Huffman Encoding Application

Overview

This project implements a Huffman Coding algorithm to compress and decompress text. The application includes a user-friendly Graphical User Interface (GUI) built with Java Swing, providing features for encoding strings, visualizing the Huffman tree, and analyzing the efficiency of the compression.

Huffman Coding is a lossless data compression algorithm that uses variable-length binary codes to represent characters, optimizing the storage of text by assigning shorter codes to more frequently used characters.

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Features

Core Features

• Encoding: Converts a given string into its Huffman-encoded binary representation.
• Decoding: Reconstructs the original string from the encoded binary sequence.
• Tree Visualization: Displays the Huffman tree structure used for encoding.
• Efficiency Analysis: Calculates and displays metrics such as:
  • ASCII bit usage
  • Huffman bit usage
  • Bit reduction
  • Compression efficiency percentage

Graphical Interface

• Input field for entering text to encode.
• Panels to display encoded and decoded text.
• A dedicated section for efficiency metrics.
• Interactive visualization of the Huffman tree.

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File Descriptions

• Main.java: The main entry point of the program. It initializes the GUI, handles user input, and coordinates encoding, decoding, and tree visualization.
• HuffmanCoder.java: Implements the Huffman Coding algorithm. Handles tree construction, encoding, and decoding logic.
• Heap.java: A min-heap implementation used as a priority queue for constructing the Huffman tree.
• TreePanel.java: A custom Swing component for drawing the Huffman tree in the GUI.

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Requirements

For Running the Application

• Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8 or later.

For Building the Application

• Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or later.
• A build tool like javac or an IDE (e.g., IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse).

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Installation

Cloning the Repository

1. Open your terminal and clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/eizadhamdan/huffman_coding_project.git

2. Navigate into the project directory:

   cd huffman_coding_project
   

Running the Application

Using Pre-Built Executable

1. Download the .jar file.
2. Run the program by double-clicking the .jar file or using the terminal:

   java -jar HuffmanApp.jar
   

Without Pre-Built Executable

1. Compile the source files:

   javac *.java

2. Run the program:

   java Main
   

Example Usage

Steps:

1. Input: Enter a string in the input field.
2. Encode: Click the "Encode" button to compress the string.
3. Output:
   • Encoded binary string
   • Decoded original string
   • Efficiency analysis (bits saved and compression ratio)
4. Visualization: View the Huffman tree structure in the tree panel.

Example Pictures