60 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
60 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
# AI Code Exploration Exercise
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A small C# application in the Active Record style, for practicing using coding agents to explore unfamiliar codebases.
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## What this is
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The `src/Before/` folder contains a small domain model (Client, Order) backed by a fake EF Core `DbContext`. The `src/Before.Console/` project is a demo console app that seeds data and queries it.
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**You do not need to read or understand the code before starting.** The point is to use a coding agent to produce diagrams that reveal the structure and behavior.
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## Prerequisites
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- A coding agent with access to this repo (Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.)
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- .NET SDK 10.0 (to build and run)
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- `mmdc` CLI for Mermaid rendering, or IDE Mermaid preview
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## Setup
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1. Clone this repo
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2. Open `ai-code-exploration.sln` in your IDE
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3. Build to verify everything compiles:
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```
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dotnet build
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```
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4. On windows: npm install @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli (global install failed)
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5. Verify mermaid runs
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```
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./node-modules/.bin/mmdc
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```
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## Tasks
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Use a coding agent to create diagrams of this codebase. Start broad, then iterate with follow-up prompts to refine.
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### Task 1: Class diagram (sanity check)
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Prompt your agent to create a **class diagram** of the classes in `src/Before/` using Mermaid. Iterate until you're satisfied it captures the structure accurately.
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**What to check:** Are the inheritance relationships correct? Are the associations (Client → Orders, Order → Client) visible? Is the DbContext leak (domain objects reaching persistence) shown?
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### Task 2: Sequence diagram — happy path
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Prompt your agent to create a **sequence diagram** for the flow when `Client.FindByName("Jane Doe")` is called.
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### Task 3: Sequence diagram — exception path
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Prompt your agent to create a **sequence diagram** for `Client.FindByNameRequired("Nobody")` — when the client is not found. What interactions differ from the happy path? Where is `ObjectNotFoundException` thrown?
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### Task 4 (stretch): Full initialization flow
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From `Program.cs` (the Console entry point), trace how the database gets initialized and what interactions happen on `Client` and `Order` entities. Include the exception flow from Task 3. This will be a larger diagram — iterate and simplify as needed.
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## Tips
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- **Start broad, then refine:** "Draw me a class diagram of src/Before/" is enough to start.
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- **Iterate on the prompt:** If the first diagram is missing something, ask the agent to add it. You don't need to write Mermaid syntax.
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- **Validate:** Use `mmdc` to check syntax, visually check the diagram against the code.
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- **The skill is directing the agent,** not writing diagrams by hand.
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