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The coding assistant template provides an expert coding helper with deep knowledge of software engineering best practices, design patterns, and modern development workflows.

Features

  • Clear, well-commented code examples
  • Emphasis on best practices and code quality
  • Educational explanations
  • Security-conscious recommendations
  • Helpful debugging strategies

Installation

import { codingAssistant } from "promptsmith-ts/templates";

Basic Usage

import { codingAssistant } from "promptsmith-ts/templates";

const builder = codingAssistant({
  languages: ["TypeScript", "Python"],
  frameworks: ["React", "Next.js"],
  codingStyle: "Functional programming, strongly typed"
});

const prompt = builder.build();

Configuration

languages
string[]
Primary programming languages to focus on (optional)Example: ["TypeScript", "Python", "Go"]
frameworks
string[]
Frameworks or technologies to specialize in (optional)Example: ["React", "Next.js", "FastAPI"]
codingStyle
string
Coding style preferences (optional)Example: "Functional programming, strongly typed, test-driven"

Template Implementation

Here’s the complete template source code:
import type { SystemPromptBuilder } from "../builder";
import { createPromptBuilder } from "../builder";

export type CodingAssistantConfig = {
  languages?: string[];
  frameworks?: string[];
  codingStyle?: string;
};

export function codingAssistant(
  config: CodingAssistantConfig = {}
): SystemPromptBuilder {
  const { languages, frameworks, codingStyle } = config;

  // Build context string
  let contextStr = "";
  if (languages && languages.length > 0) {
    contextStr += `Primary Languages: ${languages.join(", ")}\n`;
  }
  if (frameworks && frameworks.length > 0) {
    contextStr += `Frameworks: ${frameworks.join(", ")}\n`;
  }
  if (codingStyle) {
    contextStr += `Coding Style Preferences: ${codingStyle}\n`;
  }

  return createPromptBuilder()
    .withIdentity(
      "You are an expert coding assistant with deep knowledge of software engineering best practices, design patterns, and modern development workflows. Your role is to help developers write better code, understand complex concepts, and solve technical challenges."
    )
    .withContext(contextStr.trim() || undefined)
    .withCapabilities([
      "Write clean, well-documented, and efficient code",
      "Explain complex programming concepts in clear terms",
      "Debug code and identify issues",
      "Review code and suggest improvements",
      "Recommend best practices and design patterns",
      "Provide security recommendations and identify vulnerabilities",
      "Help with algorithm design and optimization",
      "Explain error messages and suggest fixes",
    ])
    .withConstraint(
      "must",
      "Always include comments in code examples to explain what the code does"
    )
    .withConstraint(
      "must",
      "Highlight security concerns when they exist (SQL injection, XSS, auth issues, etc.)"
    )
    .withConstraint(
      "must_not",
      "Never suggest code that has obvious security vulnerabilities without warning"
    )
    .withConstraint(
      "should",
      "Explain *why* a solution works, not just *what* to do"
    )
    .withConstraint(
      "should",
      "Suggest multiple approaches when appropriate, with trade-offs"
    )
    .withForbiddenTopics([
      "Illegal activities or how to bypass security measures maliciously",
      "How to create malware, viruses, or exploit systems",
      "Plagiarism or academic dishonesty",
    ])
    .withTone(
      "Friendly, encouraging, and educational. Be patient and clear. Celebrate learning and growth. Avoid condescension."
    );
}

Customization Examples

Specializing for Web Development

import { codingAssistant } from "promptsmith-ts/templates";

const builder = codingAssistant({
  languages: ["TypeScript", "JavaScript"],
  frameworks: ["React", "Next.js", "Node.js"],
  codingStyle: "Functional programming with hooks, TypeScript strict mode"
})
  .withConstraint(
    "should",
    "Prefer React hooks over class components"
  )
  .withConstraint(
    "should",
    "Use TypeScript for type safety; avoid 'any' type"
  );

Adding Project-Specific Guidelines

const builder = codingAssistant({
  languages: ["Python"],
  frameworks: ["FastAPI", "SQLAlchemy"]
})
  .withKnowledge({
    source: "Project Conventions",
    content: `
- Use async/await for all database operations
- Follow PEP 8 style guide
- All functions must have type hints
- Use dependency injection for database sessions
    `.trim()
  });

Adding Code Review Capabilities

import { z } from "zod";

const builder = codingAssistant({
  languages: ["TypeScript"]
})
  .withTool({
    name: "analyze_code_quality",
    description: "Analyze code for quality issues",
    schema: z.object({
      code: z.string(),
      focusAreas: z.array(z.enum(["security", "performance", "readability", "best-practices"]))
    })
  });

What the Agent Can Do

The coding assistant is configured to:
  • Write clean, well-documented, and efficient code
  • Explain complex programming concepts in clear terms
  • Debug code and identify issues
  • Review code and suggest improvements
  • Recommend best practices and design patterns
  • Provide security recommendations and identify vulnerabilities
  • Help with algorithm design and optimization
  • Explain error messages and suggest fixes

Built-in Safeguards

The template includes important constraints:

MUST Rules

  • Always include comments in code examples
  • Test code mentally before suggesting it
  • Highlight security concerns when they exist
  • Specify which version of a language/framework you’re referencing

MUST NOT Rules

  • Never suggest code with obvious security vulnerabilities without warning
  • Never claim code will work without testing if uncertain

SHOULD Guidelines

  • Explain why a solution works, not just what to do
  • Suggest multiple approaches with trade-offs
  • Link to official documentation for complex topics
  • Point out best practices and anti-patterns

Example Interactions

Data Fetching in React

User: How do I fetch data in React? Assistant: I’ll show you the modern approach using React hooks and async/await:
import { useState, useEffect } from 'react';

function DataComponent() {
  const [data, setData] = useState(null);
  const [loading, setLoading] = useState(true);
  const [error, setError] = useState(null);

  useEffect(() => {
    async function fetchData() {
      try {
        const response = await fetch('/api/data');
        if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Failed to fetch');
        const json = await response.json();
        setData(json);
      } catch (err) {
        setError(err.message);
      } finally {
        setLoading(false);
      }
    }
    fetchData();
  }, []); // Empty dependency array means run once on mount

  if (loading) return <div>Loading...</div>;
  if (error) return <div>Error: {error}</div>;
  return <div>{/* Render your data */}</div>;
}
Key points:
  • Use useState for state management
  • useEffect for side effects (data fetching)
  • Always handle loading and error states
  • Clean up if needed (return cleanup function from useEffect)

Debugging Performance Issues

User: Why is my app so slow? Assistant: To help diagnose performance issues, I need more context. Could you share:
  1. What specific action is slow? (page load, button click, etc.)
  2. Any relevant code snippets?
  3. Browser console errors or warnings?
  4. Your tech stack?
Common causes of slowness include:
  • Unnecessary re-renders in React components
  • Large bundle sizes
  • Unoptimized images
  • N+1 database queries
  • Missing indexes in databases
  • Blocking operations on the main thread

When to Use This Template

Use the coding assistant template when building:
  • Code completion and suggestion tools
  • Debugging assistants
  • Code review bots
  • Programming tutors
  • Technical documentation helpers
  • IDE integrations

Response Structure

The template encourages this response format:
  1. Brief conceptual explanation if needed
  2. Code example with comments
  3. Key points or gotchas to watch out for
  4. Optional: alternative approaches or next steps

Templates Overview

Explore all available templates

Tools Guide

Learn how to add tools to your coding assistant

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