Messages not received by chat client.

[eLancaster]

I've written code for a chat server and a chat client.
The chat server sends messages from one chat client to all participating clients.
According to logs, message gets sent.
The receiving thread on the client doesn't receive them though.

Code's below:
ChatClient.java

public class ChatClient {
	
	private JTextArea receivedMessagesArea;
	private JTextField outgoingMessageField;
	private JButton sendButton;
	private JLabel statusLabel;
	
	private BufferedReader readFromServer;
	private PrintWriter writeToServer;
	
	private Socket chatServer;
	private String name;

	
	public ChatClient()
	{
		//set up ui and call ConnectToServer.
		//action listener of sendbutton will send message to server. Text will also be appended to receivedMessagesArea
		this.name = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null, "Enter your name", "Login Name", JOptionPane.OK_OPTION);
		
		JFrame frame = new JFrame();
		JPanel panel = new JPanel();
		panel.setLayout(null);
		
		receivedMessagesArea = new JTextArea(15,50);
		receivedMessagesArea.setText("");
		receivedMessagesArea.setLineWrap(true);
		receivedMessagesArea.setWrapStyleWord(true);
		receivedMessagesArea.setEditable(false);
		this.receivedMessagesArea.setBounds(10, 10, 440, 365);
		
		JScrollPane scroller = new JScrollPane(this.receivedMessagesArea);
		scroller.setVerticalScrollBarPolicy(ScrollPaneConstants.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_AS_NEEDED);
		
		panel.add(this.receivedMessagesArea);
		
		
		panel.add(scroller);
		
		outgoingMessageField = new JTextField("Enter Message Here");
		this.outgoingMessageField.setEditable(true);
		this.outgoingMessageField.requestFocus(true);
		this.outgoingMessageField.setBounds(10,380,340,20);
		panel.add(this.outgoingMessageField);
		
		sendButton = new JButton("Send");
		this.sendButton.setBounds(359,380,90,20);
		this.sendButton.setActionCommand("Send");
		this.sendButton.addActionListener(
				new ActionListener()
				{
					public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event)
					{
						if(sendButton.getActionCommand().equals("Send"))
						{
							System.out.printf("Log: ActionCommand: %s\n", sendButton.getActionCommand());
							if(updateConnectionStatus()==true)
							{
								try{
									writeToServer.printf("%s: %s\n",name,outgoingMessageField.getText());
									writeToServer.flush();
								
									//receivedMessagesArea.append(String.format("%s: %s\n", "Me",outgoingMessageField.getText()));
									
									System.out.printf("Log: Message sent to %s : \"%s\" \n",chatServer.getLocalSocketAddress(),outgoingMessageField.getText());
									outgoingMessageField.setText("");
									outgoingMessageField.requestFocus(true);
									
								}catch(Exception e)
								{
									System.out.println("Log: Exception sending Message");
								}
							}	
						}
							
						if(sendButton.getActionCommand().equals("Connect"))
						{
							System.out.printf("Log: ActionCommand: %s\n", sendButton.getActionCommand());
							connectToServer();
						}
					}
				}
		);
		panel.add(this.sendButton);
		
		statusLabel = new JLabel("");
		statusLabel.setBounds(106,403,200,15);
		panel.add(this.statusLabel);
				
		this.connectToServer();
		
		Thread receiveMessages = new Thread(new Messenger());
		receiveMessages.setName("Message Receiving Thread");
		receiveMessages.start();
	
		frame.setTitle(String.format("Messenger v1.0 Build 1 | %s",this.name));
		frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
		frame.getContentPane().add(BorderLayout.CENTER, panel);
		frame.setSize(475, 455);
		frame.setVisible(true);
		
	}
	
	private void connectToServer()
	{
		
		
		System.out.print("Log: Connecting to server\n");
		try{
			chatServer = new Socket("127.0.0.1",8558);
			readFromServer = new BufferedReader( new InputStreamReader(this.chatServer.getInputStream()));
			writeToServer = new PrintWriter(this.chatServer.getOutputStream());
			updateConnectionStatus();
		}catch(Exception e)
		{
			this.statusLabel.setText("Connection Failed.");
			System.out.printf("Log: Failed to connect with Server.\n");
		}
	}
	
