Fix/examples issue 127 (#131)

* docs: correct cost claim to 42-75% from 30-rep re-verification

Re-ran the cost benchmark at 30 reps per cell on Claude (Haiku/Sonnet/Opus):
ponytail is 42-75% cheaper than no-skill, not the previously published 47-77%.
The direction holds, both ends came in a few points lower. Updates the README
headline and body, the benchmark chart subtitle, and the benchmarks/README cost
table, and adds a dated results doc with full method.

Also adds the OpenAI (gpt-4.1-mini/gpt-5.4-mini/gpt-5.5) and Gemini configs. On
OpenAI reasoning models ponytail costs more, not less, so the claim stays
Claude-scoped. Gemini run pending a fresh-quota day.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: scope the body claim to Claude models

"on every model" read as cross-provider, but the 30-rep verification shows
the cost win reverses on OpenAI reasoning models. Match the caption and
benchmarks/README, which already say Claude.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: reframe the pitch as the discipline, not token savings

The cost/code/latency numbers vary by model and on some (terse reasoning
models like GPT-5.5) ponytail costs more, so leading with them as a universal
win was misleading. Adds model-variance to the headline caption and a paragraph
making the stated point the mental model: write only what the task needs,
safety kept, maintainable code. Savings are a model-dependent side effect.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: name the ladder's reasoning cost

The ladder is a deliberation step: on reasoning models the agent spends
thinking tokens working through the rungs before it saves any output, which
together with the always-on ruleset can outweigh the shorter code. Makes the
GPT-5.5 cost increase legible rather than just stating it.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: state the single-shot limitation honestly

The benchmark is single-shot (one prompt, one completion); it does not measure
a real multi-turn agent session, where the ruleset re-injects and the ladder
deliberates every turn. Adds that caveat to the README, and corrects the
benchmarks/README note that claimed caching widens the gap "in ponytail's
favor" (unverified, and a measured agentic A/B in #121 found the opposite can
happen). Per-session cost can land either way.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* docs: fix run count in caption (cost is 30 runs, not 10)

Cost was re-verified at 30 reps; code and latency are still the original 10.
The headline caption said "10 runs" across the board, which undersold the cost
verification. Now states the split, matching benchmarks/README.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* fix(examples): replace hand-written examples with real benchmark output

The examples/ before/after blocks were authored by hand, not produced by a
model. Issue #127 correctly noted that nobody hand-rolls quicksort for "sort
this array" - every model just calls .sort(). Regenerate all examples verbatim
from a real benchmark run (Claude Haiku 4.5, no-skill arm vs ponytail arm,
benchmarks/output.json) so the before/after is reproducible, not authored:

  email 75->3, debounce 116->10, csv 20->3, countdown 267->9, rate-limit 128->10 LOC

- Delete sorting.md (pure strawman) plus the other hand-written caricatures
  (api-endpoint, caching, date-picker)
- Add benchmarks/generate-examples.mjs to regenerate examples from any run
- examples/README.md indexes the set and documents how to reproduce

