Emoji — Encode & Decode

Live demo: https://emoji.jujiplay.com/

Embed short secrets inside an emoji using invisible Unicode variation selectors, or reveal hidden messages from emoji payloads.

This small Next.js app provides a simple UI for encoding text into an emoji and decoding hidden payloads back into readable text.

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🎯 Features

• Encode a short secret into an emoji using invisible variation selectors
• Decode hidden payloads from emoji input
• Inline Emoji Picker (toggle with the Emoji Picker button)
• Copy output to clipboard with a transient "Copied!" notice and accessible aria-live feedback
• Static export ready (see next.config.ts -> output: "export")

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🚀 Getting started

Prerequisites:

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• pnpm (this project uses pnpm but npm or yarn will also work)

Install and run locally:

pnpm install
pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Build and run production:

pnpm build
pnpm start

Export static site (if you want an exported output):

pnpm build && next export

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🧩 Project structure

• src/app — Next.js app routes and layout
• src/components — UI components (including emoji-picker)
• src/lib — encode/decode logic and emoji data

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♿ Accessibility & UX

• Emoji Picker toggles inline beneath the emoji input and is keyboard accessible
• Copy action announces success via aria-live for screen reader users

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🧪 Development notes

• The app uses next/font for Geist fonts
• Metadata (site title & description) is defined in src/app/layout.tsx
• Conforms to simple, dependency-light approach

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📦 Deployment

• The app is optimized for static export (next export) or Vercel deployment
• For Vercel, just connect the repository and deploy; set NODE_ENV=production during builds
• Live demo: https://emoji.jujiplay.com/

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🔗 Source / Inspiration

This project implements the technique described in Sushan Taneupane's article: "Unicode secrets — Hide and reveal text inside emojis using variation selectors". Read the original writeup here:

https://medium.com/@sushantaneupane/unicode-secrets-hide-and-reveal-text-inside-emojis-using-variation-selectors-a01c01e249cf