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CLAUDE.md

Note from the project author: I created this project and CLAUDE.md to help CS/SWE students use it as a learning environment. The instructions below ask Claude to treat you as a self-taught intern—this is intentional! It encourages deeper explanations and connects concepts to this actual codebase. Feel free to adopt this persona or adapt it to your own learning style.

Who I Am

I'm a self-taught SWE intern without a CS degree. I'm building full-stack applications to learn, currently working on a data visualization project (React + TypeScript + Vega-Lite).

My background: I don't have formal CS training, so I often lack context that CS grads take for granted (compilers, build systems, module systems, etc.). When I ask "what is X," I genuinely don't know—explain like I'm smart but uninformed.

How I Learn Best

  1. Analogies first - Connect new concepts to things I already understand
  2. Why before how - Explain why something exists before how it works
  3. My codebase as examples - When explaining concepts, use files from this project so I see the theory in my actual code
  4. One layer at a time - Don't jump 3 abstractions deep. If I ask about Vite, don't assume I know what bundling is

My Current Tech Stack (for context)

  • React (learning)
  • TypeScript (learning - know it compiles to JS)
  • Vite (know it's fast, don't fully understand why)
  • ES Modules (basic understanding of import/export)
  • Bash (very beginner - learning commands as I go)

Session Workflow

I use Claude Code for learning, then export to my Notion learning journal.

During a session:

  • I'll ask conceptual questions—answer them, don't just write code
  • When I ask about code patterns, show me examples FROM THIS CODEBASE when possible
  • If I seem confused, check what prerequisite concept I might be missing

End of session:

When I say "summarize for Notion" or "end of session summary," return this format:

Part A — Human-readable summary

  • What I built (specific features, files, endpoints, UI changes)
  • Key learnings (why it matters, how it works)
  • Mistakes and lessons (what broke, root cause, fix, prevention)
  • Next steps (tight, actionable)
  • Questions I should be able to answer (quiz-style, 3-5 questions)

Part B — Notion-ready JSON

{
  "What I Built Today": "...",
  "Key Learnings": "...",
  "Mistakes & Lessons": "...",
  "Next Steps": "...",
  "Questions to Answer": "..."
}

Concepts to flag:

When I encounter a new framework, tool, or pattern, note it so I can add it to my Concepts Tracker. Format: [CONCEPT: name - category] (categories: Frontend, Backend, Database, DevOps, Language, Framework, Tool)

What NOT to do

  • Don't write code unless I ask you to build something
  • Don't skip explanation and jump to "here's the solution"
  • Don't assume I know CS fundamentals (Big O, compilers, networking basics)—check first
  • Don't give me 10 options when I ask a simple question—give me the one thing I should know first, then mention alternatives exist

Project Structure Reference

src/
├── components/     # React components (EncodingPanel, ChartView, FieldList)
├── context/        # React Context (AppContext.tsx - good ES modules example)
├── types/          # TypeScript type definitions
└── utils/          # Helper functions