Session 1: Introduction to Cursor IDE for Web Development

Objectives:

• Understanding Cursor IDE and its advantages for web development
• Setting up your development environment
• Exploring the AI-assisted coding features
• Understanding the basic workflow and keyboard shortcuts

Key Features of Cursor IDE:

• AI Code Completion - Get intelligent code suggestions as you type
• Chat with AI - Ask questions about your code directly in the editor
• Code Explanation - Get detailed explanations of complex code
• Automated Refactoring - Improve code quality with AI suggestions
• VS Code Compatibility - Use your favorite VS Code extensions

Setting Up Your First Project:

# Clone a starter repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/web-starter-project.git

# Open the project in Cursor
cd web-starter-project
cursor .

# Install dependencies 
npm install
          

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts:

Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P - Command Palette (access all commands)
Cmd/Ctrl + / - Toggle AI Chat
Cmd/Ctrl + I - Get AI explanation for selected code
Cmd/Ctrl + K - Quick file navigation
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F - Search across all files
Cmd/Ctrl + J - Toggle terminal
          

Session 2: Implementation: Interactive Web Development with Cursor IDE

Objectives:

• Building a responsive web application with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Using Cursor's AI features to accelerate development
• Implementing interactive UI components
• Debugging techniques in Cursor IDE

Project Structure:

web-project/
  ├── index.html
  ├── css/
  │   └── styles.css
  ├── js/
  │   ├── app.js
  │   └── components.js
  └── assets/
      └── images/
          

Creating Responsive Layouts with AI Assistance:

Let's build a responsive navigation menu with Cursor's AI suggestions:

/* styles.css */
.nav-container {
  display: flex;
  justify-content: space-between;
  align-items: center;
  padding: 1rem 2rem;
  background-color: #2c3e50;
}

.nav-links {
  display: flex;
  gap: 1.5rem;
}

.nav-links a {
  color: white;
  text-decoration: none;
  font-weight: 500;
  transition: color 0.3s;
}

.nav-links a:hover {
  color: #3498db;
}

/* Use Cursor AI to generate responsive styles */
@media (max-width: 768px) {
  .nav-container {
    flex-direction: column;
    padding: 1rem;
  }
  
  .nav-links {
    margin-top: 1rem;
    width: 100%;
    justify-content: space-between;
  }
}
          

Implementing Interactive Features:

// components.js
class TabPanel {
  constructor(container) {
    this.container = document.querySelector(container);
    this.tabs = this.container.querySelectorAll('.tab');
    this.panels = this.container.querySelectorAll('.panel');
    this.bindEvents();
  }
  
  bindEvents() {
    this.tabs.forEach(tab => {
      tab.addEventListener('click', () => {
        // Use Cursor AI to help implement tab switching logic
        this.tabs.forEach(t => t.classList.remove('active'));
        tab.classList.add('active');
        
        const targetPanel = this.container.querySelector(tab.dataset.target);
        this.panels.forEach(panel => panel.classList.remove('active'));
        targetPanel.classList.add('active');
      });
    });
  }
}

// Initialize components
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
  const tabPanel = new TabPanel('#feature-tabs');
});
          

Using AI to Debug Issues:

When you encounter a bug, select the problematic code and press Cmd/Ctrl + I to get an explanation and potential fixes from the AI assistant.

Session 3: Practice and Review: Interactive Web Development with Cursor IDE

Objectives:

• Building a complete web project from scratch
• Implementing advanced UI patterns and animations
• Optimizing code with AI refactoring suggestions
• Code review and best practices

Advanced Cursor IDE Features:

• AI-Powered Code Reviews - Get feedback on your code quality
• Automated Documentation - Generate documentation comments
• Performance Suggestions - Identify and fix performance bottlenecks
• Accessibility Checks - Ensure your web app is accessible

Creating Animations with AI Assistance:

/* animations.css */
.fade-in {
  opacity: 0;
  animation: fadeIn 0.5s ease-in forwards;
}

@keyframes fadeIn {
  from { opacity: 0; transform: translateY(20px); }
  to { opacity: 1; transform: translateY(0); }
}

/* Ask Cursor AI to generate more animations */
.slide-in-right {
  transform: translateX(100%);
  animation: slideInRight 0.6s ease-out forwards;
}

@keyframes slideInRight {
  from { transform: translateX(100%); opacity: 0; }
  to { transform: translateX(0); opacity: 1; }
}
          

Implementing a Data Dashboard:

// dashboard.js
class Dashboard {
  constructor(config) {
    this.dataUrl = config.dataUrl;
    this.container = document.querySelector(config.container);
    this.charts = [];
    this.fetchData();
  }
  
  async fetchData() {
    try {
      const response = await fetch(this.dataUrl);
      if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Data fetch failed');
      
      const data = await response.json();
      this.renderDashboard(data);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Dashboard error:', error);
      this.container.innerHTML = `
Failed to load dashboard data
`;
    }
  }
  
  renderDashboard(data) {
    // Use Cursor AI to help generate visualization code
    const metrics = `
      

        

          
Total Users
          
${data.totalUsers.toLocaleString()}
          

            ${Math.abs(data.userGrowth)}% ${data.userGrowth > 0 ? '↑' : '↓'}
          
        
        
      
    `;
    
    this.container.innerHTML = metrics;
    this.initCharts(data);
  }
  
  initCharts(data) {
    // Chart implementation with Chart.js or similar library
    // This would be assisted by Cursor AI
  }
}

// Initialize dashboard
new Dashboard({
  container: '#dashboard',
  dataUrl: '/api/dashboard-data'
});
          

Performance Optimization:

Use Cursor AI to identify performance issues in your code:

1. Select a section of code you want to optimize
2. Press Cmd/Ctrl + / to open the AI chat
3. Ask: "How can I optimize this code for better performance?"
4. Implement the AI's suggestions