Interactive tutorials for learning digital logic

[darktorres]

Description

Build a guided tutorial system that teaches digital logic concepts step by step. Students follow instructions to build circuits, with automatic validation at each step.

Tutorial Scope

• Basic gates (AND, OR, NOT)
• Combinational circuits (MUX, decoder, adder)
• Sequential logic (flip-flops, latches, counters)

Acceptance Criteria

• Tutorial system works for all defined scopes
• Smooth navigation between steps (next/previous/skip)
• Automatic validation of circuit correctness at each step
• Progress is saved per user

Implementation Guide

1. Tutorial format

• Define tutorials as JSON/YAML files with steps
• Each step: { instruction, hint, validationRule, requiredElements, expectedConnections }
• Bundle tutorials as Qt resources under App/Resources/Tutorials/

2. Tutorial engine

• Create TutorialEngine class that loads a tutorial file and manages step progression
• Validation: compare current scene elements/connections against expected state
• Partial match: highlight what's correct and what's missing

3. Tutorial overlay UI

• Semi-transparent overlay panel on the canvas with:
  • Current step instruction text
  • Step progress indicator (3/10)
  • Next/Previous/Hint buttons
• Highlight relevant areas of the canvas (e.g., "connect this port to that port")

4. Progress persistence

• Store completed tutorials and current step in QSettings
• Show completion status in a tutorial browser dialog

Key files

• App/Scene/Scene.h/.cpp — element/connection queries for validation
• App/UI/MainWindow.cpp — tutorial menu and overlay hosting
• New files: App/Tutorial/TutorialEngine.h/.cpp, App/Tutorial/TutorialOverlay.h/.cpp
• New resources: App/Resources/Tutorials/*.json