Building a Google Docs Clone with Firebase and Vanilla JavaScript
Introduction
In this tutorial, we’ll create a simplified version of Google Docs using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript without a framework. We’ll utilize Firebase Cloud Firestore, a flexible and easy-to-use database for mobile, web, and server development.
Structuring a Firestore Database
To begin, let’s structure a Cloud Firestore Database. We’ll create a new Firebase project and configure Google Analytics. Then, we’ll create a collection called “Docs” with fields for the user’s name, content, created timestamp, and updated timestamp. Each document will have a unique identifier generated from an authenticated user.
Enabling Firebase Google Authentication
Next, we’ll enable Firebase Google Authentication in our Firebase project. This will allow users to sign in with their Google accounts. We’ll add Firebase to our project, register the app, and copy the project config.
Project Setup
Now, let’s set up our project files. We’ll create files for signup.html, signup.css, firebase.js, and code.auth.js. We’ll add Firebase to our project and implement Google authentication.
Creating a Basic Text Editor
We’ll create a basic text editor that allows users to type and edit text. We’ll use the contenteditable attribute to turn a div into an editable text field. Then, we’ll implement text formatting features like bold, italic, text alignment, and more.
Implementing Text Formatting
We’ll create functions to implement text formatting features. For example, the bold function will format highlighted text as bold. We’ll also implement functions for italic, unordered lists, ordered lists, and more.
Saving a User Document to Cloud Firestore
When a user creates a document, we’ll save it to Cloud Firestore. We’ll listen to the editable div and get the value as the user types. Then, we’ll use the Firebase set() method to save the document to Cloud Firestore.
Retrieving a User’s Document from Cloud Firestore
To retrieve a user’s document, we’ll implement a dashboard page with a button that takes the user to the editor page. We’ll query Firestore using a collection reference and loop through the object to display the actual data.
Online and Offline Editing
Finally, we’ll implement online and offline editing. We’ll use the navigator.online property to check if the user is online or offline. If the user is online, we’ll send the document to Cloud Firestore. If the user is offline, we’ll save the document to local storage.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we’ve learned how to create a basic text editor using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript without a framework. We’ve structured a Cloud Firestore database, implemented Firebase Google authentication, and integrated online and offline editing.