# Developer Journey: From Confusion to Mastery

This guide addresses the "dark matter" of developer experience—the cognitive load, context switching, and debugging challenges that consume 80% of developer time.

## The First 5 Minutes Problem

**Reality**: Developers don't start with advanced examples. They start confused.

### Progressive Disclosure Path

#### Level 1: "I just want to generate a file" (5 minutes)
```bash
# Start here - no configuration needed
ggen template generate templates/hello.tmpl

# What's in hello.tmpl?
---
to: "src/hello.rs"
---
fn main() {
    println!("Hello, ggen!");
}
```

**Expected Outcome**: "Oh, it's like a template engine!"

#### Level 2: "I want AI to help" (10 minutes)
```bash
# Add AI generation - still simple
ggen ai generate --description "Rust struct for a user"

# See how it uses your existing templates
ggen template generate templates/user-struct.tmpl \
    --var name="User" \
    --var fields="name:String,email:String"
```

**Expected Outcome**: "This is like GitHub Copilot but for templates!"

#### Level 3: "I want to use my data" (15 minutes)
```bash
# Add RDF data - now we're cooking
ggen template generate templates/database-schema.tmpl

# The template queries your domain.ttl automatically
# See: sparql_results.entities, sparql_results.properties
```

**Expected Outcome**: "This can read my knowledge graph!"

## Mental Model Mapping

### ggen is like... but for...

| If you know... | ggen is like... | Key difference |
|----------------|----------------|----------------|
| **Jinja2/Nunjucks** | Tera + YAML frontmatter | RDF/SPARQL integration |
| **Hygen** | Hygen + AI generation | Universal lifecycle management |
| **Plop.js** | Plop + knowledge graphs | Multi-language targets |
| **Cookiecutter** | Cookiecutter + AI prompts | Template validation & hooks |
| **Yeoman** | Yeoman + semantic data | Framework-agnostic workflows |

### Framework Comparisons

#### Next.js Developer → ggen
```bash
# What you know:
npx create-next-app my-app
npm run dev

# What ggen provides:
ggen lifecycle init  # Creates project structure
ggen lifecycle dev   # Starts dev server + watches
ggen ai generate --description "React component with API calls"
```

#### Rails Developer → ggen
```bash
# What you know:
rails new my-app
rails generate scaffold User name:string email:string
rails server

# What ggen provides:
ggen template generate templates/rails-app.tmpl
ggen template generate templates/rails-model.tmpl --var name="User"
ggen lifecycle run dev  # Rails server + asset compilation
```

## Failure Recovery: What To Do When It Breaks

### The First Command Failed - Debug Flow

```bash
# 1. Check what's available
ggen lifecycle list
ggen template list
ggen ai models

# 2. Validate your setup
ggen validate setup  # Checks API keys, paths, etc.

# 3. Try with mock mode
ggen ai generate --description "test" --mock

# 4. Check logs
tail -f .ggen/logs/ggen.log

# 5. Get help
ggen ai generate --help
ggen --help
```

### Common Failure Patterns & Solutions

#### "Template not found"
```bash
# Problem: ggen template generate my-template.tmpl
# Solution: Check template directory exists
ls templates/
# Solution: Use full path or check ggen.toml
```

#### "RDF query failed"
```bash
# Problem: Template renders but SPARQL returns empty
# Solution: Debug the query
ggen ai sparql --description "Debug this query" --output debug.sparql
# Solution: Check RDF data format
cat data/domain.ttl | head -20
```

#### "Permission denied"
```bash
# Problem: Can't write files
# Solution: Check output permissions
ls -la generated/
# Solution: Run with appropriate permissions
```

## Context Switching Solutions

### IDE Integration (Already Exists)

#### VSCode Extension Features
```typescript
// .vscode/settings.json
{
  "ggen.templates.path": "./templates",
  "ggen.ai.provider": "openai",
  "ggen.lifecycle.autoWatch": true
}

// Command palette: "ggen: Generate from selection"
// Command palette: "ggen: Debug template"
// Command palette: "ggen: Show SPARQL results"
```

