https://github.com/ayush272002/huffzip
HuffZip is a simple, command-line tool for compressing and decompressing files using the Huffman Coding algorithm. Built in C, it's a great example of how lossless compression works under the hood.
https://github.com/ayush272002/huffzip
c huffman-compression-algorithm minheap
Last synced: 26 days ago
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HuffZip is a simple, command-line tool for compressing and decompressing files using the Huffman Coding algorithm. Built in C, it's a great example of how lossless compression works under the hood.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/ayush272002/huffzip
- Owner: Ayush272002
- License: mit
- Created: 2025-04-06T19:02:04.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-04-06T19:16:22.000Z (about 1 month ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-04-06T20:25:19.869Z (about 1 month ago)
- Topics: c, huffman-compression-algorithm, minheap
- Language: C
- Homepage:
- Size: 8.79 KB
- Stars: 0
- Watchers: 1
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# **HuffZip**
#### Description:
This project implements a file compression and decompression utility using the **Huffman Coding** algorithm. It allows users to compress and decompress text files by building a Huffman tree, generating Huffman codes, and then storing the compressed file. Additionally, the project provides a mechanism to handle file frequencies, which are necessary for decompression.
The program consists of several modules:
- **Huffman coding** for compressing and decompressing text files.
- **Min-heap data structure** used to build the Huffman tree.
- **File handling** for reading and writing files.
- **Compression and decompression utilities** for file operations.
#### Features:
- **Compression**: Compress text files using Huffman coding.
- **Decompression**: Decompress files that were compressed using this algorithm, utilizing the frequencies of characters stored in a separate file.
- **Memory Management**: Efficient memory handling for the Huffman tree.
- **Flexible File Operations**: Handle files with different character sets and manage compression and decompression output.
#### Installation:
1. Clone this repository:
```bash
https://github.com/Ayush272002/HuffZip.git
cd HuffZip
```
2. Build the project using `make`:
```bash
make
```
3. Once built, the executable `huffman_compression` will be located in the `build` directory.
#### Usage:
1. **Compression**:
To compress a file, run the following command:
```bash
./build/huffman_compression compress
```
This will compress the input file and save the compressed output to the output file.
2. **Decompression**:
To decompress a file, you will need the frequencies file (`frequencies.bin`) generated during compression:
```bash
./build/huffman_compression decompress
```
This will decompress the input file and save the result in the output file.
#### Makefile Commands:
- **Build**: `make`
Compiles the source files and generates the executable `huffman_compression` in the `build` directory.
- **Clean**: `make clean`
Removes object files and the executable from the `build` directory.
- **Run**: `make run`
Builds the project and runs the executable for testing purposes.
- **Debug**: `make debug`
Builds the project with debugging symbols, which can be helpful for tracing issues during development.
#### File Structure:
```
/huffman-compression
├── /src # Source code files
│ ├── main.c # Main program entry point
│ ├── huffman.c # Huffman coding and tree construction
│ ├── minheap.c # Min-heap data structure for Huffman tree
│ └── file_handler.c # File handling operations for reading and writing
├── /include # Header files
│ ├── huffman.h # Declarations for Huffman coding
│ ├── minheap.h # Declarations for min-heap data structure
│ └── file_handler.h # Declarations for file operations
├── /build # Build directory (created on `make`)
├── Makefile # Makefile to automate building and cleaning
└── README.md # Project README
```
#### Example Workflow:
1. **Compress a file**:
```bash
./build/huffman_compression compress test.txt test_compressed.txt
```
2. **Decompress the file**:
```bash
./build/huffman_compression decompress test_compressed.txt decompressed.txt
```
3. **Check the content of the decompressed file** to verify if the process worked as expected.
#### Troubleshooting:
- If you encounter a **segmentation fault** or other issues, ensure that your input file is correctly formatted and does not contain unexpected characters. Additionally, debug with `make debug` to help track down memory issues.
- **Missing Huffman Codes**: If the program complains about missing Huffman codes for certain characters during compression, make sure all characters in the input file are handled properly by the `generateCodes` function.
#### Contributing:
Feel free to contribute to this project by forking the repository and submitting a pull request. If you find any bugs or have ideas for improvements, don't hesitate to open an issue!
#### License:
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.