This guide starts with Codex installed and an otherwise ordinary computer. We are going to make a slide deck that behaves like a website, with movement, keyboard controls, and something the audience can click.
Open an empty folder
In Codex, choose Open folder. Create a folder named first-deck, select it, and open it. Start a new task and make sure first-deck is the folder shown for the task.
Paste this message into Codex:
I'm new to coding and this is my first project. I want to make an interactive slide deck that runs in a web browser.
Please check whether this computer has the version of Node.js that Astro needs and the tools needed for a simple Astro website. If Node.js is missing, use an official source and ask before making any system-level changes. If you cannot install it yourself, walk me through the smallest official installation.
Create the smallest useful Astro project in this folder. Add a project action called "Preview" that starts the site. Use that action now and open the starter page in Codex's browser.
Keep the project minimal. Do not add another tool unless it is necessary, and explain why before adding it.
Codex's reply will probably not match this guide word for word. It may ask a question or pause for permission. Follow one request at a time and judge the result by the checkpoint below, not by whether Codex uses the same words.
It is normal for Codex to create several files inside first-deck. It should ask before installing anything elsewhere on the computer. If Node.js is missing, the installation should come from nodejs.org. If Codex shows a command or website you do not recognize, ask: "What will this change, and why is it needed?" It is fine to stop before approving it.
Turn the starter page into a deck
Now that one page is running, give Codex the real brief. This prompt describes the audience and the result without telling Codex how to write the code.
Turn this starter page into a six-slide presentation about starting a neighborhood repair cafe.
The audience is a small group of neighbors. The goal is to find five people who will help organize the first event.
Make every slide fill the browser window. Add Previous and Next buttons, arrow-key navigation, a progress indicator, and a Full screen button.
On slide four, let people choose skills they could bring: bikes, sewing, electronics, tools, or welcoming people. As they choose, assemble a visible "first repair crew" on the slide. The interaction should help recruit organizers, not feel like a separate demo.
Keep the writing short and the design warm rather than corporate. Open the finished version in the browser so I can try it.
Use the preview loop
This is the useful habit you are setting up, and it works for more than presentations.
Click the Preview action to run the project.
Open the local link in Codex's browser.
Click through the deck and notice where your attention drops.
Describe one change, then look again.
If your version of Codex lets you leave comments directly on the browser preview, point at the part that feels wrong and ask Codex to address that comment. If not, the slide number and a plain description work just as well.
Try these one at a time. Return to the browser after each reply:
The opening feels timid. Make it more confident without adding more words.
Slide four is crowded on my screen. Give the interaction more room and cut anything it does not need.
The movement between slides is a little distracting. Make it quieter.
If the browser does not change, ask: "Make sure I am viewing the latest preview, then reopen it."
Check it and present it
When the deck feels right, send one final message:
Check the complete deck before we finish.
Confirm that:
- all six slides are reachable
- the buttons and arrow keys change slides
- the progress indicator changes with the slide
- the repair-crew interaction works with a mouse and keyboard
- no text is cut off on a laptop or phone-sized screen
- reduced-motion settings are respected
Fix any problems you find. Then use the Preview action to reopen the finished deck in my browser and tell me exactly how to open it again later.
To present, click Preview, open the deck, and use its Full screen button. Move through the slides with the arrow keys. Press Escape when you want to leave full screen.
When you come back another day, open first-deck in Codex and say: "Open the deck in the browser so I can present it."
Try the version you are slightly afraid of
This walkthrough works with Codex alone. If you use Keepsake, take a snapshot when the deck first feels good. Then ask Codex for the bolder version you are worried might ruin it. If the experiment falls flat, the version you liked is still there.
Keepsake