Weather App

A Java desktop application demonstrating REST API consumption, JSON parsing, and JavaFX UI development. This project serves as a learning tool for understanding API integration and desktop GUI development in Java.

🌟 Features

• REST API Integration: HTTP client calls to weather API endpoints
• JSON Processing: Parse responses using both org.json and Gson libraries
• JavaFX Desktop UI: Clean, responsive interface with FXML support
• Environment Configuration: Secure API key management via .env files
• Maven Build System: Standard project structure and dependency management

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Java 21 - Target runtime environment
• JavaFX 21.0.4 - Desktop UI framework
• Maven - Build automation and dependency management
• org.json 20240303 - JSON parsing library
• Gson 2.10.1 - Alternative JSON processing
• dotenv-java 3.0.0 - Environment variable management
• JUnit 3.8.1 - Unit testing framework

📋 Prerequisites

Before running this project, ensure you have:

• Java 21 or later installed
• Maven 3.6+ installed and available on PATH
• An IDE with Maven support (IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, VS Code, etc.)

🚀 Installation

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd weather-app

2. Set up environment variables

   Create a .env file in the project root directory:

   API_KEY=your_weather_api_key_here
   BASE_URL=https://api.openweathermap.org/data/2.5

3. Install dependencies

   mvn clean install

🏃‍♂️ Running the Application

Command Line

mvn clean javafx:run

IDE

Run the main JavaFX application class directly from your IDE once Maven dependencies are resolved.

🧪 Testing

Run the test suite using Maven:

mvn test

Tests are written using JUnit 3 style (TestCase extension).

📖 How It Works

1. User Input: Enter a city name in the JavaFX interface
2. API Call: Application sends HTTP request to weather API
3. JSON Parsing: Response data is parsed using org.json/Gson
4. Display Results: Weather information (temperature, humidity, etc.) is displayed in the UI

🎯 Learning Objectives

This project demonstrates:

• API Consumption: Making HTTP requests and handling responses in Java
• JSON Processing: Working with JSON data using multiple parsing approaches
• Desktop UI Development: Building responsive interfaces with JavaFX
• Configuration Management: Handling sensitive data with environment variables
• Maven Project Structure: Standard Java project organization and build lifecycle

📁 Project Structure

weather-app/
├── src/
│   ├── main/
│   │   ├── java/
│   │   │   └── com/ryan/apis/
│   │   └── resources/
│   └── test/
│       └── java/
├── pom.xml
├── .env
└── README.md

🔧 Maven Configuration

• Group ID: com.ryan.apis
• Artifact ID: java-apis
• Version: 1.0.0
• Packaging: jar

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Weather data provided by your chosen weather API service
• JavaFX community for excellent documentation and examples
• Maven and Java ecosystem contributors