Code Crispies

An interactive platform for learning CSS and Tailwind CSS through practical challenges.

📚 Overview

Code Crispies is a web-based learning platform designed to help users master CSS and Tailwind CSS through hands-on exercises. The application presents a series of progressive challenges organized into themed modules, allowing learners to build their skills step by step while receiving immediate feedback.

Key Features

• Interactive Lessons: Learn CSS and Tailwind concepts through practical, hands-on challenges
• Dual Mode Support: Switch between CSS and Tailwind CSS learning modes
• Progressive Difficulty: Modules are structured to build skills gradually from basic to advanced
• Real-Time Feedback: Get immediate validation on your code solutions with comprehensive feedback
• Progress Tracking: Your learning progress is automatically saved in the browser
• Visual Preview: See the results of your code in real-time with live preview
• Comprehensive Modules: Cover various CSS and Tailwind topics in organized learning paths
• Schema-Validated Lessons: All lessons follow a strict JSON schema for consistency

🛠️ Technical Stack

• Pure JavaScript (ES Modules)
• HTML5 & CSS3
• Vite for bundling and development
• Vitest for testing with coverage reporting
• JSON Schema validation for lesson structure
• Local Storage for progress persistence
• whatwg-fetch polyfill for compatibility

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher recommended)
• npm (v8 or higher recommended)

Installation

0. NVM (optional)

   nvm use

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/nextlevelshit/code-crispies.git
   cd code-crispies

2. Install dependencies:

   npm i

3. Start the development server:

   npm start

4. Open your browser and navigate to:

   http://localhost:1312
   

Available Scripts

• npm start - Start the development server (alias for npm run dev)
• npm run dev - Start the development server with host binding
• npm run build - Build for production
• npm run preview - Preview the production build locally with debug mode
• npm run test - Run tests once
• npm run test.watch - Run tests in watch mode
• npm run test.coverage - Run tests with coverage report
• npm run format - Format source code with Prettier (includes config files)
• npm run format.lessons - Format lesson JSON files with Prettier

📖 Usage Guide

How to Use Code Crispies

1. Select a Module: Choose a learning module from the available options
2. Choose Mode: Select between CSS or Tailwind CSS learning mode (if applicable)
3. Read the Challenge: Each lesson includes a description, task instructions, and learning objectives
4. Write Code: Enter your CSS or Tailwind solution in the editor
5. Run Your Code: Click the "Run" button (or press Ctrl+Enter) to test your solution
6. Review Feedback: Get comprehensive feedback with validation messages
7. Progress: Move to the next lesson once your solution passes all validations

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Enter - Run your code
• Tab - Insert appropriate indentation

🧩 Project Structure

code-crispies/
├── coverage/          # Test coverage reports
├── docs/              # Documentation files (multilingual)
├── lessons/           # JSON lesson definitions
├── public/            # Static assets and PWA manifests
├── schemas/           # JSON Schema definitions
│   └── code-crispies-module-schema.json
├── src/
│   ├── config/        # Configuration files
│   │   └── lessons.js # Module and lesson loading logic
│   ├── helpers/       # Helper utilities
│   │   ├── renderer.js # UI rendering functions
│   │   └── validator.js # Code validation logic
│   ├── impl/
│   │   └── LessonEngine.js # Core lesson processing logic
│   ├── app.js         # Main application entry point
│   ├── index.html     # Main HTML template
│   └── main.css       # Global styles
├── tests/             # Test files
│   ├── setup.js       # Test configuration
│   └── unit/          # Unit tests
├── vite.config.js     # Vite configuration
└── vitest.config.js   # Vitest configuration

📝 Adding New Lessons

Lessons are defined in JSON format following the schema in schemas/code-crispies-module-schema.json. Each module includes comprehensive lesson definitions with validation rules.

Module Structure

{
  "id": "unique-module-id",
  "title": "Module Title",
  "description": "Detailed description of module content and purpose",
  "mode": "css", // or "tailwind"
  "difficulty": "beginner", // "intermediate" or "advanced"
  "lessons": [
    // Lesson objects...
  ]
}

Lesson Structure

{
  "id": "unique-lesson-id",
  "title": "Lesson Title",
  "description": "Detailed lesson description and concepts",
  "mode": "css", // Optional override for module mode
  "task": "Specific task instructions for the student",
  "previewHTML": "<div>HTML for preview</div>",
  "previewBaseCSS": "/* Base styles for preview */",
  "sandboxCSS": "/* Additional sandbox styles */",
  "initialCode": "/* Starting code for student */",
  "solution": "/* Optional solution code */",
  "previewContainer": "container-id",
  "validations": [
    {
      "type": "contains", // "contains_class", "not_contains", "regex", "property_value", "syntax", "custom"
      "value": "expected-content",
      "message": "Feedback message for validation failure",
      "options": {
        "caseSensitive": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Validation Types

• contains: Check if code contains specific text
• contains_class: Check if HTML contains specific CSS class
• not_contains: Ensure code doesn't contain specific text
• regex: Validate against regular expression pattern
• property_value: Validate specific CSS property values
• syntax: Check for valid CSS syntax
• custom: Custom validation logic

🧪 Testing

The project uses Vitest for comprehensive testing with coverage reporting. Tests are organized in the tests/unit/ directory.

Run tests:

npm run test

Run tests in watch mode:

npm run test.watch

Generate coverage report:

npm run test.coverage

Coverage reports are generated in the coverage/ directory with detailed HTML reports.

🚢 Deployment

To build the project for production:

npm run build

The output will be generated in the dist/ directory, which can be deployed to any static web server.

For GitHub Pages deployment, the configuration is already set up with the base path /code-crispies/.

Preview the production build locally:

npm run preview

🌐 Internationalization

The project supports multilingual documentation in the docs/ directory:

• English documentation (en-*.md)
• German documentation (de-*.md)

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure all lessons follow the JSON schema validation.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git switch -c feature/amazing-feature)
3. Add/modify lessons following the schema in schemas/code-crispies-module-schema.json
4. Format your code: npm run format and npm run format.lessons
5. Run tests: npm run test
6. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
7. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
8. Open a Pull Request

Adding New Lessons

When adding new lessons:

1. Create or modify JSON files in the lessons/ directory
2. Ensure they validate against the schema
3. Test thoroughly with various validation scenarios
4. Update documentation if needed

📄 License

Copyright (c) 2025 Michael Czechowski. Licensed under the ./LICENSE.