Tutorials  

Introduction

Are you tired of copying and pasting code snippets when working with AI assistants like ChatGPT? The good news is that advanced AI coding agents can now create entire projects—files, folder structures, and all—with minimal manual intervention. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to use AI coding tools to build a fully responsive drop-down navigation menu in Next.js. We’ll fetch menu data from WordPress using GraphQL and Apollo Client, and explore two AI-powered code editors: Cursor and Bolt.

What Are AI Coding Agents?

AI coding agents are next-generation tools that can:

  • Generate entire projects with file structures
  • Write and refine code in real time
  • Help debug and optimize existing code

In short, they act like smart coding buddies that reduce the need for back-and-forth copy-pasting. By leveraging large language models such as GPT and Claude, these agents can handle everything from scaffolding a React app to fetching dynamic data from external APIs.

The Real-World Challenge: WordPress Menu in Next.js

For a real-world test, we’ll create a responsive drop-down navigation menu in a Next.js application. The menu items are stored in WordPress, which we’ll query using GraphQL. We’ll then integrate Apollo Client in our Next.js code to pull this data and display it in a stylish, accessible navigation bar.

Tools We’ll Use

  • Next.js: A popular React framework known for performance and full-stack capabilities.
  • WordPress: Our data source, featuring a GraphQL endpoint via WPGraphQL.
  • Apollo Client: For managing GraphQL queries.
  • Cursor and Bolt: AI coding agents that help generate code, structure files, and apply styling.

Why Use AI Coding Agents?

While ChatGPT can assist with short code snippets or explanations, AI agents like Cursor and Bolt can:

  • Reduce the time spent creating boilerplate code
  • Automatically set up folders and files
  • Incorporate libraries, configurations, and dependencies

In many cases, this workflow allows you to work entirely within a single interface, rather than copying code from one window to another.

Experiment 1: Using Cursor AI

Cursor AI is a code editor built on top of Visual Studio Code. It offers features such as:

  • Context-aware code suggestions
  • Integration with various large language models (GPT, Claude, etc.)
  • In-editor AI panel for prompts and code generation

To use Cursor, you:

  • Download and install from Cursor’s official site
  • Sign in or create an account
  • Open a project folder
  • Toggle the AI panel for code generation and suggestions

In our initial run, Cursor automatically created files and folders but:

  • Used TypeScript even though the prompt requested JavaScript
  • Omitted certain project files (e.g., package.json)
  • Produced a menu lacking style and responsiveness

After multiple prompts, attempts to fix styles, and endpoint integration for WPGraphQL, the results improved but still weren’t fully responsive. It underscored the importance of high-quality prompts and step-by-step instructions when working with AI coding tools.

Experiment 2: Using Bolt

Bolt is a browser-based AI agent that can generate and deploy code without installing a separate editor. You simply visit bolt.new, type your prompt, and watch it generate a project. Here’s what we did:

  • Prompt 1: “Create a minimalistic, professional drop-down navigation menu in Next.js using dummy data.”
  • Result: A fully responsive and accessible menu built with SCSS or CSS modules, matching a reference image.
  • Prompt 2: “Fetch menu data from WordPress WPGraphQL endpoint using Apollo Client and replace dummy data.”
  • Result: A working menu that successfully pulled data from WordPress, with minimal manual fixes needed.

Bolt’s code required fewer adjustments, and the styling was close to the reference image on the first try.

Key Takeaways

  • High-Quality Prompts: The more detail and clarity you provide, the better the AI output.
  • Step-by-Step Method: Start with a simple layout using dummy data, then integrate GraphQL or other APIs.
  • Human Oversight: AI can greatly speed up development, but you still need foundational coding knowledge to debug issues and refine the final product.

Conclusion

AI coding agents like Cursor and Bolt can dramatically accelerate your workflow, handle repetitive tasks, and scaffold entire projects in just a few prompts. However, they don’t replace core programming knowledge. If you want to build something more complex than a simple to-do app or a basic game, you still need a solid grasp of key web development concepts.

When used effectively, these AI tools can serve as powerful coding companions—especially for busy developers who want to skip boilerplate setups. Give them a try and see how they fit into your workflow. For more tutorials on AI in web development, stay tuned, and happy coding!