How I Use CKEditor to Show I Can Learn Any Tool — and So Can You

[Lomanu4]

When you're trying to break into tech, especially after a bootcamp, you're often told to “show your work.” But what if your best skill is learning new tools quickly?

That doesn’t always show up in a GitHub repo or code challenge.
So here’s how I solved that problem, and how you can, too.

The Backstory: More Than Just Code


During a recent job interview, I shared that I had integrated CKEditor 5 into my portfolio. The interviewer lit up.

Not because of the tool itself, but because it demonstrated three things:

• I could understand a product’s documentation
• I could configure and troubleshoot a live integration
• I could think like a developer and a user

That’s when I realized: learning to use a tool well is a project.

You just have to tell the story.

? Why CKEditor?

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is a rich text editor with serious flexibility — great for custom UIs, WYSIWYG editors, and forms where formatting matters.

(WYSIWYG stands for “What You See Is What You Get” — it means users can style text visually, like in Word or Google Docs, without writing HTML.)

I used it in my portfolio contact form to let visitors leave styled messages.

?️ My CKEditor Integration Story


I wanted my contact form to reflect who I am: thoughtful, clear, and ready to collaborate.

Instead of a plain <textarea>, I added a rich-text editor using CKEditor.

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Here’s how I did:

Step-by-step:


1. Use the CKEditor Builder

I started with the

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, selecting the plugins I wanted (emoji, alignment, special characters, etc.).

2. Create the HTML form

I built a basic contact form with a #contactForm ID and included a <div id="editor"></div> element where CKEditor would be mounted. I also added a hidden input to store the editor’s content.

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3. Copy the generated config and connect

The builder gives you the full configuration code. I pasted it into my JavaScript file and connected CKEditor to the form using .getData() to retrieve the message on submit.


window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
ClassicEditor
.create(document.querySelector('#editor'), editorConfig)
.then(instance => {
editor = instance; // Assign instance to global variable
})
.catch(error => {
console.error('CKEditor initialization error:', error);
});
});

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
const form = document.getElementById('contactForm');
const formMessage = document.getElementById('formMessage');
const messageInput = document.getElementById('message-content');

form.addEventListener('submit', function (e) {
e.preventDefault();

// Get CKEditor content (assumes CKEditor is assigned to a global variable `editor`)
messageInput.value = editor.getData();

// Gather form data
const formData = {
name: document.getElementById('name').value,
email: document.getElementById('email').value,
message: messageInput.value
};

// Log form data to the console
console.log("? Form Submitted:", formData);

// Show thank you message to the user
formMessage.textContent = " Thank you for your message! I'll get back to you soon.";

// Clear form and editor
form.reset();
editor.setData('');
});
});

4. Add polish

I added a thank-you message, emoji support, and smart link handling with decorators like downloadable.

5. Tell the story — especially in interviews

When I shared this CKEditor integration during a job interview, I didn’t just say “I used a rich-text editor.”

I explained why I picked it, what it added to the user experience, and how I customized it.

That context made it memorable. It showed me that I could not only use a tool but also consider its impact.

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? Lessons for Bootcampers


If you’re trying to show off your tool skills, here’s what I recommend:

• Pick one real-world dev tool (Stripe, Auth0, Firebase, CKEditor, etc.)
• Use it for a functional purpose — not just a tutorial
• Document your process clearly (in a blog or project README)
• Explain the *why* — what did it solve for you?

? Your Turn


Have you integrated a third-party tool into your project recently?

Drop your link or tell me what you learned in the comments — I’d love to see how you tell your story.

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