Mastering AI Driven Development - Lesson 2

⚠️ RECORDED: 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 GitHub Repository for this lesson: https://github.com/jayminwest/tf-ai-development-lesson02 Lesson 2 - Basic Commands & Getting Started with Aider Project Overview Welcome to Lesson 2 in the TandemFlow's AI development course. This lesson covers basic commands and project setup for working with Aider, a command-line AI assistant. You'll learn how to: - Clone a repository and set up an environment. - Manage context using Aider's command set. - Utilize Aider to generate and modify code efficiently. - Use Aider for version control with Git commands. - Build a simple Python project that fetches Wikipedia articles. Lesson Breakdown 1. Cloning the Repository & Setting Up the Environment (00:00:11:18 - 00:00:42:17) - Navigate to the GitHub page and copy the repository link. - Open a terminal and run: git clone [repo_link] - Open the cloned folder in your IDE. - Locate the template.env file. Your previous .env settings won't carry over. - Create a new .env file and add the necessary API keys. 2. Understanding Aider's Context Management (00:01:21:10 - 00:02:22:09) - Aider is a tool, not a replacement—it helps speed up development. - Too much or too little context affects performance. - Core context commands: - /add [filename] → Adds a file to Aider's context. - /drop [filename] → Removes a file from the chat session. - /clear → Clears conversation history. - /reset → Completely resets Aider. - /readonly [filename] → Adds a file as read-only. 3. Adding & Managing Files in Aider (00:02:41:11 - 00:03:52:07) - Example: Adding WikipediaFetcher.py to the chat using: /add WikipediaFetcher.py - Example: Dropping all files from chat: /drop all - Read-only mode allows Aider to reference files without modifying them. 4. Building a Simple Wikipedia Fetcher (00:06:14:21 - 00:07:35:00) - A Python script that fetches Wikipedia articles and saves them as Markdown. - Running the program: /run python WikipediaFetcher.py "Python_(programming_language)" - This saves the raw Wikipedia article text into a .md file. 5. Aider & Git Version Control (00:08:03:21 - 00:08:59:15) - Undo changes: /undo - Using Git commands inside Aider: /git add . /git commit -m "Added WikipediaFetcher.py" 6. Advanced Aider Commands (00:09:13:06 - 00:11:02:12) - Asking questions about the project: /ask "What is the error message when an article isn't found?" - Getting help on Aider commands: /help "How do I add a file to the chat?" - Aider provides explanations in plain English, making it useful for beginners. 7. Next Steps & Lesson 3 Preview (00:11:32:20 - 00:12:37:10) - Practice using /add, /drop, /reset, /run, and /undo. - Lesson 3 will introduce: - Data analysis with Wikipedia fetcher. - Handling multiple files. - Advanced AI prompting techniques. Action Item: Try replicating this project to reinforce these commands before proceeding to Lesson 3! Conclusion By completing this lesson, you now understand how to: - Set up a project with Aider. - Manage context efficiently. - Utilize Aider for coding, file management, and Git version control. - Build a simple project using AI-driven development. Practice and experiment with Aider's commands to improve your proficiency! See you in Lesson 3!