Password-Generator

Description

A comprehensive password generator application with both console and graphical user interface (GUI) versions. Creates secure, random passwords with customizable character sets and entropy calculation.

Features

Core Features

• Customizable Password Generation: Choose password length (4-40 characters) and character types (lowercase, uppercase, digits, symbols)
• Category Coverage: Ensures at least one character from each selected category for better security
• Entropy Calculation: Displays the password entropy in bits for security assessment
• Secure Random Generation: Uses Java's SecureRandom for cryptographically secure passwords

GUI Features

• Modern Dark Theme: Equalizer-inspired dark themed interface with neon accents
• Animated Password Reveal: Glitch-style animation when generating passwords
• Real-time Strength Indicator: Visual progress bar with color-coded strength levels
• Password History: Save and manage generated passwords with export functionality
• Theme Toggle: Switch between dark and light themes
• Keyboard Shortcuts: Enhanced shortcuts for power users (Ctrl+C to copy, Shift+Enter for copy & generate)
• Copy to Clipboard: One-click copying of generated passwords

Building the Project

This project uses Maven for build and dependency management. Ensure you have Maven installed on your system.

Note: You may see warnings about deprecated methods in sun.misc.Unsafe when running Maven. These are harmless warnings from Maven's internal dependencies and do not affect the functionality of your application.

Installation

If you don't have Maven installed, you can install it using Windows Package Manager (winget):

winget install --accept-source-agreements Apache.Maven

Prerequisites

• Java 17 or higher
• Maven 3.6 or higher

Compilation

1. Compile the project:

   mvn compile

2. Build the complete project (compile, test, package):

   mvn verify

3. Clean and build:

   mvn clean verify

Running the Applications

Note for Windows PowerShell users: If you encounter Maven lifecycle phase errors, use the PowerShell-specific commands provided below, which properly handle the -D parameter formatting.

Console Application

The console version provides a text-based interface for password generation.

To run the console application:

mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.francismul.passwordgenerator.App"

PowerShell (Windows):

mvn exec:java "-Dexec.mainClass=com.francismul.passwordgenerator.App"

Usage:

1. Choose option 1 to generate a password
2. Enter password length (4-40 characters)
3. Choose which character types to include:
   • Lowercase letters (a-z)
   • Uppercase letters (A-Z)
   • Digits (0-9)
   • Symbols (!"#$%&'()*+,-./:;<=>?@[]^_`{|}~)
4. The generated password will include at least one character from each selected category
5. View the entropy calculation in bits
6. Choose option 2 to exit

GUI Application

The GUI version provides a modern, animated interface with additional features.

Requirements: A graphical desktop environment (not suitable for headless servers or SSH sessions without X11 forwarding).

To run the GUI application:

mvn exec:java -Dexec.mainClass="com.francismul.passwordgenerator.AppGui"

PowerShell (Windows):

mvn exec:java "-Dexec.mainClass=com.francismul.passwordgenerator.AppGui"

GUI Features:

• Password Length Slider: Drag to set length (4-40 characters)
• Character Type Checkboxes: Select/deselect character types
• Generate Button: Click to create password with glitch animation
• Strength Indicator: Real-time visual feedback with color coding
• Copy to Clipboard: Click the password or use Ctrl+C
• Password History: View and manage previously generated passwords
• Save to File: Export passwords to a secure text file
• Theme Toggle: Switch between dark and light themes
• Keyboard Shortcuts:
  • Enter: Generate password
  • Ctrl+C: Copy current password
  • Shift+Enter: Copy and generate new password