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11.5 Referencing Documentation

Course: Claude Code - Power User Section: Accessing the Web Video Length: 2-5 minutes Presenter: Daniel Treasure

Opening Hook

"You're using a library or framework and need to understand a specific feature. You could memorize the docs, or you could let Claude fetch the official reference for you—live, in context, right when you need it. This is how modern coding works: ask a question, pull the exact documentation, and keep building."

Key Talking Points

1. Why Reference Documentation Matters

  • Official docs are the source of truth (not StackOverflow, not Medium)
  • API signatures, parameters, and behavior are documented for a reason
  • Breaking changes, deprecations, and new features are tracked in release notes
  • Version-specific docs ensure you're using the right syntax for your version
  • Having the exact reference in chat context beats tab-switching

What to say: "Documentation is your guarantee. It's what the library creators say the code should do. When you're unsure, pull the docs. When you're learning, read the docs. When you're debugging, check the docs first."

What to show on screen: Show the difference between searching Google for a question vs. having the official docs right in your chat. Highlight official docs in search results—those are the ones you want.

2. Finding and Fetching Official Documentation

  • Most libraries have public docs: docs.example.com, example.readthedocs.io, etc.
  • GitHub repos often have documentation in /docs or wiki
  • Official examples are often in the repo README or docs/examples
  • Release notes and changelogs are usually in CHANGELOG.md or releases page
  • Framework docs often have API references, guides, and tutorials

What to say: "WebFetch is perfect for docs. Official documentation is static HTML, no JavaScript tricks, no paywalls. Fetch it once, have it in your context forever."

What to show on screen: Show examples of where official docs live: Node.js (nodejs.org/docs), React (react.dev), Django (docs.djangoproject.com), Rust (doc.rust-lang.org).

3. Using Documentation in Code Workflow

  • Fetch docs when you need to understand an API
  • Extract examples from the docs and build on them
  • Check parameter types and required vs. optional
  • Verify function signatures before writing code
  • Read error documentation when you hit an error
  • Pull migration guides when upgrading dependencies

What to say: "The workflow is simple: 'I need to use this API. Let me fetch the docs. What are the parameters? What does it return? What are common gotchas?' The docs answer all of it."

What to show on screen: Workflow diagram: Question → Fetch docs → Read relevant section → Use the knowledge in code → Done. No tab-switching.

4. Release Notes and Changelogs

  • Track breaking changes between versions
  • Understand what's new in each release
  • Find deprecation warnings before they break your code
  • Discover new features you didn't know existed
  • Plan migrations and upgrades safely

What to say: "Release notes are underrated. Before upgrading a major version, pull the changelog and see what breaks. Save yourself hours of debugging later."

What to show on screen: Example changelogs: Node.js releases, React versions, Next.js major releases. Highlight sections like "Breaking Changes," "New Features," "Deprecations."

Demo Plan

  1. Demo 1: Fetch API Reference
  2. Ask Claude: "Fetch the Node.js fs.readFile() documentation and show me the parameters and return value"
  3. Show the fetch and extracted doc section

  4. Show how this info is immediately usable in code

  5. Demo 2: Check a Changelog

  6. Ask Claude: "Fetch the React 19 release notes and tell me about breaking changes compared to React 18"
  7. Show the relevant sections extracted

  8. Demonstrate how Claude summarizes the migration path

  9. Demo 3: Find an Example

  10. Ask Claude: "Fetch the official Express.js middleware guide and show me how to write custom middleware"
  11. Display the official example
  12. Show how Claude can then build on that example for your specific use case

Code Examples & Commands

Example 1: API Reference Lookup

User: "Fetch the official Python datetime documentation and show me how to format a date as 'YYYY-MM-DD'."

Claude:
1. Fetches Python datetime docs
2. Finds the strftime() method documentation
3. Shows the format codes and example
4. Provides a code snippet: datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d")

Example 2: Breaking Changes Research

User: "Fetch the Next.js 14 release notes. What changed in the App Router from Next.js 13?"

Claude:
1. Fetches Next.js 14 release notes
2. Extracts App Router changes
3. Lists breaking changes, new features, migration steps
4. Provides examples of old vs. new syntax

Example 3: Function Signature Verification

User: "I need to use lodash's debounce function. Fetch the lodash documentation and show me the correct signature and a usage example."

Claude:
1. Fetches lodash docs
2. Finds debounce function
3. Shows: debounce(func, [wait=0], [options={}])
4. Provides working example with callbacks
5. Highlights common pitfalls

Example 4: Error Documentation

User: "I'm getting 'TypeError: Cannot read property x of undefined'. Fetch the JavaScript documentation on this error and common causes."

Claude:
1. Fetches MDN or official docs on TypeError
2. Explains what causes this error
3. Shows common patterns that trigger it
4. Provides examples of how to prevent it

Gotchas & Tips

  • Version Mismatch: Always specify the version you're using. "Fetch React 18 docs" is safer than "Fetch React docs."
  • Outdated Docs: Some docs online are old versions. Check the URL for version indicators or fetch from the current version's site.
  • Site-Specific Documentation: Some frameworks host docs in multiple places. Prefer the official domain (react.dev not react-tutorial.com).
  • Large Reference Pages: API references can be huge. Ask Claude to extract just the section you need: "From the Node fs module docs, show me only the readFile function."
  • Examples vs. Reference: Docs often have both. Specify if you want examples or technical reference.

Pro tip: When learning a new library, fetch the "Getting Started" guide first, then deep-dive into specific API docs as you need them. Don't try to memorize everything upfront.

Lead-out

"Documentation is your foundation. Next, we'll see how to use documentation—and the web in general—to test your applications. Because understanding how something works is one thing. Knowing it actually works is another."

Reference URLs

  • https://nodejs.org/en/docs/
  • https://react.dev/
  • https://docs.djangoproject.com/
  • https://docs.python.org/
  • https://express.js.com/
  • https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/

Prep Reading

  • Identify 2-3 official documentation sites you want to demo with
  • Test fetching different types of docs: API references, release notes, guides
  • Understand how to extract specific sections from large documentation pages
  • Have version-specific questions ready (e.g., "React 19 vs React 18")
  • Prepare a changelog or breaking changes scenario

Notes for Daniel: Emphasize the professionalism here. Using official docs is a sign of a good developer. The message: "Always start with official docs, not blogs or tutorials." The demos should feel like you're solving real problems with official references. Keep the tone respectful toward documentation—it's underrated.