    QSplitter *mainSplitter = new QSplitter(Qt::Horizontal, this);
+    setCentralWidget(mainSplitter);
+
+    // Left sidebar - Session list
+    QWidget *leftPanel = new QWidget(this);
+    QVBoxLayout *leftLayout = new QVBoxLayout(leftPanel);
+    leftLayout->setContentsMargins(0, 0, 0, 0);
+
+    QLabel *sessionLabel = new QLabel("Sessions", leftPanel);
+    sessionLabel->setStyleSheet("QLabel { font-weight: bold; padding: 10px; background-color: #f0f0f0; }");
+    leftLayout->addWidget(sessionLabel);
+
+    m_sessionListView = new QListView(leftPanel);
+    m_sessionListView->setModel(m_sessionListModel);
+    leftLayout->addWidget(m_sessionListView);
+
+    mainSplitter->addWidget(leftPanel);
+
+    // Central area - Chat view
+    QWidget *centralPanel = new QWidget(this);
+    QVBoxLayout *centralLayout = new QVBoxLayout(centralPanel);
+    centralLayout->setContentsMargins(0, 0, 0, 0);
+
+    // Chat scroll area
+    m_chatScrollArea = new QScrollArea(centralPanel);
+    m_chatScrollArea->setWidgetResizable(true);
+    m_chatScrollArea->setHorizontalScrollBarPolicy(Qt::ScrollBarAlwaysOff);
+
+    m_chatContainer = new QWidget();
+    m_chatLayout = new QVBoxLayout(m_chatContainer);
+    m_chatLayout->setAlignment(Qt::AlignTop);
+    m_chatLayout->setSpacing(5);
+    m_chatScrollArea->setWidget(m_chatContainer);
+
+    centralLayout->addWidget(m_chatScrollArea);
+
+    // Bottom bar - Input area
+    QWidget *inputPanel = new QWidget(centralPanel);
+    QHBoxLayout *inputLayout = new QHBoxLayout(inputPanel);
+
+    m_messageInput = new QLineEdit(inputPanel);
+    m_messageInput->setPlaceholderText("Type a message or hex data...");
+    m_sendButton = new QPushButton("Send", inputPanel);
+    m_sendButton->setFixedWidth(80);
+
+    connect(m_sendButton, &QPushButton::clicked, this, &MainWindow::handleSendButtonClicked);
+    connect(m_messageInput, &QLineEdit::returnPressed, this, &MainWindow::handleSendButtonClicked);
+
+    inputLayout->addWidget(m_messageInput);
+    inputLayout->addWidget(m_sendButton);
+
+    centralLayout->addWidget(inputPanel);
+
+    mainSplitter->addWidget(centralPanel);
+
+    // Right dock - Serial port status (optional for MVP)
+    m_portDock = new QDockWidget("Serial Ports", this);
+    QWidget *dockWidget = new QWidget(m_portDock);
+    QVBoxLayout *dockLayout = new QVBoxLayout(dockWidget);
+    QLabel *portLabel = new QLabel("No ports connected", dockWidget);
+    portLabel->setAlignment(Qt::AlignCenter);
+    dockLayout->addWidget(portLabel);
+    m_portDock->setWidget(dockWidget);
+    addDockWidget(Qt::RightDockWidgetArea, m_portDock);
+
+    // Set splitter proportions
+    mainSplitter->setStretchFactor(0, 1);
+    mainSplitter->setStretchFactor(1, 3);
+}
+
+void MainWindow::createMenuBar()
+{
+    QMenuBar *menuBar = new QMenuBar(this);
+    setMenuBar(menuBar);
+
+    // File menu
+    QMenu *fileMenu = menuBar->addMenu("&File");
+    QAction *exitAction = fileMenu->addAction("E&xit");
+    connect(exitAction, &QAction::triggered, qApp, &QApplication::quit);
+
+    // Session menu
+    QMenu *sessionMenu = menuBar->addMenu("&Session");
+    QAction *newSessionAction = sessionMenu->addAction("&New Session");
+    QAction *clearAction = sessionMenu->addAction("&Clear Messages");
+    connect(clearAction, &QAction::triggered, [this]() {
+        if (m_currentSession) {
+            // Clear layout
+            QLayoutItem *item;
+            while ((item = m_chatLayout->takeAt(0)) != nullptr) {
+                delete item->widget();
+                delete item;
+            }
+            m_currentSession->clearMessages();
+        }
+    });
+
+    // Port menu
+    QMenu *portMenu = menuBar->addMenu("&Port");
+    QAction *connectAction = portMenu->addAction("&Connect Port...");
+    QAction *disconnectAction = portMenu->addAction("&Disconnect Port");
+
+    // View menu
+    QMenu *viewMenu = menuBar->addMenu("&View");
+    QAction *togglePortDockAction = viewMenu->addAction("Toggle &Port Panel");
+    togglePortDockAction->setCheckable(true);
+    togglePortDockAction->setChecked(true);
+    connect(togglePortDockAction, &QAction::toggled, m_portDock, &QDockWidget::setVisible);
+}
+
+void MainWindow::handleSendButtonClicked()
+{
+    QString text = m_messageInput->text().trimmed();
+    if (text.isEmpty() || !m_currentSession) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    // Create outgoing message
+    Message *message = new Message(
+        text.toUtf8(),
+        Message::Outgoing,
+        nullptr,
+        m_currentSession
+    );
+    m_currentSession->addMessage(message);
+
+    // Clear input
+    m_messageInput->clear();
+    m_messageInput->setFocus();
+}
+
+void MainWindow::handleMessageAdded(Message *message)
+{
+    addMessageBubble(message);
+}
+
+void MainWindow::addMessageBubble(Message *message)
+{
+    if (!message) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    MessageBubbleWidget *bubble = new MessageBubbleWidget(message, m_chatContainer);
+    m_chatLayout->addWidget(bubble);
+
+    // Scroll to bottom
+    QScrollBar *scrollBar = m_chatScrollArea->verticalScrollBar();
+    scrollBar->setValue(scrollBar->maximum());
+}