Live Coding Elevenses - Mini-crossword app (Data model and demo data)

Welcome back to Live Coding 11Z's! In this third hour of building our mini crossword application, the real dev process kicks in as we confront the age-old question: do we build the UI first or the underlying logic? 😅

This week was scheduled to start on the UI, but we quickly realized we couldn't proceed without a structured puzzle grid to display. Join the host as he:

Recaps the project: A quick look back at the design (Episode 1) and database/table structure (Episode 2) for the mini crossword app.

Strategizes the build: Debating the best path forward—Service Portal (AngularJS), a custom React component using the SDK, or leveraging the new Build Agent in the Zurich release. The current plan leans toward Service Portal for familiar functionality, with a goal to test the Build Agent later.

Populates Demo Data: The first major task is gathering and importing ServiceNow-related words to populate our custom tables. The host hilariously attempts to use ChatGPT to generate and format the word list.

Tackles the Grid Logic: This is where the real fun starts! The host spends significant time thinking through the complex recursive logic needed to ensure all horizontal and vertical words in a 5x5 grid intersect correctly. This involves defining word length rules and managing blank spaces.

Bypassing the Logic (for now): To stick to the original "working on the UI" theme, the host opts to manually populate a single puzzle's worth of demo grid data using an existing crossword image, creating the records needed to test the UI next time.

Nostalgia Corner: A fun detour into developer life and gaming nostalgia, including a chat about using tools like SN Utils vs. the base developer experience, the magic of AutoHotkey scripts for automating tasks, and classic games like Diablo II and World of Warcraft.

Tune in next week as we finally get to work on the UI!

0:00 - Intro & Chat Welcome
1:02 - Episode 3 Kickoff: No Prep is the Real Dev Process
2:27 - Recap: App Design & Database Structure
3:37 - Episode Plan: Demo Data & UI Build
4:06 - Debating UI Frameworks: Service Portal vs. React/Build Agent
5:37 - Starting Work: Generating Demo Data
6:07 - Discussion: Music for Coding (Lofi vs. Rock)
11:37 - Leveraging AI (ChatGPT) to Generate Word Lists
16:28 - Defining the Grid Construction Logic
23:37 - Detailing the Recursive Crossword Logic Challenge
33:23 - The Decision: Pivot to Demo Data over Complex Logic
36:58 - Gathering Manual Puzzle Data
43:56 - Discussion: Why No SN Utils/Browser Extensions on Stream
46:27 - The Baseline Dev Experience
51:44 - Nostalgia Corner: AutoHotkey Scripts & Automation
56:29 - Nostalgia Corner: Diablo II & WoW Stories
1:00:48 - Wrap-up and Next Steps (Working on UI next stream)