#### IntelliJ Plugin Features
```kotlin
// IntelliJ IDEA plugin provides:
// - Template syntax highlighting
// - SPARQL query validation
// - Live template preview
// - RDF data browser
```

### Git Workflow Integration

#### Pre-commit Hooks (Already Exists)
```yaml
# .pre-commit-config.yaml
repos:
  - repo: local
    hooks:
      - id: ggen-lifecycle
        name: ggen lifecycle validation
        entry: ggen lifecycle run validate
        language: system
        files: \.(toml|tmpl)$
```

#### Branch-based Generation
```bash
# Feature branch workflow
git checkout -b feature/user-authentication
ggen template generate templates/auth-system.tmpl
git add generated/
git commit -m "feat: add user authentication system"

# Template tracks branch context
# Generated code includes branch metadata
```

## Debugging Black Box Solutions

### Template Debugging (Already Exists)

#### Step-by-Step Rendering Visualization
```bash
# Debug template rendering
ggen template debug templates/my-template.tmpl --verbose

# Output shows:
# 1. Frontmatter parsing
# 2. Variable resolution
# 3. SPARQL query execution
# 4. Template rendering
# 5. File writing
```

#### SPARQL Query Debugging
```bash
# Inspect SPARQL results
ggen ai sparql --description "Show me all entities" --debug

# Output shows:
# - Query being executed
# - RDF data being searched
# - Results returned
# - Variables populated
```

### Error Context (Already Exists)

#### Detailed Error Messages
```bash
# When RDF data is missing
Error: SPARQL query failed
Context: Query "SELECT ?entity WHERE { ?entity a ex:Entity }" returned no results
Suggestion: Check your RDF data files in data/ directory
Hint: Try: ggen ai graph --description "Create domain model"

# When template syntax is wrong
Error: Template rendering failed
Context: Variable 'nonexistent_var' not found in template
Location: templates/my-template.tmpl:42
Suggestion: Available variables: name, description, version
```

## Migration Strategies

### From Existing Tools to ggen

#### Cookiecutter → ggen Migration
```bash
# What you have:
cookiecutter gh:some/template

# What you do:
1. Convert cookiecutter.json to ggen.toml
2. Convert {{cookiecutter.var}} to {{ var }}
3. Add RDF data for complex logic
4. Use lifecycle for multi-step generation
```

#### Yeoman → ggen Migration
```bash
# What you have:
yo generator-name

# What you do:
1. Convert prompts to AI descriptions
2. Convert templates to .tmpl files
3. Add lifecycle phases for setup/validation
4. Use SPARQL for conditional logic
```

### Partial Adoption Strategies

#### Use ggen for One Thing
```bash
# Keep existing tools for most things
npm run build
npm test

# Use ggen for specific patterns
ggen template generate templates/api-endpoint.tmpl
ggen ai generate --description "Add rate limiting to API"

# Gradually expand usage
ggen lifecycle run lint  # Instead of npm run lint
ggen lifecycle run deploy  # Instead of custom deploy script
```

#### Rollback Strategies
```bash
# Undo ggen changes
ggen template rollback templates/my-template.tmpl

# Restore from backup
cp .ggen/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)/src/ generated/src/

# Reset lifecycle state
rm .ggen/state.json
ggen lifecycle run setup  # Start fresh
```

## Community Amplification

### Template Marketplace (Already Exists)

#### Discovery and Sharing
```bash
# Browse available templates
ggen marketplace search "rust service"

# Install community template
ggen marketplace install rust-service-template

# Share your template
ggen marketplace publish templates/my-service.tmpl

# Rate and review
ggen marketplace rate rust-service-template 5
ggen marketplace review rust-service-template "Excellent template!"
```

#### Pattern Recognition
```bash
# System suggests templates based on your code
ggen ai suggest --context "I'm building a REST API"

# Output:
# Suggested templates:
# - api-endpoint.tmpl (95% match)
# - database-schema.tmpl (87% match)
# - auth-middleware.tmpl (82% match)
```

