October workshops are openBuild a Search AI Agent$99 early bird

Enroll now
Skip to content

BUSINESS, MARKETING & FINANCE · STARTER PROJECT

Fundraiser budget checker

Compare two supply plans for a fictional school-club fundraiser and expose costs the plan has not established.

Beginner-friendly path · 8 guided lessons · editable JavaScript · runs in your browser · no API key

START WITH A QUESTION

Is a basket affordable if the delivery cost is unknown?

Predict how treating an unknown price as zero could make an incomplete estimate look like a confirmed budget.

Reveal what to look for

The checker uses integer cents, verified stock, and explicit missing-cost states to distinguish affordable from not yet established.

Start from the basicsExplore the path

8 guided lessons · learn at your pace

YOUR FINISHED BUILD

Fundraiser budget checker

A line-item cost table showing whether the basket fits the budget, plus missing costs and unavailable items.

WHY THIS FIELD USES THE IDEA

Business operations needs transparent cost assumptions and inventory checks before committing to a spending plan.

SEE THE IDEAChoose a step

See the idea before you code it

Read the input

Quantities and prices in integer cents, stock counts, a budget, and delivery fees marked confirmed or unknown.

function solve(input, tools) { /* your workflow */ }

Click a step to inspect this project's flow. The final workspace runs your JavaScript with original, authored records and checks.

A COMPLETE PATH TO YOUR BUILD

One small step at a time.

You can begin at the first lesson, resume shared skills you already practiced, or open the project IDE when you are ready.

01 · UNDERSTAND

Start with the essentials

No coding experience needed. These common lessons stay completed across every project.

  1. 1A model is one part of the systemFirst understand a model, a fixed workflow, and an agent that chooses its next tool call.
  2. 2Your first few lines of codeStart from zero: read values, objects, functions, and the result your code returns.
  3. 3Make a rule you can testWrite a small condition, change the input, and observe how the output changes.
  4. 4Turn an idea into a clear goalTurn the project's deliverable into a specific goal, allowed actions, and a visible stopping rule.

02 · PRACTICE

Learn the tools your project needs

Short explanations, clickable diagrams, and a small coding lab for each skill.

  1. 5A tool needs a clear contractRead price and stock fields before making a cost decision.
  2. 6Return something another program can useReturn a cost breakdown and unresolved costs, not just an approval label.
  3. 7Test behavior, not confidenceProbe exact budget boundaries and unknown values.

03 · BUILD

Make your project work

Follow the project-specific ideas, insert the explained snippets, and inspect your real execution trace.

  1. 8Fundraiser budget checkerBuild and test your own version: A line-item cost table showing whether the basket fits the budget, plus missing costs and unavailable items.

04 · TEST & REFLECT

Try to break it. Explain what holds.

3 runnable cases check the final project. Passing them demonstrates these examples, with limitations still to explore.

Change one thing

Try a basket exactly on budget, one cent over, and with an unconfirmed delivery fee.

Keep a useful learning record

Which unverified cost would most change your decision, and how would you obtain it?

Open project IDEReflect & save your notes
Inputs, checks, and project boundaries
Your starting material
Quantities and prices in integer cents, stock counts, a budget, and delivery fees marked confirmed or unknown.
What your agent must check
  • Delivery belongs in the total; equality is allowed.
  • Do not turn a missing price into a free product.
  • Report stock and budget as independent problems.
Keep the scope clear
Fictional catalog only. No banking, purchasing, investing, loans, or personal financial recommendations.
Research behind this project path

Original explanations and authored practice records draw on these research and engineering ideas. The source organizations do not endorse this course or supply its fictional results.

Anthropic · Writing effective tools for agents — with agents

Design distinct tools with clear parameters, relevant returned information, and evaluations of how the agent actually uses them.

A description or schema does not guarantee the right action. A live tool can return different data for the same arguments as its environment changes.

Anthropic · Demystifying evals for AI agents

Define tasks, trials, and graders; inspect both execution records and final outcomes; repeat trials when model behavior varies.

A score depends on its cases and grading rules. Repeating a deterministic classroom case does not measure the variability of a live model.

Your JavaScript really runs. The model decisions and school data are authored simulations, so you can learn without an API key. Every workspace also includes a separate real SDK example to explore next. Passing the lab’s cases is practice, not proof that an agent is ready for real-world use.