Simplicity Extension for VS Code

Simplicity is an intelligent, project-based learning platform built directly into Visual Studio Code. It allows users to automatically generate personalized, hands-on learning plans for various programming languages. With milestone-driven progress, each step is presented as a commented-out instructional guide inside a generated playground file, making it easy to learn or deepen expertise without leaving the coding environment.

Features

• Automatically generates learning plans based on user-defined goals.
• Supports multiple programming languages with smart inference from user prompts.
• Provides milestone-based challenges that increase in difficulty.
• Allows code evaluation and feedback directly in the playground file.
• Offers an additional feature to generate detailed explanations of topics or code snippets.

Table of Contents

• Setup
• Prerequisites
• Configuring the Extension
• Usage
• Commands
• Technologies Used
• How it Works

Setup

Prerequisites

Before using Simplicity, ensure you have the following installed and/or set-up:

• Groq API Key*
• Node.js (v14 or higher)
• npm

Configuring the Extension

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/vishruthb/simplicity/
cd simplicity

OR

Download the binary .vsix file from releases and install using command palette in VS Code.

2. Create the config.json file:

{
  "groqApiKey": "<YOUR_GROQ_API_KEY>"
}

3. Install dependencies: npm install

4. Compile typescript to check for any errors: npm run compile

Usage

Commands

All interactions with the Simplicity extension are done via the Visual Studio Code Command Palette (Ctrl + Shift + P or Cmd + Shift + P on macOS). Below are the available commands:

• Simplicity: Initialize Learning Path
  • Starts the learning plan creation process.
• Simplicity: Validate User Code
  • Evaluates your code to see if it passes the current milestone’s test cases.
• Simplicity: Explain Topic
  • Generates a Markdown file that explains a programming topic or code snippet.

Learning Path Workflow

1. Initialize Learning Path:

• Use Simplicity: Initialize Learning Path from the Command Palette.
• You will be prompted to describe what you'd like to learn, such as:
  • "Learning object-oriented programming in Java"
  • "Master data structures in Python" Based on your prompt, Simplicity will infer the programming language and create the first milestone in a playground file (playground.<language>). Each milestone is a mini-task that helps you work towards your goal.

2. Work through Milestones:

• Each milestone is a new challenge or task that builds on the previous one.
• The playground file will contain commented-out instructions, including:
  • A problem description
  • Function signatures to implement
  • Test cases to pass

3. Evaluate Your Code:

• After completing the task in the playground file, use the Simplicity: Validate User Code command to check if your solution works.
• If successful, the next milestone will be automatically generated.
• If not, you’ll receive feedback to help debug your solution.

Explanation Workflow

• Explain a Topic:
  • Use the Simplicity: Explain Topic command.
  • Enter a programming topic or code snippet that you want to understand better (e.g., "recursion in Python" or "how to use promises in JavaScript").
  • Simplicity will generate a detailed Markdown (.md) file with a concise explanation, a simple example, and a more advanced example. The examples are designed to teach the topic progressively.

How it Works

Intelligent Project-Based Learning

Simplicity’s core feature is its intelligent learning path generation. It creates personalized learning plans for various programming topics by:

• Understanding User Goals: You enter a natural-language prompt, and the extension uses Groq to infer the appropriate language and create milestones.
• Step-by-Step Progress: Milestones are designed to increase in difficulty, guiding users from beginner-level tasks to more complex challenges. Each task is provided with clear instructions, function signatures, and test cases.
• Adaptive Learning Experience: With all milestones and evaluations occurring within the VS Code playground file, users never have to leave their development environment to learn.

Developer Tool Integration

Simplicity is designed as a developer tool for learning new languages or sharpening existing skills directly in VS Code. It integrates deeply with the IDE:

• Command Palette Integration: All interactions are done via the command palette, keeping the workflow simple and IDE-centric.
• Real-Time Code Evaluation: Once you’ve completed a milestone task, you can immediately test your solution by running the Simplicity: Validate User Code command, providing immediate feedback.
• Markdown Documentation: The Explain Topic command generates Markdown files, which are easy to read, edit, and share.

*Integrations for other providers coming soon! :)