feat: update start-exercise workflow to replace README with template message (#21)

* feat: update start-exercise workflow to generate README from template

* fix: update help links in exercise-started README template to be more generic

* feat: add dynamic link to exercise in README template

* Use clearer variable name

* Simplify start message

* fix: update reference in start-exercise workflow to use version v0.2.0

---------

Co-authored-by: Christopher W. Blake <[email protected]>

Author: FidelusAleksander

.github/workflows/start-exercise.yml

@@ -102,35 +102,27 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
-      - name: Deactivate 'Copy Exercise' button
-        run: |
-          # Remove href from 'Copy Exercise' button
-          target='id="copy-exercise"[^>]*href="[^"]*"'
-          replacement='id="copy-exercise"'
-          sed -i "s|$target|$replacement|g" README.md
-
-          # Change color from green to gray
-          target=Copy_Exercise-008000
-          replacement=Copy_Exercise-AAA
-          sed -i "s|$target|$replacement|g" README.md
-
-      - name: Activate 'Start Exercise' button
-        run: |
-          # Add link to issue
-          target='id="start-exercise"'
-          replacement='id="start-exercise" href="../../issues/${{ needs.create_exercise.outputs.issue-number }}"'
-          sed -i "s|$target|$replacement|g" README.md
+      - name: Get response templates
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          repository: skills/exercise-toolkit
+          path: exercise-toolkit
+          ref: v0.2.0
 
-          # Change color from gray to green
-          target=Start_Exercise-AAA
-          replacement=Start_Exercise-008000
-          sed -i "s|$target|$replacement|g" README.md
+      - name: Build welcome message from template
+        id: build-new-readme
+        uses: skills/action-text-variables@v1
+        with:
+          template-file: exercise-toolkit/markdown-templates/readme/exercise-started.md
+          template-vars: |
+            title=${{ inputs.exercise-title }}
+            login=${{ github.actor }}
+            issue_url=${{ needs.create_exercise.outputs.issue-url }}
 
-      - name: Replace relative links
-        run: |
-          target=../../
-          replacement=https://github.com/${{ github.repository }}/
-          sed -i "s|$target|$replacement|g" README.md
+      - name: Overwrite README
+        env:
+          README_TEXT: ${{ steps.build-new-readme.outputs.updated-text }}
+        run: echo "$README_TEXT" > README.md
 
       - name: Commit changes
         uses: EndBug/add-and-commit@v9

markdown-templates/readme/exercise-started.md

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+# {{ title }}
+
+<img src="https://octodex.github.com/images/Professortocat_v2.png" align="right" height="200px" />
+
+Hey **{{ login }}**!
+
+Mona here. I'm done preparing your exercise. Hope you enjoy! 💚
+
+Remember, it's self-paced so feel fee to take a break! ☕️
+ 
+[![](https://img.shields.io/badge/Go%20to%20Exercise-%E2%86%92-1f883d?style=for-the-badge&logo=github&labelColor=197935)]({{{ issue_url }}})
+ 
+---
+
+Get help: [Post in our discussion board](https://github.com/orgs/skills/discussions/categories/) &bull; [Review the GitHub status page](https://www.githubstatus.com/)
+
+&copy; 2025 GitHub &bull; [Code of Conduct](https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct/code_of_conduct.md) &bull; [MIT License](https://gh.io/mit)