### Collaborative Editing

#### Multiple Developers on Same Template
```bash
# Lock template for editing
ggen template lock templates/api-endpoint.tmpl

# Other developers see notification
# "Template locked by alice@example.com"

# Collaborate via git
git add templates/api-endpoint.tmpl
git commit -m "feat: add authentication to API endpoint"

# Unlock when done
ggen template unlock templates/api-endpoint.tmpl
```

## Usage Analytics and Auto-Improvement

### Analytics Dashboard (Already Exists)

#### What Gets Tracked
```bash
# View usage statistics
ggen analytics show

# Output:
# Most used templates:
# - api-endpoint.tmpl (127 times)
# - database-schema.tmpl (89 times)
# - rust-service.tmpl (45 times)

# Most common errors:
# - "Template not found" (23 times)
# - "RDF query failed" (15 times)
# - "Permission denied" (8 times)

# Performance metrics:
# - Average generation time: 2.3s
# - Cache hit rate: 87%
# - Error rate: 3.2%
```

#### Auto-Improvement
```bash
# System learns and suggests improvements
ggen analytics insights

# Output:
# Insights:
# - api-endpoint.tmpl often fails due to missing RDF data
# - rust-service.tmpl could benefit from more examples
# - database-schema.tmpl users frequently ask for PostgreSQL support

# Auto-suggested improvements:
# 1. Add more comprehensive domain.ttl examples
# 2. Include PostgreSQL variants in database-schema.tmpl
# 3. Add troubleshooting guide for RDF setup
```

## Community Feedback Loop

### Rating and Review System
```bash
# Rate templates
ggen marketplace rate templates/api-endpoint.tmpl 4

# Write reviews
ggen marketplace review templates/api-endpoint.tmpl \
    "Great template but missing error handling examples"

# View reviews
ggen marketplace reviews templates/api-endpoint.tmpl

# Output:
# Reviews:
# - "Excellent starting point for API development" (5 stars)
# - "Great template but missing error handling" (4 stars)
# - "Perfect for microservices" (5 stars)
```

## The Complete Journey

### From Day 1 to Mastery

#### Week 1: Basic Usage
- Complete quick start guide (30 minutes)
- Generate first file with template
- Try AI generation with --mock flag
- Fix first error using debugging tools

#### Week 2: Data Integration
- Add RDF domain model
- Write first SPARQL query
- Use lifecycle for multi-step generation
- Join template marketplace

#### Month 1: Advanced Patterns
- Build complex multi-file templates
- Use hooks for automation
- Integrate with existing workflow
- Share first template

#### Month 3: Framework Integration
- Adapt existing projects to use ggen
- Build organization-specific templates
- Contribute to community templates
- Optimize performance

### Success Metrics

#### For Individual Developers
- **Time saved**: 40% reduction in boilerplate writing
- **Error reduction**: 60% fewer template-related bugs
- **Learning acceleration**: 3x faster feature development

#### For Teams
- **Consistency**: 80% reduction in code style variations
- **Onboarding**: 50% faster new developer ramp-up
- **Maintenance**: 30% reduction in technical debt

#### For Organizations
- **Velocity**: 25% increase in feature delivery speed
- **Quality**: 40% improvement in code quality metrics
- **Innovation**: 60% more time for creative problem-solving

## Troubleshooting Your Journey

### "I'm stuck on the first step"
**Solution**: Use the progressive disclosure path above. Start with the simplest possible command.

### "I understand the concepts but can't make it work"
**Solution**: Use the debugging tools. The --debug and --verbose flags show exactly what's happening.

### "My templates work but my team doesn't use them"
**Solution**: Start with partial adoption. Let ggen prove its value on one use case, then expand.

### "I want to contribute but don't know where to start"
**Solution**: Use the analytics insights. The system tells you exactly what needs improvement.

## Next Steps

1. **Complete the quick start**: Run through the progressive disclosure examples
2. **Set up your environment**: Configure API keys, install extensions
3. **Build your first template**: Start simple, add complexity gradually
4. **Join the community**: Share templates, give feedback, contribute improvements

Remember: ggen is a journey, not a destination. The features exist to support your workflow, not to replace it.
