Engineering Notes
Code is abundant now. Architecture, maintainability, and staying true to what the application is for are still the hard part.
Why I Write Tests Before AI Writes Code
AI coding works when the agent runs inside rules I set: fixed function contracts, known patterns, and tests that define done before the code exists.
Why I Return Data and Error, Not Throw
Returning a data and error pair from async functions keeps failures from vanishing. Here is why a boring, enforced pattern beats clever error handling.
Match the Landing Page to the Ad
A visitor who clicks an ad with a specific offer should land on a page showing that offer. I built a script that read the VIN from the URL and updated price, discount, and disclaimer.
Moving Image Processing to the Browser
Converting and resizing photos in the browser, behind an upload queue, kept heavy image work off the server. In testing, 70+ photos went live in under two minutes.