	private boolean updateConnectionStatus()
	{
		try{
			System.out.printf("Log: Connection with %s persists.\n", this.chatServer.getLocalSocketAddress());
			this.sendButton.setText("Send");
			this.sendButton.setActionCommand("Send");
			this.outgoingMessageField.setEnabled(true);
			this.statusLabel.setText("Connection Established.");
			return true;
		}catch(Exception e)
		{
			System.out.print("Log: Connection to Server failed.\n");
			this.sendButton.setText("Connect");
			this.sendButton.setActionCommand("Connect");
			this.outgoingMessageField.setEnabled(false);
			this.statusLabel.setText("Connection Failed");
			return false;
		}
	}
	
	public static void main(String args[])
	{
		new ChatClient();
	}
	
	class Messenger implements Runnable
	{
		public void run()
		{
			System.out.printf("Log: %s has started running.\n",Thread.currentThread().getName());
			String receivedMessage;
			try{
				while((receivedMessage = readFromServer.readLine())!=null)
				{
					System.out.printf("Log: Message received from Server: \"%s\"\n", receivedMessage);
					receivedMessagesArea.append(receivedMessage);
				}
			}catch(Exception e)
			{
				System.out.println("Log: Exception thrown while reading from server.");
			}
			System.out.printf("Log: %s is dead.\n",Thread.currentThread().getName());
		}
	}
}

ChatServer.java

public class ChatServer {
	private ArrayList<PrintWriter> clientsList;
	
	public ChatServer()
	{
		try
		{
			//make the server
			ServerSocket chatServer = new ServerSocket(8558);
			System.out.printf("Server Running at %s\n", chatServer.getLocalSocketAddress());
			
			clientsList = new ArrayList<PrintWriter>();
			while(true)
			{
				Socket client = chatServer.accept();
				PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(client.getOutputStream());
				clientsList.add(writer);
				
				Thread receiver = new Thread(new Deliverer(client));
				receiver.setName("Message Receiving Thread");
				receiver.start();
				
				System.out.printf("Log: Client %s has connected to Server.\n", client.getLocalSocketAddress());
				
			}
		}catch(Exception e)
		{
			System.out.print("Log: Error Establishing Server\n");
		}
		
	}
	
	private void sendToParticipants(String message)
	{
		int participant =0;
		Iterator clientWritersListIterator = clientsList.iterator();
		
		if(clientWritersListIterator.hasNext()==false)
		{
			System.out.println("Log: There are no participants in this Chat. Message can not be sent.");
		}
		while(clientWritersListIterator.hasNext())
		{
			try{
				PrintWriter writeToClients = (PrintWriter) clientWritersListIterator.next();
				writeToClients.println(message);
				System.out.printf("Log: Message sent to participants : \" %s \".\n", message);
			}catch(Exception e)
			{
				System.out.println("Log: Exception thrown while sending message to clients");
			}
		}
	}
	
	class Deliverer implements Runnable
	{
		BufferedReader reader;
		
		public Deliverer(Socket client)
		{
			System.out.printf("Log: %s has started running.\n",Thread.currentThread().getName());
			try{
				reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(client.getInputStream()));
			}catch(IOException e)
			{
				System.out.println("Log: Exception thrown while reading message from client.");
			}
		}
		
		public void run()
		{
			String message;
			try{
				while((message = reader.readLine())!=null)
				{
					System.out.printf("Log: Message received : %s\n", message);
					sendToParticipants(message);
				}
			}catch(Exception e)
			{
				System.out.println("Log: Message could not be read");
			}
		}
	}
	
	public static void main(String args[])
	{
		new ChatServer();
	}
}

Thanks for the time.

[Norm]

Why does the server side code receive the messages and the client side doesn't?
What is different between those two communications? The client sends ok. The server doesn't.
Look at the code.

[eLancaster]

Oh I see, forgot to flush! ;P

Thanks Norm.

[Norm]

Great. You got it.
When one part works and another doesn't, that should raise the question: why, what is different.

[Joel]

wow, great program! Network programming is definitely the funnest part of Java after GUI development...

[eLancaster]

Thanks! (Although I'm not so sure what's so great about it. Seems quite ordinary).
Same thoughts here - It's incredibly simple and powerful :D. Wish it was like that for C++.

[Joel]

I remember C++ took an awful lot of tinkering for it to run client-server applications, even anything remotely like Swing. I am actually only at an intermediate level and just starting to dabble into Java networking programs...

[Joel]

so every time I learn some new implementation of Java it is exciting. I am actually in the middle of programming a Spanish-language teaching software application with Java...