Cline - Project Workflows

Overview

Estimated time: 25–35 minutes

Master advanced Cline workflows for automating development tasks, managing complex projects, and optimizing your coding process with autonomous AI assistance.

Learning Objectives

• Set up complex multi-file project workflows
• Automate repetitive development tasks with Cline
• Manage file operations and project structure changes
• Integrate Cline with existing development tools

Project Setup Workflows

Automated Project Initialization

Create a new React TypeScript project with:
- Modern project structure
- ESLint and Prettier configuration
- Testing setup with Jest and RTL
- CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions
- Docker configuration for development
- Comprehensive README with setup instructions

Use best practices for folder structure and include necessary configuration files.

Multi-Service Architecture

Set up microservices architecture:
- API Gateway service
- User authentication service  
- Product catalog service
- Order processing service
- Shared database migrations
- Docker Compose configuration

Configure monorepo with:
- Workspace configuration
- Shared dependencies
- Cross-package imports
- Unified build system
- Testing across packages

File Management Automation

Bulk File Operations

Task: Refactor component library structure
1. Move all components from /components to /lib/components
2. Update all import statements across the project
3. Create barrel exports (index.ts files)  
4. Update package.json exports
5. Generate component documentation
6. Update Storybook stories paths

Code Migration Workflows

Convert project to TypeScript:
- Rename .js files to .ts/.tsx
- Add type definitions
- Configure tsconfig.json
- Update build scripts
- Fix type errors

Migrate from Vue 2 to Vue 3:
- Update component syntax
- Replace deprecated APIs
- Update build configuration
- Migrate plugins and libraries
- Test compatibility

Development Task Automation

Feature Development Workflow

Implement user authentication feature:

1. Database Design:
   - Create user table migration
   - Add authentication-related tables
   - Set up relationships and indexes

2. Backend Implementation:
   - Create user model and repository
   - Implement authentication middleware
   - Add login/register/logout endpoints
   - Set up JWT token handling
   - Add password hashing utilities

3. Frontend Implementation:
   - Create login/register forms
   - Implement authentication context
   - Add protected route components
   - Create user profile pages
   - Handle authentication state

4. Testing:
   - Unit tests for all components
   - Integration tests for API endpoints
   - E2E tests for user flows
   - Security testing

5. Documentation:
   - API documentation
   - Component documentation
   - Setup and usage guides

Code Quality Workflows

Automated Code Reviews

Refactoring Workflows

Large-scale refactoring task:
"Refactor the entire user management system to use modern patterns:
- Convert class components to hooks
- Implement proper error boundaries
- Add comprehensive TypeScript types
- Optimize performance with React.memo
- Add proper loading and error states
- Implement pagination for user lists
- Add accessibility improvements
- Update tests to match new structure"

Integration Workflows

CI/CD Pipeline Setup

# Request Cline to create comprehensive CI/CD
name: Full CI/CD Pipeline
on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  test:
    # Unit tests, integration tests, e2e tests
  security:
    # Security scanning, dependency checks
  build:
    # Build applications, create artifacts
  deploy:
    # Deploy to staging/production environments

Third-Party Integrations

Integrate with external services:
- Stripe for payments
- SendGrid for emails
- AWS S3 for file storage
- Redis for caching
- ElasticSearch for search

Add comprehensive monitoring:
- Error tracking with Sentry
- Performance monitoring
- Application metrics
- Health check endpoints
- Logging infrastructure

Best Practices