I started by recalling a similar menu-driven system built during Jumpstart, which helped me structure the main interface for this assignment. I planned out the menu options I would need, such as loading data, saving data, adding books/reviews, filtering, and listing. I used Copilot to help me understand how to work with JSON files in Python, so I could store and load data externally instead of hard-coding it in the main code.
I wrote functions to load book and review data from JSON files at the start of the script with the help of copilot. I also created save_books_to_file and save_reviews_to_file functions to write any changes back to the files. When writing the functions, Copilot helped with the structure, but I had to ensure the logic matched my data format. I set up a while True loop to display the menu and handle user choices. Each menu option calls the appropriate function, and I added input validation to prevent crashes if the user enters invalid input.
I encountered issues with indentation especially when modifying or expanding the menu. Copilot sometimes struggled with fixing indentation errors, which could break the whole program, so I had to manually review and correct these issues. I also debugged logic for filtering and listing, ensuring that messages like “No results found” only appeared when appropriate. I tested each menu option to make sure data was loaded, saved, and displayed correctly. Overall Copilot assisted me with writing the functions and making sure my logic worked step by step.