LearnKit - WordPress LMS Plugin

Modern WordPress LMS plugin for course creators who value simplicity, performance, and fair pricing.

Overview

LearnKit is a lightweight, performant WordPress Learning Management System (LMS) plugin built with modern standards and developer-friendly architecture. Create, deliver, and monetize online courses with a beautiful, intuitive interface.

Features (Sprint 1 - Foundation)

• ✅ Custom Post Types: Courses, Modules, Lessons
• ✅ Custom Database Tables: Enrollments, Progress, Certificates
• ✅ REST API: Complete API-first architecture (/wp-json/learnkit/v1/)
• ✅ React Admin Interface: Modern course builder UI
• ✅ WordPress Standards: WPCS compliant, security-focused
• ✅ Mobile-First: Responsive design throughout

Installation

Development Setup

1. Clone repository:

   cd wp-content/plugins/
   git clone https://github.com/welbinator/learnkit.git

2. Install React dependencies:

   cd learnkit/admin/react/
   npm install
   npm run build

3. Activate plugin:

   • Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins
   • Activate "LearnKit"
   • Database tables will be created automatically

Production Installation

1. Download latest release from GitHub
2. Upload to wp-content/plugins/
3. Activate via WordPress admin
4. Configure settings (coming in Sprint 5)

Requirements

• WordPress: 6.0 or higher
• PHP: 7.4 or higher
• MySQL: 5.6 or higher
• Node.js: 18+ (for development)

Architecture

Plugin Structure

learnkit/
├── learnkit.php              # Main plugin file
├── includes/                  # Core classes
│   ├── class-learnkit.php            # Main plugin class
│   ├── class-learnkit-activator.php  # Activation hooks
│   ├── class-learnkit-loader.php     # Hook loader
│   ├── class-learnkit-post-types.php # CPT registration
│   └── class-learnkit-rest-api.php   # REST API endpoints
├── admin/                     # Admin functionality
│   ├── class-learnkit-admin.php      # Admin class
│   └── react/                         # React app source
│       ├── src/
│       ├── package.json
│       └── webpack.config.js
├── public/                    # Public-facing functionality
│   └── class-learnkit-public.php
├── assets/                    # Compiled assets
│   ├── css/
│   └── js/
└── README.md

Custom Post Types

• lk_course: Course content (hierarchical)
• lk_module: Module organization within courses
• lk_lesson: Individual lesson content (uses Gutenberg)

Custom Database Tables

-- Enrollment tracking
wp_lk_enrollments (user_id, course_id, status, enrolled_date, completed_date)

-- Progress tracking
wp_lk_progress (user_id, lesson_id, course_id, completed, completed_date)

-- Certificate management
wp_lk_certificates (user_id, course_id, certificate_code, issued_date)

REST API Endpoints

Namespace: /wp-json/learnkit/v1/

Courses:

• GET /courses - List all courses
• GET /courses/:id - Get single course
• POST /courses - Create course (requires edit_posts)
• PUT /courses/:id - Update course
• DELETE /courses/:id - Delete course

Modules:

• GET /modules - List modules (Sprint 2)

Lessons:

• GET /lessons - List lessons (Sprint 2)

Enrollments:

• GET /enrollments - List enrollments (Sprint 3, admin only)

Progress:

• GET /progress - Get user progress (Sprint 3, authenticated)

React Admin Interface

• Build Tool: @wordpress/scripts (webpack + babel)
• UI Components: @wordpress/components
• State Management: React hooks
• API Integration: WordPress REST API with nonce authentication

Development

Code Quality Tools

# Install dependencies
composer install

# Run PHP Code Sniffer
composer phpcs

# Auto-fix PHP Code Sniffer issues
composer phpcbf

# Run PHP Mess Detector
composer phpmd

# Run all linting tools
composer lint

# Run PHPUnit tests
composer test

The project includes:

• PHPCS: WordPress Coding Standards enforcement
• PHPMD: Code complexity and quality analysis
• PHPUnit: Automated testing suite
• Pre-commit hooks: Automatic code quality checks

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed development workflow.

React Development Workflow

# Navigate to React app
cd admin/react/

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server (hot reload)
npm start

# Build for production
npm run build

# Lint code
npm run lint:js
npm run lint:css

# Format code
npm run format

WordPress Development

The plugin follows WordPress Coding Standards (WPCS):

• PSR-4 Autoloading: Class-based architecture
• Hook System: Loader pattern for actions/filters
• Security: Nonces, capability checks, sanitization, escaping
• Performance: Efficient queries, custom tables for scale
• i18n Ready: All strings translatable

Testing the Plugin

1. Activate plugin in WordPress admin
2. Check database tables:

   SHOW TABLES LIKE 'wp_lk_%';

3. Test REST API:

   curl https://learnkit.lndo.site/wp-json/learnkit/v1/courses

4. Access admin interface:
   • Go to WordPress Admin → LearnKit
   • Should see React app with API connection test

Sprint Roadmap

✅ Sprint 1: Foundation & Plugin Architecture (Complete)

• Plugin structure and activation
• Custom post types (courses, modules, lessons)
• Custom database tables (enrollments, progress, certificates)
• REST API foundation
• React build pipeline
• Admin menu structure

🔄 Sprint 2: Course Builder Basics (Next)

• Course CRUD interface
• Module management
• Lesson management
• Course structure tree view
• Drag-and-drop reordering

📋 Sprint 3: Content Delivery

• Lesson viewer (student-facing)
• Progress tracking
• Module sidebar navigation
• Mark Complete functionality
• Enrollment system

📋 Sprint 4: Student Experience Basics

• Student dashboard
• Course catalog
• Self-enrollment flow
• Certificate generator
• Progress indicators

📋 Sprint 5+: Advanced Features

• Quizzes and assessments
• WooCommerce integration
• Email notifications
• Drip content scheduling
• Reporting and analytics

Code Quality

Security Best Practices

• ✅ Input sanitization (sanitize_text_field, wp_kses_post)
• ✅ Output escaping (esc_html, esc_url, esc_attr)
• ✅ Nonce verification for forms and AJAX
• ✅ Capability checks (current_user_can)
• ✅ Prepared SQL statements ($wpdb->prepare)

Performance Optimizations

• ✅ Custom tables for scalable data (enrollments, progress)
• ✅ Efficient queries (indexed columns)
• ✅ Conditional asset loading (only on relevant pages)
• ✅ Lazy loading for React components (Sprint 2+)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch: git checkout -b feature/my-feature
3. Commit changes: git commit -m "Add feature"
4. Push to branch: git push origin feature/my-feature
5. Submit pull request

Coding Standards

• Follow WordPress Coding Standards
• Use npm run format for JavaScript
• Document all functions with PHPDoc
• Write unit tests for new features (Sprint 2+)

Support

• Documentation: [Coming in Sprint 4]
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Email: james.welbes@gmail.com

License

GPL v2 or later

Credits

Built by James Welbes

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Status: Sprint 1 Complete ✅ | Next: Sprint 2 Course Builder