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4. Codespaces Template#

The Enablement Codespaces Template

professors
The Enablement Codespaces Template is a ready-to-use GitHub repository designed to help you create, customize, and deliver hands-on enablements using GitHub Codespaces. It provides a robust starting point for professors, trainers, and solution architects to build interactive learning environments with minimal setup.

🚀 What is the Codespaces Template?#

This template repository provides:

  • A pre-configured .devcontainer for instant Codespaces launches
  • Example documentation and structure for enablement content
  • GitHub Actions for CI/CD and documentation deployment
  • Integration with Dynatrace and other cloud-native tools
  • A clean starting point for your own enablement projects

📦 Repository Overview#

Main features:

  • .devcontainer/: All configuration for Codespaces and local dev containers
  • docs/: MkDocs-based documentation, ready to extend
  • .github/workflows/: CI/CD for integration tests and GitHub Pages deployment
  • README.md: Project overview and quickstart
  • mkdocs.yaml: Navigation and site configuration

For a full file/folder breakdown, see the repository on GitHub.

📝 How to Use the Template#

  1. Create your own enablement repository
    • Click "Use this template" on the GitHub repo
    • Name your new repository and clone it locally
  2. Customize the content
    • Edit the docs/ folder to add your enablement instructions, labs, and resources
    • Update .devcontainer/devcontainer.json to add dependencies or secrets as needed
  3. Launch in Codespaces
    • Click the Code button in your repo and select "Open with Codespaces"
    • Your environment will be ready in seconds, with all tools and docs pre-installed
  4. Publish documentation
    • The installMKdocs function installs MkDocs inside the container and serves the documentation locally on port 8000, making it easy and enjoyable to write and preview your documentation without hassle.
    • Push changes to main to trigger GitHub Pages deployment (see Actions tab)
    • Your docs will be live at https://<your-org>.github.io/<your-repo>/

📝 TODOs in the Codebase#

Throughout the template repository, you will find TODO comments in various files. These are designed to guide you step-by-step as you create your own enablements—reminding you where to add content, configure secrets, or customize scripts.

Tip: To make working with TODOs easier, install a TODO highlighting extension in VS Code, such as TODO Highlight or TODO Tree. These extensions help you quickly find and manage all TODOs in your project.

By following and resolving these TODOs, you can efficiently adapt the template to your specific enablement scenario.

🧑‍🏫 Who is this for?#

  • Professors and trainers creating hands-on labs
  • Solution architects building demo environments
  • Anyone who wants a fast, reproducible Codespaces-based enablement

📚 Documentation & Resources#