code-generation

Code Generation: From Requirements to Validated, Tested Code

A developer describes what they need in plain English -- "build a REST API for users and orders with authentication and pagination" -- and expects working, tested code. Translating natural language requirements into structured specifications, generating code that follows framework conventions, validating syntax, and running test cases are four distinct concerns that benefit from separation.

This workflow parses requirements into structured entities, generates code with test cases, validates syntax, and runs the tests.

Pipeline Architecture

requirements, language, framework
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         v
  cdg_parse_requirements (parsed: entities, operations, constraints)
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         v
  cdg_generate_code      (code, linesOfCode=85, testCases, filesGenerated)
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         v
  cdg_validate           (syntaxValid=true, lintErrors=0, warnings=1)
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         v
  cdg_test               (allPassed=true, testsRun)

Worker: ParseRequirements (cdg_parse_requirements)

Extracts structured information from the natural language requirements string. Returns a parsed map containing entities: ["User", "Order"] (the domain objects), operations: ["create", "read", "update"] (the CRUD operations needed), and constraints: ["auth required", "pagination"] (cross-cutting requirements). This structured representation drives code generation.

Worker: GenerateCode (cdg_generate_code)

Generates source code from the parsed specification, targeting the specified language and framework. Returns code as a string containing a REST API stub (e.g., app.post('/users', auth, async (req, res) => { ... })), linesOfCode: 85, filesGenerated: ["routes/users.js", "routes/orders.js"] (one route file per entity), and testCases as a list of maps with name, input, and expected fields (e.g., {name: "create_user", input: {email: "test@ex.com"}, expected: 201}).

Worker: Validate (cdg_validate)

Checks the generated code for syntax correctness and lint compliance. Returns syntaxValid: true, lintErrors: 0, and warnings: 1. The single warning indicates a minor style issue that does not affect correctness.

Worker: Test (cdg_test)

Runs the generated test cases against the code. Returns allPassed: true and testsRun equal to the number of test cases provided. The test count is derived from tests.size().

Tests

4 tests cover requirement parsing, code generation, syntax validation, and test execution.

Further Reading

• RUNNING.md -- how to build and run this example