labhelper/AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md - AI Coding Agent Guidelines

This document provides guidelines for AI coding agents working in the labhelper repository.

Project Overview

• Type: Django web application
• Python: 3.13.7
• Django: 5.2.9
• Database: SQLite (development)
• Virtual Environment: .venv/

Build/Run Commands

Development Server

python manage.py runserver              # Start dev server on port 8000
python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000 # Bind to all interfaces

Database Operations

python manage.py makemigrations         # Create migration files
python manage.py makemigrations boxes   # Create migrations for specific app
python manage.py migrate                # Apply all migrations
python manage.py showmigrations         # List migration status

Testing

# Run all tests
python manage.py test

# Run tests for a specific app
python manage.py test boxes

# Run a specific test class
python manage.py test boxes.tests.TestClassName

# Run a single test method
python manage.py test boxes.tests.TestClassName.test_method_name

# Run tests with verbosity
python manage.py test -v 2

# Run tests with coverage
coverage run manage.py test
coverage report
coverage html  # Generate HTML report

Django Shell

python manage.py shell                  # Interactive Django shell
python manage.py createsuperuser        # Create admin user
python manage.py collectstatic          # Collect static files

Production

gunicorn labhelper.wsgi:application     # Run with Gunicorn

Code Style Guidelines

Python Style

• Follow PEP 8 conventions
• Use 4-space indentation (no tabs)
• Maximum line length: 79 characters (PEP 8 standard)
• Use single quotes for strings: 'string'
• Use double quotes for docstrings: """Docstring."""

Import Order

Organize imports in this order, with blank lines between groups:

# 1. Standard library imports
import os
import sys
from pathlib import Path

# 2. Django imports
from django.db import models
from django.contrib import admin
from django.shortcuts import render, redirect
from django.http import HttpResponse, JsonResponse

# 3. Third-party imports
import requests
from markdown import markdown

# 4. Local application imports
from .models import MyModel
from .forms import MyForm

Naming Conventions

Type	Convention	Example
Modules	lowercase_with_underscores	user_profile.py
Classes	PascalCase	UserProfile
Functions	lowercase_with_underscores	get_user_data()
Constants	UPPERCASE_WITH_UNDERSCORES	MAX_CONNECTIONS
Variables	lowercase_with_underscores	user_count
Django Models	PascalCase (singular)	Box, UserProfile
Django Apps	lowercase (short)	boxes, users

Django-Specific Conventions

Models:

from django.db import models

class Box(models.Model):
    """A storage box in the lab."""
    
    name = models.CharField(max_length=255)
    created_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now_add=True)
    updated_at = models.DateTimeField(auto_now=True)

    class Meta:
        verbose_name_plural = 'boxes'
        ordering = ['-created_at']

    def __str__(self):
        return self.name

Views:

from django.shortcuts import render, get_object_or_404
from django.http import Http404

def box_detail(request, box_id):
    """Display details for a specific box."""
    box = get_object_or_404(Box, pk=box_id)
    return render(request, 'boxes/detail.html', {'box': box})

Error Handling

# Use specific exceptions
try:
    result = some_operation()
except SpecificError as exc:
    raise CustomError('Descriptive message') from exc

# Django: Use get_object_or_404 for model lookups
box = get_object_or_404(Box, pk=box_id)

# Log errors appropriately
import logging
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
logger.error('Error message: %s', error_detail)

Type Hints (Recommended)

from typing import Optional
from django.http import HttpRequest, HttpResponse

def get_box(request: HttpRequest, box_id: int) -> HttpResponse:
    """Retrieve a box by ID."""
    ...

Project Structure

labhelper/
├── manage.py               # Django CLI entry point
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── labhelper/              # Project configuration
│   ├── settings.py         # Django settings
│   ├── urls.py             # Root URL routing
│   ├── wsgi.py             # WSGI application
│   └── asgi.py             # ASGI application
└── boxes/                  # Django app
    ├── admin.py            # Admin configuration
    ├── apps.py             # App configuration
    ├── models.py           # Data models
    ├── views.py            # View functions
    ├── tests.py            # Test cases
    ├── migrations/         # Database migrations
    └── templates/          # HTML templates

Available Django Extensions

The project includes these pre-installed packages:

• django-mptt: Tree structures (categories, hierarchies)
• django-mptt-admin: Admin interface for MPTT models
• django-admin-sortable2: Drag-and-drop ordering in admin
• django-nested-admin: Nested inline forms in admin
• django-nested-inline: Additional nested inline support
• django-revproxy: Reverse proxy functionality
• sorl-thumbnail: Image thumbnailing
• Font Awesome: Icon library (loaded via CDN)
• jQuery: JavaScript library (loaded via CDN)

Frontend/CSS Guidelines

Base Template

The project uses a base template system at labhelper/templates/base.html. All page templates should extend this base:

{% extends "base.html" %}

{% block title %}Page Title - LabHelper{% endblock %}

{% block page_header %}
<!-- Optional page header with breadcrumbs -->
{% endblock %}

