Your First Steps

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Welcome to Cubent Coder!

Now that you have Cubent Coder installed, let’s walk through your first interactions and learn the core concepts that will make you productive immediately.

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Understanding the Interface

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Sidebar Panel

The Cubent Coder panel appears in your VS Code sidebar with these key elements:

• Chat Interface: Where you communicate with the AI
• Mode Selector: Switch between Chat, Plan, Agent, and Custom modes
• Task History: Review previous conversations and tasks
• Settings: Quick access to configuration options

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Status Indicators

Look for these visual cues:

• 🟢 Green: AI is ready and connected
• 🟡 Yellow: Processing your request
• 🔴 Red: Connection or configuration issue

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Your First Conversation

Let’s start with a simple interaction:

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Step 1: Open the Chat

1. Click the Cubent Coder icon in the sidebar
2. You’ll see the chat interface
3. Type your first message in the input box

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Step 2: Try Basic Commands

Start with these simple examples:

Hello! Can you help me understand this codebase?

What programming languages do you see in this project?

Can you explain what this function does?

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Code Generation Basics

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Simple Code Generation

Try generating some code:

Create a Python function that calculates the factorial of a number

Write a React component for a simple todo list

Generate a SQL query to find users who registered in the last 30 days

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Code Explanation

Select any code in your editor and ask:

Explain this code to me

What could be improved in this function?

Are there any potential bugs here?

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File Operations

Cubent Coder can work with files in your workspace:

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Reading Files

What's in the package.json file?

Show me the main entry point of this application

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Creating Files

Create a new README.md file for this project

Generate a .gitignore file for a Node.js project

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Modifying Files

Add error handling to the main.js file

Update the CSS to make the header responsive

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Understanding Modes

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Chat Mode (Default)

• Best for: Questions, explanations, code reviews
• Behavior: Conversational, informative
• Use when: You want to understand or discuss code

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Plan Mode

• Best for: Project planning, architecture decisions
• Behavior: Strategic, high-level thinking
• Use when: You need technical leadership guidance

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Agent Mode

• Best for: Complex tasks, multi-step operations
• Behavior: Action-oriented, autonomous
• Use when: You want Cubent Coder to implement solutions

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Best Practices

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Be Specific

Instead of: “Fix this code” Try: “This function is throwing a null pointer exception when the input array is empty. Can you add proper error handling?”

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Provide Context

• Select relevant code before asking questions
• Mention the programming language and framework
• Explain what you’re trying to achieve

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Use Progressive Refinement

Start with a general request, then refine:

1. “Create a user authentication system”
2. “Add password validation with specific requirements”
3. “Include email verification functionality”

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Common First Tasks

Here are some typical tasks new users try:

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Code Review

Review this function for potential improvements and security issues

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Documentation

Generate documentation for this API endpoint

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Testing

Create unit tests for this class

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Refactoring

Refactor this code to follow better design patterns

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Getting Help

If you’re stuck or need clarification:

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In-App Help

How do I switch to Agent mode?

What's the difference between Chat and Plan mode?

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Community Resources

• Discord: Join our community for real-time help
• Documentation: Browse these docs for detailed guides
• GitHub: Report issues or request features

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Next Steps

Ready to dive deeper? Explore these advanced features: