🔧 Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them.

Student Issues

Work not saving

Symptom: Typed work disappears after refresh.

Solution:

  1. Work auto-saves every 5 seconds - wait a moment
  2. Check if browser allows localStorage (Settings → Privacy)
  3. Don't use incognito/private mode
  4. Try a different browser

Submit button not working

Symptom: Clicking Submit does nothing.

Solution:

  1. Make sure all reflection questions are filled in
  2. Check word count meets minimum (if applicable)
  3. Refresh the page and try again
  4. Check browser console for JavaScript errors

Drawing not appearing

Symptom: Canvas is blank or drawings don't show.

Solution:

  1. Make sure you're in "Draw" mode (not Erase)
  2. Check that a color is selected
  3. Try refreshing the page
  4. Use Chrome or Edge (best canvas support)

Teacher Issues

Wrong PIN / Can't log in

Symptom: PIN rejected or forgot PIN.

Solution:

  1. Default PIN is 1234
  2. Check if Caps Lock is off
  3. To reset: Open browser console (F12), type:
    localStorage.removeItem('teacherPin')
  4. Refresh and use default PIN

Submissions not appearing

Symptom: Pending tab is empty but Lucas submitted work.

Solution:

  1. Refresh the page (F5)
  2. Check the "All" tab to see all submissions
  3. Verify Lucas actually clicked Submit (check his notifications)
  4. Check browser console for errors

Grade not saving

Symptom: Click "Give Final Grade" but nothing happens.

Solution:

  1. Make sure a grade is selected from dropdown
  2. Check browser console for errors
  3. Try refreshing and grading again

Badge counts wrong

Symptom: Tab badges show incorrect numbers.

Solution:

  1. Refresh the page (F5)
  2. Badges update automatically after actions

Curriculum Calendar Issues

"Unable to load calendar data"

Symptom: Calendar page shows error.

Solution:

  1. Start the server: npm start in Personal-Productivity folder
  2. Check server is running on port 3000
  3. Test API: visit http://localhost:3000/api/health
  4. Check database connection in .env.local

Port 3000 already in use

Symptom: Server won't start, port conflict.

Solution:

taskkill /F /IM node.exe
npm start

No assignments showing

Symptom: Week loads but days are empty.

Solution:

  1. Check that week has assignments in database
  2. Verify database seed scripts ran correctly
  3. Check browser console for API errors

Data Issues

Reset all data (nuclear option)

Warning: This deletes ALL submissions, drafts, and settings!

// In browser console (F12)
localStorage.clear()
location.reload()

Export data for backup

// In browser console
console.log(JSON.stringify(localStorage, null, 2))

Copy the output and save to a file.

View specific data

// Submissions
JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('studentSubmissions'))

// Student notifications
JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('userNotifications'))

// Teacher notifications
JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('teacherNotifications'))

// Drafts
JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('assignmentDrafts'))

Browser Issues

Page looks broken

Solution:

  1. Hard refresh: Ctrl + Shift + R
  2. Clear browser cache
  3. Try a different browser
  4. Check all CSS files loaded (Network tab in DevTools)

JavaScript not working

Solution:

  1. Check browser console (F12) for errors
  2. Ensure JavaScript is enabled in browser
  3. Disable browser extensions that might interfere
  4. Check all script files loaded (Network tab)

Recommended browsers

  • Best: Chrome, Edge
  • Good: Firefox
  • Not tested: Safari, Internet Explorer

Getting More Help

If these solutions don't work:

  1. Check browser console (F12 → Console tab) for error messages
  2. Take a screenshot of any error
  3. Note what you were doing when the problem happened
  4. Ask Claude Chat for help with the specific error message