Mastering AI Driven Development - Lesson 1

⚠️ Disclaimer: This course was recorded in February 2025 Models and features evolve quickly, but these core techniques remain my daily workflow. Join my community for latest updates: https://www.skool.com/prompt-to-prod-9369 Lesson 1 - Setting Up Your Development Environment Code Used in this video: https://github.com/jayminwest/tf-ai-development-lesson01 📚 Resources - [Python Official Site](https://www.python.org/) - [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) - [Aider Documentation](https://aider.chat/) - [Ollama Official Site](https://ollama.com/) 📖 Project Overview Welcome to Lesson 1 of the AI Developer Course. This lesson covers the fundamentals of setting up your development environment and introduces Aider, our AI coding assistant. You'll learn how to: - Install and configure Visual Studio Code (VS Code). - Install Python and manage dependencies using pip. - Set up Aider and initialize a GitHub repository. - Secure your API keys and integrate them into your workflow. --- 📌 Lesson Breakdown 1️⃣ Introduction to the Course - Welcome to AI Agent Developer Course. - Key learning outcomes: AI-assisted development and automation. - Expect fast-paced lessons—take time to digest concepts. 2️⃣ Installing Your IDE (VS Code) - Download Visual Studio Code from the [official website](https://code.visualstudio.com/). - Alternative IDEs are acceptable, but VS Code is recommended. - Follow on-screen installation instructions for your OS. 3️⃣ Installing Python & Pip - Download Python from [python.org/downloads](https://www.python.org/downloads/). - Ensure you install Python 3.12 or later. - Install `pip`, Python’s package manager, using: ```sh python3 -m ensurepip --default-pip python3 -m pip install --upgrade pip ``` - Verify installation: ```sh python3 --version pip --version ``` --- 4️⃣ Installing Aider - Install Aider using pip: ```sh pip install aider-chat ``` - Confirm installation: ```sh aider --help ``` 5️⃣ Setting Up API Keys - AI models like Anthropic Claude (Sonnet 3.5) and OpenAI's GPT require API keys. - Follow provider-specific instructions for obtaining an API key. - Secure keys in a `.env` file: ```sh cp template.env .env nano .env # Add API keys here ``` --- 6️⃣ Initializing Git & Aider - Aider requires Git to track changes. - Initialize a new Git repository: ```sh git init git add . git commit -m "Initial commit" ``` - Start Aider with your preferred AI model: ```sh aider --model=claude-3.5-sonnet ``` - Aider will prompt you to create a GitHub repo— accept and set up tracking. 7️⃣ Understanding Aider’s File Management - Aider automatically generates: - `.gitignore`: Ensures `.env` and sensitive files are ignored. - Chat history logs: Used for reference but not manually edited. - Best practices: - Keep API keys secure in `.env`. - Regularly commit changes with meaningful messages. 8️⃣ Running Your First AI-Assisted Command - Example: Generate a Python Snake game using Aider. ```sh aider "Generate a simple Snake game in Python" ``` - Aider will create a new `.py` file and handle Git commits. - If required, install dependencies like **Pygame**: ```sh pip install pygame ``` - Run the game: ```sh python snake_game.py ``` 9️⃣ Key Takeaways & Next Steps - Aider enhances AI-assisted development—leverage it for automation. - Git tracking ensures project version control. - Keep API keys secure and follow best practices. 🚀 Next Steps - Experiment with Aider’s capabilities in a new project. - Ensure your development environment is fully set up. - Review API documentation for Claude, OpenAI, and DeepSeek. - Proceed to Lesson 2, covering basic Aider commands and project structure. See you in Lesson 02! 🚀 #ai #aiagents #aider #coding #softwaredevelopment #future