CKEditor-Challenges-GHW-Beginners-Week-2025

Hi Hackers! CKEditor is a great open source tool that allows users to create and edit web content within a browser, and so much more!

If you’re looking for a great way to make your development projects more robust, CKEditor is a great way to get started.

Getting Help

• If you have any questions about CKEditor or their Global Hack Week challenges, head to the MLH Discord and find the #ask-CKEditor channel!
• Each challenge is accompanied by helpful documentation

Challenges

Challenge 1

Signup for a CKEditor account

Objectives:

• Head over to the CKEditor sign up page to create an account and obtain the trial license key.
• In the CKEditor Customer Portal, navigate to the License keys tab to obtain your trial key.
• Submit a screenshot of your new account on our day-of GHW form!

Challenge 2

Use Builder to create a starter project

Objectives:

• Go to the Builder: Open the CKEditor Builder to start customizing your editor.
  • Select a Preset: Choose the Classic Editor preset as the foundation for your project.
• Pick Features:
  • The preset includes pre-selected features.
  • Enable additional features manually from the list to meet your needs. Avoid including the following features because these are relevant for the following challenges: Code Block, Templates, and Merge Fields.
• Customize the Toolbar: Customize the toolbar for an optimal experience.
• Download the project:
  • Follow the setup steps provided by CKEditor Builder to generate the starter project. Specify Vanilla JS as technology and self-hosted as an integration method
• Share your implementation with us on our submission form and bonus points if you add your project to our Devpost Page!

Challenge 3

Add and configure the code block plugin

Objectives:

• Enhance your editor to support code blocks

• Steps to Complete:
  1. Install the Plugin: Add the Code Block plugin to your CKEditor configuration.
     • Use the CodeBlock plugin import from the ckeditor5 package.
     • Add it to your plugins array in the configuration and items array of the toolbar.
  2. Customize the Plugin:
     • Define the programming languages you want to support. Each language should have a language and label properties.
• Share your implementation with us on our submission form and bonus points if you add your project to our Devpost Page!

Challenge 4

Add and configure templates

Objectives:

• Implement templates for creating reusable document structures.

• Steps to Complete:
  1. Enable the Template Plugin: Add the template plugin by importing it from the ckeditor5-premium-features package.
  2. Include Templates to the Editor Setup: Add it to your plugins array in the configuration and items array of the toolbar.
  3. Define Templates:
     • By creating the definitions array, define the templates you want to use.
       • Each template should have the following:
         • title - short description of the template
         • description - longer description
         • data - a string that contains the HTML structure of a template
• Share your implementation with us on our submission form and bonus points if you add your project to our Devpost Page!

Challenge 5

Add and configure merge fields

Objectives:

• Use merge fields to insert reusable content dynamically

• Steps to Complete:
  1. Enable Merge Fields: Add the MergeFields plugin by importing it from the ckeditor5-premium-features package.
  2. Include Merge Fields to the Editor Setup: Add it to your plugins array in the configuration and items array of the toolbar.
  3. Define Merge Fields:
     • By creating the definitions array inside the mergeFields configuration, define the merge fields you want to use.
       • Each one should have:
         • id
         • label
         • defaultValue
  4. Use Merge Fields in templates: By using the id in the template, incorporate Merge Fields in your templates.
• Share your implementation with us on our submission form and bonus points if you add your project to our Devpost Page!