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README.md

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+# 🤖 PY_ChatBot
+
+A modular, secure, and extensible web-based chatbot platform built with Flask. Features include user authentication, session management, multi-database support, and a modern responsive UI.
+
+---
+
+## 📋 Table of Contents
+
+- [Features](#features)  
+- [Demo](#demo)  
+- [Installation](#installation)  
+- [Configuration](#configuration)  
+- [Usage](#usage)  
+- [Project Structure](#project-structure)  
+- [Docker Setup](#docker-setup)  
+- [Contributing](#contributing)  
+- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)  
+- [License](#license)  
+
+---
+
+## ✨ Features
+
+- **User Authentication**  
+  - Registration, login, logout, and password change  
+  - Email validation and strong password requirements  
+  - Secure session cookies with configurable lifetime  
+
+- **Multi-Database Support**  
+  - Abstracted database layer  
+  - Thread-safe SQLite implementation  
+  - Ready for PostgreSQL/MySQL integration  
+
+- **Modern UI/UX**  
+  - Responsive templates: login, register, dashboard, profile, change password, 404  
+  - Gradient backgrounds, animations, and hover effects  
+  - Flash messages for real-time feedback  
+
+- **Security**  
+  - SHA-512 password hashing  
+  - Decorators for route protection (`@login_required`, `@logout_required`)  
+  - CSRF-ready and input validation utilities  
+
+- **Developer-Friendly**  
+  - Well-organized code: `config`, `database`, `frontend`, `models`, `services`, `utils`  
+  - Comprehensive logging and error handlers  
+  - Environment-based configuration  
+
+---
+
+## 🖥 Demo
+
+Screenshots and live demo links can be added here.
+
+---
+
+## 🛠 Installation
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+- Python 3.8+  
+- Git  
+
+### Local Setup
+
+1. **Clone the repo**
+
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/florianuhlig/PY_ChatBot.git
+   cd PY_ChatBot
+   git checkout Development
+   ```
+
+2. **Create virtual environment**
+
+   ```bash
+   python -m venv .venv
+   source .venv/bin/activate   # macOS/Linux
+   .venv\Scripts\activate      # Windows
+   ```
+
+3. **Install dependencies**
+
+   ```bash
+   pip install -r requirements.txt
+   ```
+
+4. **Configure environment**
+
+   Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and adjust values:
+
+   ```bash
+   cp .env.example .env
+   ```
+
+5. **Run the app**
+
+   ```bash
+   python main.py
+   ```
+
+   Open your browser to `http://localhost:8080`.
+
+---
+
+## ⚙️ Configuration
+
+Edit `.env` for:
+
+- `DB_TYPE` (e.g., `sqlite`, `postgresql`, `mysql`)  
+- `SQLITE_PATH` (path to SQLite file)  
+- `FLASK_SECRET_KEY`  
+- `FLASK_DEBUG`, `FLASK_HOST`, `FLASK_PORT`  
+- Session and password policy variables  
+
+---
+
+## 🚀 Usage
+
+- **Register**: `/register`  
+- **Login**: `/login`  
+- **Dashboard**: `/dashboard` (protected)  
+- **Profile**: `/profile` (protected)  
+- **Change Password**: `/change-password` (protected)  
+- **Logout**: `/logout`  
+
+---
+
+## 📁 Project Structure
+
+```
+PY_ChatBot/
+├── config/               # App configuration loader
+│   └── database.py
+├── database/             # DB abstraction and implementations
+│   ├── interface.py
+│   ├── sqlite_db.py
+│   └── flask_integration.py
+├── frontend/             # Flask application and templates
+│   ├── app.py
+│   └── templates/
+│       ├── login.html
+│       ├── register.html
+│       ├── dashboard.html
+│       ├── profile.html
+│       ├── change_password.html
+│       └── 404.html
+├── models/               # Data models (if any)
+├── services/             # Business logic: user and auth services
+├── utils/                # Utility functions and decorators
+├── .env.example          # Environment variable template
+├── Dockerfile            # Container setup
+├── docker-compose.yml    # Orchestration
+├── docker-entrypoint.sh  # Init script
+├── main.py               # Entry point
+└── requirements.txt      # Python dependencies
+```