Code Mode

Code mode (--code or -c) is designed for pure code generation without explanations or commentary. It produces clean, ready-to-use code in markdown format, perfect for copying directly into your projects.

Overview

Code mode is optimized for:

  • Pure code generation without explanations

  • Multiple programming languages support

  • Ready-to-use snippets that can be copied directly

  • Consistent markdown formatting for easy parsing

  • No verbose descriptions or tutorials

The key difference from standard mode is that code mode focuses exclusively on generating functional code with minimal or no explanatory text.

Basic Usage

# Generate a Python function
drgpt --code "Create a function to calculate factorial"
drgpt -c "Create a function to calculate factorial"  # Short form

# Generate JavaScript code
drgpt --code "Create a React component for a todo list"
drgpt -c "Create a React component for a todo list"  # Short form

# Generate SQL query
drgpt --code "Write a query to find top 10 customers by sales"

Output Format

Code mode always returns responses in this format:

```language
// Brief comment if necessary
actual_code_here()
```

Example output for “Create a Python function to calculate factorial”:

```python
def factorial(n):
    if n < 0:
        raise ValueError("Factorial is not defined for negative numbers")
    if n == 0 or n == 1:
        return 1
    return n * factorial(n - 1)
```

Supported Languages

Code mode supports all major programming languages:

Programming Languages

# Python
drgpt --code "Create a REST API endpoint using Flask"

# JavaScript/Node.js
drgpt --code "Create an Express middleware for authentication"

# Java
drgpt --code "Create a class for handling HTTP requests"

# C++
drgpt --code "Implement a binary search algorithm"

# Go
drgpt --code "Create a web server with routing"

# Rust
drgpt --code "Implement a thread-safe counter"

Web Technologies

# HTML
drgpt --code "Create a responsive navigation bar"

# CSS
drgpt --code "Create a flexbox layout for a dashboard"

# React
drgpt --code "Create a hook for form validation"

# Vue.js
drgpt --code "Create a component for data tables"

Database and Query Languages

# SQL
drgpt --code "Create a query with joins for user orders"

# MongoDB
drgpt --code "Create an aggregation pipeline for analytics"

# GraphQL
drgpt --code "Create a schema for user management"

Configuration and Scripts

# Docker
drgpt --code "Create a Dockerfile for a Node.js app"

# Bash
drgpt --code "Create a script to backup databases"

# PowerShell
drgpt --code "Create a script to manage Windows services"

# YAML
drgpt --code "Create a CI/CD pipeline for GitHub Actions"

Use Cases

Function and Class Generation

# Utility functions
drgpt --code "Create a function to debounce user input in JavaScript"

# Class implementations
drgpt --code "Create a Python class for handling file operations"

# Algorithm implementations
drgpt --code "Implement quicksort in C++"

API Development

# REST endpoints
drgpt --code "Create a FastAPI endpoint for user registration"

# Middleware
drgpt --code "Create Express middleware for CORS handling"

# Authentication
drgpt --code "Implement JWT token validation in Python"

Frontend Components

# React components
drgpt --code "Create a React component for file upload with progress"

# Vue components
drgpt --code "Create a Vue component for dynamic forms"

# Pure CSS
drgpt --code "Create CSS for a loading spinner animation"

Database Operations

# Complex queries
drgpt --code "Create a SQL query for monthly sales report with aggregations"

# Database schemas
drgpt --code "Create database tables for e-commerce system"

# ORM models
drgpt --code "Create SQLAlchemy models for user and orders"

Configuration Files

# Docker configurations
drgpt --code "Create a docker-compose.yml for web app with database"

# CI/CD pipelines
drgpt --code "Create a Jenkins pipeline for Python project"

# Infrastructure as code
drgpt --code "Create Terraform configuration for AWS Lambda"

Advanced Features

Multi-Language Projects

Generate code for projects using multiple languages:

# Frontend + Backend
drgpt --code "Create a React component that calls a Python Flask API"

# Database + Application
drgpt --code "Create a Node.js function that queries PostgreSQL"

Framework-Specific Code

# Django
drgpt --code "Create Django views for user authentication"

# Spring Boot
drgpt --code "Create a Spring Boot controller for REST API"

# ASP.NET Core
drgpt --code "Create a controller for file upload in ASP.NET Core"

Testing and Quality Assurance

# Unit tests
drgpt --code "Create pytest tests for a user registration function"

# Integration tests
drgpt --code "Create tests for API endpoints using pytest"

# Mock data
drgpt --code "Create mock data generators for testing"

Best Practices

Effective Prompting for Code

  1. Be specific about requirements:

# Good: Specific requirements
drgpt --code "Create a Python function that validates email addresses using regex and returns True/False"

# Less effective: Too vague
drgpt --code "Create a validation function"

  1. Specify the technology stack:

# Good: Clear technology
drgpt --code "Create a React hook using TypeScript for managing form state"

# Less effective: Unclear technology
drgpt --code "Create a form handler"

  1. Include important constraints:

# Good: With constraints
drgpt --code "Create a Python function to sort a list without using built-in sort methods"

# Basic: No constraints
drgpt --code "Create a function to sort a list"

Working with Generated Code

  1. Copy and test immediately: Code mode output is designed to be functional

  2. Modify as needed: Use the generated code as a starting point

  3. Combine multiple snippets: Generate different parts separately if needed

# Generate model
drgpt --code "Create a SQLAlchemy User model"

# Generate API endpoint
drgpt --code "Create a FastAPI endpoint to create users"

# Generate tests
drgpt --code "Create pytest tests for user creation endpoint"

Integration with Development Workflow

Code mode integrates well with development tools:

# Save to file
drgpt --code "Create a Python class for database connection" > db_connection.py

# Append to existing file
drgpt --code "Create helper functions for string manipulation" >> utils.py

# Use in scripts
CODE=$(drgpt --code --no-markdown "Create a function to validate phone numbers")
echo "$CODE" >> validators.py

Output Customization

Provider Selection for Code

Different providers excel at different types of code:

# OpenAI GPT-4 for complex algorithms
drgpt --provider openai --model gpt-4 --code "Implement A* pathfinding algorithm"

# Claude for clean, well-structured code
drgpt --provider anthropic --code "Create a comprehensive class for file operations"

# Gemini for modern framework code
drgpt --provider google --code "Create a modern React component with hooks"

Code Style and Conventions

# Specify coding style
drgpt --code "Create a Python function following PEP 8 conventions for data validation"

# Request specific patterns
drgpt --code "Create a JavaScript function using async/await pattern for API calls"

# Framework conventions
drgpt --code "Create a Django model following Django best practices"

Common Patterns

CRUD Operations

# Database CRUD
drgpt --code "Create functions for CRUD operations on a User table using SQLAlchemy"

# API CRUD
drgpt --code "Create RESTful endpoints for managing products in FastAPI"

Authentication and Security

# JWT handling
drgpt --code "Create functions for generating and validating JWT tokens"

# Password hashing
drgpt --code "Create secure password hashing and verification functions"

Data Processing

# File processing
drgpt --code "Create a function to parse CSV files and return structured data"

# API data transformation
drgpt --code "Create a function to transform API response data for frontend consumption"

Error Handling

# Exception handling
drgpt --code "Create a Python function with comprehensive error handling for file operations"

# API error handling
drgpt --code "Create Express middleware for centralized error handling"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Too much explanation in output:

Make sure you’re using the --code flag:

# Correct
drgpt --code "Create a function"

# Incorrect (will include explanations)
drgpt "Create a function"

Code not working as expected:

  1. Check for missing imports or dependencies

  2. Verify the context matches your environment

  3. Test with minimal examples first

Wrong programming language:

Be explicit about the language in your prompt:

# Clear language specification
drgpt --code "Create a Python function for sorting"
drgpt --code "Create a JavaScript function for sorting"

Next Steps