{% block content %}
<!-- Main page content -->
{% endblock %}

{% block extra_css %}{% endblock %}
{% block extra_js %}{% endblock %}

Design System

Color Scheme:

• Primary gradient: #667eea (purple) to #764ba2 (purple-blue)
• Success: Green gradient
• Error: Red gradient
• Background: Light gray #f5f5f5 with gradient overlays
• Cards: White with subtle shadows

Components:

• Navigation: Glassmorphism effect with blur backdrop
• Buttons: Gradient backgrounds with hover lift effect
• Cards: White with rounded corners and box shadows
• Tables: Gradient headers with hover row effects
• Alerts: Gradient backgrounds with icons
• Form Inputs: Focused states with color transitions

Typography:

• System fonts: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, sans-serif
• Headings: Bold, colored
• Body: Regular, dark gray

Icons:

• Font Awesome 6.5.1 (CDN)
• Use semantic icons for actions
• Color: Match context or inherit from parent

Responsive Design:

• Mobile-first approach
• Grid layouts with repeat(auto-fill, minmax(250px, 1fr))
• Flexbox for component layouts
• Breakpoints handled by grid and flex-wrap

CSS Guidelines

Naming:

• Use descriptive class names
• BEM pattern encouraged for complex components
• Inline styles allowed for template-specific styling

Styles:

• Use base template styles when possible
• Template-specific styles in {% block extra_css %}
• JavaScript in {% block extra_js %}
• Smooth transitions (0.2s - 0.3s)
• Hover effects with transform and box-shadow

jQuery Usage:

• Loaded in base template
• Use for interactive elements (toggles, hovers)
• Event delegation for dynamically added elements
• Focus/blur events for form inputs

Available Pages/Views

View Name	URL Pattern	Description
index	/	Home page with boxes grid and thing types tree
box_detail	/box/<str:box_id>/	List items in a specific box
thing_detail	/thing/<int:thing_id>/	Thing details with move-to-box form
thing_type_detail	/thing-type/<int:type_id>/	Thing type hierarchy and items
add_things	/box/<str:box_id>/add/	Form to add/edit items in a box
search	/search/	Search page with AJAX autocomplete
search_api	/search/api/	AJAX endpoint for search results

Template Best Practices

1. Always extend base template

   {% extends "base.html" %}
   

2. Use block system for content injection

   • title: Page title tag
   • page_header: Page header with breadcrumbs
   • content: Main page content
   • extra_css: Additional styles
   • extra_js: Additional JavaScript

3. Load required template tags

   {% load static %}
   {% load mptt_tags %}
   {% load thumbnail %}
   

4. Use URL names for links

   <a href="{% url 'box_detail' box.id %}">
   

5. Use icons with Font Awesome

   <i class="fas fa-box"></i>
   

6. Add breadcrumbs for navigation

   <p class="breadcrumb">
       <a href="/"><i class="fas fa-home"></i> Home</a> / 
       <a href="/box/{{ box.id }}/"><i class="fas fa-box"></i> Box {{ box.id }}</a>
   </p>
   

Testing Guidelines

• Use django.test.TestCase for database tests
• Use django.test.SimpleTestCase for tests without database
• Name test files test_*.py or *_tests.py
• Name test methods test_*
• Use descriptive test method names

from django.test import TestCase
from .models import Box

class BoxModelTests(TestCase):
    """Tests for the Box model."""

    def setUp(self):
        """Set up test fixtures."""
        self.box = Box.objects.create(name='Test Box')

    def test_box_str_returns_name(self):
        """Box __str__ should return the box name."""
        self.assertEqual(str(self.box), 'Test Box')

Files to Never Commit

Per .gitignore:

• __pycache__/, *.pyc - Python bytecode
• .venv/ - Virtual environment
• .env - Environment variables
• data/db.sqlite3 - Database file
• keys/ - Secret keys

Common Pitfalls

1. NEVER commit or push without explicit permission: Always ask the user before running git commit or git push. The user will explicitly say "commit and push" when they want you to do this. Do NOT automatically commit/push after making changes unless instructed to do so.
2. Always activate venv: source .venv/bin/activate
3. Run migrations after model changes: makemigrations then migrate
4. Add new apps to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py
5. Templates in labhelper/templates/: The base template and shared templates are in labhelper/templates/. App-specific templates remain in app_name/templates/.
6. Use get_object_or_404 instead of bare .get() calls
7. Never commit SECRET_KEY - use environment variables in production

Deployment Commands

Prepare a Full Deployment

When instructed to "Prepare a full deployment", perform the following steps:

1. Bump container versions: In argocd/deployment.yaml, increment the version numbers by 0.001 for both containers:

   • labhelper-data-loader (initContainer)
   • labhelper (main container)

2. Copy database: Copy the current development database to the data-loader preload location:

   cp data/db.sqlite3 data-loader/preload.sqlite3
   

Prepare a Partial Deployment

When instructed to "Prepare a partial deployment", perform the following step:

1. Bump main container version only: In argocd/deployment.yaml, increment the version number by 0.001 for the main container only:
   • labhelper (main container)

Do NOT bump the data-loader version or copy the database.