Quest 06 · Developers
The Smithy's Apprentice
How to ask an AI for code, and how to check the code you get
- Time
- 6 min
- Max XP
- 100
- Skill earned
- Writing · reviewing code with AI
1 / 50 XP
The smithy ledger
Client
I run the smithy. I add up order totals by hand and get them wrong far too often. Could you make a Python function that calculates the total?
Client
Each item in an order has a price in cents and a quantity, and regular customers get a coupon for 0 to 50% off. Anything below one cent is rounded to the nearest cent, with half a cent rounding up.
Hanna
The developer requests start here. Code is a request too. Everything you learned in request 1 still applies.
Summary
What this request teaches
If the code an AI wrote works on one example, are you done? Through the smithy's order ledger, learn what to give when you ask for code, how to check it with tests, and how to point at exactly what to fix.
Show the key points (best read after finishing the request)
- Code is a request too. Give the language and version, the shape of input and output, the rules, and the error handling.
- Ask for tests along with the code. What the code must keep to stays behind as code.
- Passing a few examples does not make code correct. Run it yourself with edge values and real data.
- When you find a bug, add a failing test first, then ask for a fix with the expected result and what to keep.
- Do not take large code in one go; hand work over in pieces you can read and understand. Do not put in code you do not understand.
- Check your policy before pasting API keys, passwords, or private company code into an outside AI service (request 3).
Try it yourself
Pick a function you wrote recently (with secrets removed) and paste it into an AI with the request below. Actually running the tests you get is part of the exercise.
Write tests for the [language] function below. - Include at least one each of normal input, empty input, edge values, and invalid input. - Add one line per test saying what it checks. - If you think there is an input where this function could be wrong, tell me separately. [paste the function here]