PathMX is a method for organizing knowledge so people and agents can read, connect, and revise it together: write Markdown, name each file's role, and link the files into meaningful paths.
The method works with a folder, a text editor, and ordinary file tools. The PathMX framework builds on those conventions to publish interactive sites.
Keep the authored content in readable Markdown files. Use headings, paragraphs, lists, code, and links to express the material directly. Add metadata when it helps describe or organize the content.
Keep the files in version control so authors can review changes, compare versions, and recover earlier work. People and agents work on the same source.
Within a page, group related explanations and activities into meaningful Blocks.
Name a file for both its subject and its role. A directory listing should help readers decide what to open before they read the contents.
workshop/
├── index.md
├── color.lesson.md
├── contrast.lab.md
└── contrast.rubric.md
Here, lesson, lab, and rubric describe roles in a workshop. Another project
might use session, speaker, and venue. Choose a vocabulary that fits the
domain and use it consistently.
The framework reads the last dotted segment before .md as the
Source type. A filename such as index.md
uses the default page type.
Link related documents where the relationship matters. Links let readers follow a sequence, find background, or choose a different route through the material. They also give an agent context for the document it is editing.
For example, color.lesson.md can end with:
Practice with the [contrast lab](./contrast.lab.md).
Use the [rubric](./contrast.rubric.md) to check your work.
A workshop overview can link these same files in a recommended order. An experienced reader can go straight to the lab. The links support several paths through shared material.
Use descriptive link text and relative paths to exact files. See Links for the framework's link syntax.
Start with a small set of files that expresses the purpose of the project. Write down its goals, conventions, and a useful example. As the collection grows, keep related context connected through links.
When working with an agent, point it to those goals and examples, ask for a specific change, and review the result in the source. In a course, that could mean adapting a lab to a learner's interests while preserving its outcomes and rubric. The author guides the work and decides what to publish.
This approach was pioneered by Mark Johnson through his classroom teaching at Furman University. Read more about its classroom use in Toward True Differentiated Instruction with PathMX and Curriculum as Code, coauthored with Chris Alvin.
The framework turns these files into pages, indexes their types and links, and adds capabilities through Plugins. Blocks organize a page; Player offers Focus and Slides; components add reusable interfaces. These tools work with the same authored files.