[TASK] Create Developer Onboarding Guide for Next.js with dotCMS Universal Visual Editor
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@fmontes is already working on this.
Since Nov 14, 2025.
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Description
Description
Create comprehensive developer onboarding documentation that guides developers through building a Next.js application integrated with dotCMS and the Universal Visual Editor (UVE).
The guide will be an 8-step tutorial covering:
- Setting up Next.js with TypeScript and Tailwind CSS
- Installing and configuring dotCMS SDK packages
- Authenticating with dotCMS using API keys
- Fetching and rendering dotCMS content
- Mapping dotCMS content types to React components
- Configuring the Universal Visual Editor
- Editing content visually in real-time
- Next steps and additional resources
Acceptance Criteria
- Complete 8-step tutorial with code examples for each step
- Step 1: Set up Next.js app with verification steps
- Step 2: Install dotCMS libraries (@dotcms/client, @dotcms/react, @dotcms/types)
- Step 3: Authentication setup with API key creation and environment variables
- Step 4: Fetch and display content from dotCMS as JSON
- Step 5: Render content with DotCMSLayoutBody and Banner component
- Step 6: Configure Universal Visual Editor in dotCMS
- Step 7: Demonstrate visual editing capabilities
- Step 8: Provide next steps and learning resources
- Include troubleshooting sections for common issues
- All code examples are complete and tested
- Prerequisites and verification steps included for each step
Additional Context
Target Environment:
- Uses
minstarter.dotcms.comas the default dotCMS instance - Next.js with App Router, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS
- Node.js v18 or higher
Key Components:
- Banner component as the primary example
- Demonstrates server/client component separation
- Component mapping pattern for content type integration
This onboarding guide is critical for reducing time-to-first-render and demonstrating the core value of dotCMS as a headless CMS with visual editing capabilities.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Assessment
This issue has not been assessed yet.