Instructions

Reading lab instructions

Help index · Project overview

Click Instructions beside Start lab and select a UTF-8 .md, .markdown or .txt exercise file (up to 512 KiB). It opens in a floating reading window inside the workspace, including fullscreen. Open file replaces the document; Hide keeps it available. Reopen it with the main Instructions button, the floating topology toolbar, or a console's Actions → Instructions shortcut.

Drag its handle/title or resize from its corner; those handles also support arrow keys. Use A− / A+ for 12–24px text, the size button to reset to 15px, and the maximize button to fill the visible screen. Arrange windows includes visible instructions alongside the topology and consoles. Narrow toolbars scroll sideways.

Markdown renders headings, emphasis, lists, read-only task checkboxes, tables, quotes, and fenced configuration/code blocks. Text files preserve their contents and indentation. Heading links scroll within the document; HTTP(S)/email links open separately. Raw HTML is displayed as text, images appear as text placeholders, and relative file links require opening the referenced file yourself. Mermaid and other Markdown extensions are shown as code, not rendered diagrams.

The file is read locally, never uploaded or included in topology JSON/saved ZIP. Its content, text size and open/hidden state are remembered in this browser tab's session storage across refreshes when storage is available. It is independent of the selected lab and is not synchronized to other workstations. Closing the tab normally ends that session (browser session restore may retain it).

Rendering uses the locally bundled markdown-it 15.0.2 with HTML and automatic linkification disabled. Its MIT license ships in web/vendor/markdown-it-LICENSE; fetch_assets.py restores the pinned assets. No browser extension, CDN connection or embedded browser is needed at runtime.

Copy commands into consoles

Open Clipboard in the Instructions toolbar and enable copy-on-selection. Select a command, then right-click inside the desired terminal to paste it. Use Workspace clipboard on plain HTTP, or System clipboard where the browser allows it. Right-click inside Instructions keeps the normal browser menu. See clipboard behavior.

Multi-file documents

The built-in viewer opens one local file at a time. Relative Markdown links do not load other local files automatically; use Open file to select the next chapter. This help directory is designed for GitHub or a Markdown reader that supports relative links. You can also open any individual help page in Instructions.