# Lively4

> Lively4 is an explorative, self-supporting, web-based development environment. It's a browser-based collaborative development environment that runs entirely in the client using DOM elements, JavaScript, web components, and Babel's client-side source code transformation. Users can edit code, create web components, and work collaboratively in real-time through GitHub integration.

Key characteristics:
- Self-supporting: The environment can modify and extend itself
- Browser-based: Runs entirely in Chrome/modern browsers
- Collaborative: Real-time collaboration through GitHub sync
- Web-native: Uses standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Web Components)
- Live programming: Immediate feedback and runtime modification

## Core Documentation

- [README](README.md): Project overview and getting started information
- [Getting Started Guide](doc/tutorial/index.md): Step-by-step tutorial for new users
- [Documentation Index](doc/index.md): Main documentation hub with architecture overview
- [Architecture Overview](doc/architecture/index.md): System architecture and design diagrams
- [Manual](doc/manual/index.md): User manual and reference guides
- [Keyboard Shortcuts](doc/manual/shortcuts.md): Complete list of keyboard shortcuts
- [Conventions](doc/conventions.md): Coding and project conventions

## Development

- [AI Coding Agent Instructions](.github/copilot-instructions.md): Essential patterns and conventions for AI agents working in the codebase
- [Lively API Tutorial](doc/tutorial/lively.md): Core API documentation and examples
- [Web Components Guide](doc/tutorial/web-components.md): Creating custom web components in Lively4
- [JavaScript Workflows](doc/workflows/javascript.md): JavaScript development patterns
- [Test-Driven Development](doc/tutorial/reactive/tdd_for_aexprs.md): TDD approach using Active Expressions
- [Libraries Documentation](doc/libraries.md): External libraries and dependencies

## Technical Reference

- [Package Configuration](package.json): NPM package definition and dependencies
- [SystemJS Configuration](src/systemjs-config.js): Module loading configuration
- [Babel Plugin](src/plugin-babel.js): Client-side transpilation setup
- [Issues Documentation](doc/issues.md): Known issues and troubleshooting

## Optional

- [FAQ](doc/faq.md): Frequently asked questions
- [Journal](doc/journal/): Development journal and progress notes
- [Tools Documentation](doc/tools/): Development tools and utilities
- [Literature](doc/literature/): Research papers and related work
- [Workflows](doc/workflows/): Detailed workflow documentation for different file types