Curriculum File Structure

Our core instructional content is located within the conveniently named curriculum directory. This page will break down how these files are organized.

Terminology

There are a few terms we use when discussing our curriculum content.

• certification : When referring to a certification in this instance, it is talking about the actual certificate that users claim. Which is separate from the name of the superBlock.
• superBlock : A superblock is the top level collection of challenges. Each superblock corresponds to a certification in the curriculum (e.g. Responsive Web Design).
• block : A block is a section within a superblock. A block corresponds to a group of challenges in a given certification (e.g. Basic HTML and HTML5)
• challenge : A challenge is a single lesson within the curriculum (e.g. Say Hello to HTML Elements)

File Tree

Using those terms, here is how the file structure would be defined:

//— prettier-ignore —>

curriculum/
├─ \_meta/
│ ├─ {block}/
│ │ ├─ meta.json
├─ {language}/
│ ├─ {superBlock}/
│ │ ├─ {block}/
│ │ │ ├─ {challenge}.md

The _meta Directory

The _meta directory is a special directory which contains .json files. These files correspond to each block in the curriculum, and are used to determine which superBlock a block belongs to, and the order of the challenges within that block.

Renaming Files

There may be times when you need to rename a certificate, superblock, block, or challenge. This section will outline the steps needed to avoid build errors when doing so.

Danger

Renaming files within the curriculum structure will often change the path (or URL) of the content on the main webpage. Doing so should be done with care, as redirects have to be set up for each change that is made.

Renaming a Certification

When renaming a certification, you will likely want to rename the associated superblock along with it. Do the following to rename only the certificate:

1. Rename the curriculum/challenges/_meta/{superBlock}-certificate folder to the new name.

2. In the meta.json file of that folder, rename the values in name, dashedName, and challengeOrder to the new cert name.

3. In curriculum/challenges/english/12-certificate, rename the {superBlock} -certificate folder, and the YAML file within it, to the new name.

4. In the YAML file, change the title to the new name.

5. Rename the file and folder from step 3 for the rest of the curriculum languages.

6. Update client/src/redux/index.ts to use the correct title.

7. Optionally, update the certSlug for the superblock in the same file.

   Note

   Renaming a certSlug will change the URL for certifications and should only be done with careful consideration.

8. Update the title in client/src/resources/cert-and-project-map.ts to the new value.

   Note

   Changing the title here will break the superBlock page for the associated certification. It relies on the superBlock title to match the certification title. You will likely want to rename the superBlock at the same time. :::

9. If you renamed the certSlug in step 7, change it here for the cert and all the nested projects values.

10. In shared/config/certification-settings.js, update the value of certTypeTitleMap to the new name.

11. If you renamed the certSlug in step 7, update the key of certSlugTypeMap in the same file.

12. Update the certificate name in the legacyCerts array of the client/src/client-only-routes/show-project-links.tsx if needed.

13. Update the main README.md file to the new name.

Renaming a Superblock

Note

When you rename a superBlock, the new folder name is used as the path and should be considered the “correct” name. All other values should be updated to reflect that change.

Also, you will likely want to rename the certificate and the {superBlock}-projects block when you rename a superBlock since they all share a name. To rename only a superBlock you need to:

1. Rename the superBlock folder in the curriculum/challenges/english directory.
2. Rename the superBlock folder in all other curriculum/challenges/{language} directories.
3. For each block within that superBlock, update the superBlock value in the meta.json file to its dashedName. You don’t need to rename any folders here. Do that when renaming a block.
4. Rename the superblock folder in client/src/pages/learn.
5. Update the index.md file in the above folder, changing the title and superBlock values to the new name.
6. For each block folder within the above, update the index.md to use the correct superBlock value.
7. In the client/src/resources/cert-and-project-map.ts file, update the path for the cert at the top of the file, and the title value for that superBlock.

   Note

   Changing the title here will break the ability to view the actual certification for this superBlock. It relies on the superBlock title to match the certification title. You will likely want to rename the certification at the same time.

8. Update the superBlockCertTypeMap key in shared/config/certification-settings.js to the new superBlock name.
9. Update the path value in client/src/assets/icons/index.tsx.
10. For each language in client/i18n/locales, update the intro.json file to use the new superBlock dashedName. In the English file, also update the title.
11. Check the shared/config/i18n/all-langs.js file to see if the superBlock is enabled in i18n builds. Update all the values where it is used.
12. Update the main README.md file to the new name.

Renaming a Block

When renaming a curriculum block, you need to:

1. Change the name of the block folder in the curriculum/challenges/english/{superBlock} directory.
2. Change the name of the same block folder in all of the other language directories to match. These must all be the same as the English structure or the build will error out.
3. Change the name of the block folder in the _meta directory.
4. Update the name and dashedName property for that block’s meta.json file.
5. Update the block folder in client/src/pages/learn/{superBlock}.
6. In the index.md file of the above folder, update the block value in the frontmatter.
7. In the client/i18n/locales/{language}/intro.json files, update the block name to the new name for all the languages. In the English intro.json file, update the title as well.
8. Update the main README.md file to the new name.

Renaming a Challenge

When renaming a single challenge file, you need to:

1. Change the name of the challenge file in the curriculum/challenges/english directory.
2. Change the name of the title and dashedName within that file.
3. Change the name of the file, and the dashedName in those files for all of the other language directories to match.
4. Update the name of the challenge in the relevant meta.json file. The challenge names here are not used in the build, but provide a user-friendly way to identify the challenge order.
5. If the challenge is a certificate project, update the YAML file in curriculum/english/12-certificates/<superBlock> to the new name.
6. If the challenge is a certificate project, update the title and link in client/src/resources/cert-and-project-map.ts
7. If the challenge is a certificate project, update the main README.md file to the new name.

The dashedName Property

The dashedName property is used to generate the URL path for the superblock, block, or challenge. These should generally match what the /utils/slugs.js helper would output for the file name.