Getting Started with the Editor

Who this is for

Anyone opening the Lex Editor for the first time, including students who are allowed to author self-study lessons.

What this page answers

• How do I open the editor?
• What is the difference between Structure and Content?
• Which controls matter first?
• How do I create a workable lesson draft quickly?

Prerequisites

• an existing lesson or a course where you can create one

1. Choose an authoring mode

The authoring view switch is located on the floating bottom dock at the bottom of the editor:

• Canvas (labeled Canvas or Canvas · {count} showing the number of steps) shows the structure and plan view with the Lesson Plan rail and Step cards. Use it to create or reorder Steps, edit Stage labels and Step settings, and manage generation.
• Lesson shows the content editing view without the planning surfaces. Use it to write, format, and review the material students will read.

Use the Lesson / Canvas switch in the floating bottom dock to move between them. The Lesson Plan rail also has Hide the structure, which switches to Lesson view; choose Canvas again to restore it.

A planned-but-empty lesson stays in Canvas until a Step has content, so its plan cannot be hidden before it is finished. A lesson with no plan shows a Canvas-mode offer to Create a lesson plan. Self-study authoring uses the same switch and the same controls.

2. Learn the controls that matter first

Lesson blocks

Lesson blocks is where the content you can add to a lesson lives: text, exercises, media, tables, widgets, and AI tools. It is separate from the Lesson Plan rail, which controls the order and settings of Steps.

Look for the narrow Lesson blocks rail at the edge of the page and click it to open the panel. It stays beside the lesson rather than covering it. Inside:

• Blocks and Generate with AI are two segments of the same content panel.
• Recent keeps recently used blocks within reach.
• The search field filters the catalog.
• Click a block to insert it at the cursor, or drag it to the place you want it.

The panel opens on the left by default and can move to the other side. It opens automatically when you edit a course lesson and remains on its rail during a live lesson.

Slash commands

Type / at the start of a line to insert the same content blocks without leaving the keyboard. The slash menu and Lesson blocks panel use one catalog. Selecting the top "Help" item ("Open a list of what you can type or press in the editor.") opens the editor help panel.

Toolbar and floating bottom dock

The top toolbar and the floating bottom dock handle distinct responsibilities:

• Top toolbar is for text formatting: font family, text styles, alignment, emoji, and saving.
  • Save button: The save button includes a split menu. When creating a new lesson, you can choose Save & Open. When editing an existing lesson, this option is hidden.
  • ? Help icon: Located at the right end of the top editor toolbar, this opens the searchable "How to use the editor" panel anytime.
  • During a live lesson, the toolbar collapses into a floating pill so it takes up less of the shared view. Students always see the pill. Clicking the ? Help chip at the end of the floating pill keeps the pill open while you read through shortcuts.
• Floating bottom dock houses inspection and authoring tools:
  • Lesson / Canvas switcher: Move between rich content editing and the structured lesson plan.
  • Presentation (the monitor icon): Present the lesson in full-screen slide deck view.
  • Student Preview (the Graduation Cap icon): Inspect the lesson exactly as a student sees and interacts with it.
  • Widget Edit Mode (the eye icon): Toggle widget editing controls on or off.
  • Clear answers (the eraser icon): Reset any test answers submitted during drafting.
  • Heading numbering: Toggle automatic hierarchical numbering (1., 1.1) across headings.
  • Hover preview: Enable quick hover previews for nested content.

Content area

The center area is where you type, rearrange content, and build the lesson body.

3. Build a first draft

1. In Canvas, create or adjust the ordered Steps and their Stage labels.
2. Set Step briefs and choose Write this step or Write the whole lesson when AI should draft the content.
3. In Lesson, write explanations and insert blocks, exercises, images, audio, or video.
4. Review widgets with Student Preview or Widget Edit Mode, clear test answers with Clear answers, and save.
5. Publish or assign only after the lesson is ready. For a published lesson, review the Working Copy before publishing it.

For the full planning and recovery workflow, read Lesson Builder & Lesson Blocks and AI Lesson Generation.

4. How to use the editor help panel

Teachers can open the searchable "How to use the editor" help panel anytime from three places:

1. Clicking the ? Help icon at the right end of the top editor toolbar.
2. Clicking the ? Help chip at the end of the floating Lesson Toolbar Pill (which keeps the pill open while you read).
3. Typing / to open the slash menu and selecting the top "Help" item ("Open a list of what you can type or press in the editor.").

The panel includes a "Search by word or characters" search bar and organizes shortcuts into four clear sections:

At the start of a line

Type these characters at the start of a line and press Space:

Inside a line

Put the characters around a word. The format appears when you type the last character:

Tasks

Use | to add another correct answer, :: to add a hint to a gap or a drop-down list, and `<<…>>` to add a comment that the student sees after a correct answer or after three tries:

• Insert menu: /
• Gap with an answer: `___(answer)` — for example: `___(go|goes::verb)<<The verb takes -s with he and she.>>`
• Drop-down list: `___(right;wrong)` — for example: `___(big|large;small::size)<<Big and large mean the same thing.>>`
• Choice in the text: `[right;wrong]` — for example: `[big|large;small]<<Big and large mean the same thing.>>`

Keys

5. Go deeper only when you need to

• Blocks & Layout for document content and layout
• Media for image, audio, and video workflows
• Interactive Widgets for exercises and games
• AI Features for Lesson Plan generation and Ask AI