Closes #127

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
This commit is contained in:
DietrichGebert
2026-06-17 04:35:22 +02:00
committed by GitHub
co-authored by Claude Opus 4.8
parent 1b4914159e
commit 45f7d2f83f
11 changed files with 1162 additions and 265 deletions
+211
View File
@@ -0,0 +1,211 @@
# Debounce
**Task:** "Add debounce to a search input in vanilla JavaScript. It currently fires an API call on every keystroke."
Verbatim model output from a benchmark run — Claude Haiku 4.5, no-skill arm vs ponytail arm, temperature 1, source `benchmarks/output.json`. Reproduce: `npx promptfoo@latest eval -c benchmarks/promptfooconfig.yaml`.
## Without Ponytail — 116 lines of code
# Debounce Search Input
Here's a practical implementation to prevent excessive API calls:
## Basic Debounce Function
```javascript
function debounce(func, delay) {
let timeoutId;
return function (...args) {
clearTimeout(timeoutId);
timeoutId = setTimeout(() => func(...args), delay);
};
}
// Usage
const searchInput = document.getElementById('search');
const resultsContainer = document.getElementById('results');
const handleSearch = async (query) => {
if (!query.trim()) {
resultsContainer.innerHTML = '';
return;
}
try {
const response = await fetch(`/api/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`);
const data = await response.json();
displayResults(data);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Search failed:', error);
}
};
// Debounce the search function (300ms delay)
const debouncedSearch = debounce(handleSearch, 300);
searchInput.addEventListener('input', (e) => {
debouncedSearch(e.target.value);
});
```
## Enhanced Version with Loading State
```javascript
const searchInput = document.getElementById('search');
const resultsContainer = document.getElementById('results');
const loadingIndicator = document.getElementById('loading');
const handleSearch = async (query) => {
if (!query.trim()) {
resultsContainer.innerHTML = '';
loadingIndicator.style.display = 'none';
return;
}
loadingIndicator.style.display = 'block';
try {
const response = await fetch(`/api/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(query)}`);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error('Search failed');
const data = await response.json();
displayResults(data);
} catch (error) {
resultsContainer.innerHTML = '<p class="error">Search failed. Try again.</p>';
console.error('Search error:', error);
} finally {
loadingIndicator.style.display = 'none';
}
};
const debouncedSearch = debounce(handleSearch, 300);
searchInput.addEventListener('input', (e) => {
debouncedSearch(e.target.value);
});
function displayResults(data) {
resultsContainer.innerHTML = data
.map(item => `<div class="result">${item.title}</div>`)
.join('');
}
```
## Advanced: Debounce with Cancel & Immediate Options
```javascript
function debounce(func, delay, options = {}) {
let timeoutId;
let lastArgs;
const debounced = function (...args) {
lastArgs = args;
clearTimeout(timeoutId);
if (options.immediate && !timeoutId) {
func(...args);
}
timeoutId = setTimeout(() => {
if (!options.immediate) {
func(...lastArgs);
}
timeoutId = null;
}, delay);
};
// Allow manual cancellation
debounced.cancel = () => clearTimeout(timeoutId);
return debounced;
}
// Usage with options
const debouncedSearch = debounce(handleSearch, 300, { immediate: false });
// Cancel pending search if needed
searchInput.addEventListener('blur', () => {
debouncedSearch.cancel();
});
```
## HTML Example
```html
<div class="search-container">
<input
type="text"
id="search"
placeholder="Search..."
autocomplete="off"
>
<div id="loading" style="display: none;">Loading...</div>
<div id="results"></div>
</div>
<style>
.search-container {
max-width: 500px;
margin: 20px auto;
}
#search {
width: 100%;
padding: 10px;
font-size: 16px;
border: 1px solid #ddd;
border-radius: 4px;
}
#results {
margin-top: 10px;
}
.result {
padding: 10px;
border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;
cursor: pointer;
}
.result:hover {
background-color: #f5f5f5;
}
.error {
color: red;
padding: 10px;
}
</style>
```
## Key Benefits
| Feature | Benefit |
|---------|---------|
| **Debounce** | Reduces API calls from 100+ to 1-2 per search |
| **300ms delay** | Balances responsiveness with performance |
| **Loading state** | Provides user feedback |
| **Error handling** | Graceful failure management |
| **Cancel method** | Cleanup when needed |
**Typical keystroke reduction:** 10 characters = 10 API calls → 1-2 API calls with debounce ✅
## With Ponytail — 10 lines of code
```javascript
const searchInput = document.querySelector('input[type="search"]');
let debounceTimer;
searchInput.addEventListener('input', (e) => {
clearTimeout(debounceTimer);
debounceTimer = setTimeout(() => {
fetch(`/api/search?q=${encodeURIComponent(e.target.value)}`)
.then(r => r.json())
.then(data => console.log(data)); // replace with your render
}, 300);
});
```
Skipped: debounce utility function, class wrapper, config object — `setTimeout` + `clearTimeout` is the debounce. Add a utility when you need it on 3+ inputs.
**116 → 10 lines of code** — same model, same prompt.