Full-Stack Pairing Interview (Django + Vanilla JS)

This repository is intentionally scaffolded for a pairing interview.

The setup works out of the box, but tests are currently failing by design.

Candidates should get all tests to pass.

Stack

• Backend: Django + SQLite
• Frontend: Vanilla JavaScript + Vitest

Interview Tasks

Task order for this round:

1. Frontend test 1: Implement arrayToObject in frontend/src/01-array-to-object.js.

   • Convert an array of objects into an object keyed by id.
   • Preserve all non-id properties in each value.
   • Use null when an item only has id and no additional properties.
   • Handle empty arrays.

2. Backend test 1: Implement xml_file_count in backend/interview_app/models.py and related workflow logic.

   • Add xml_file_count to User.
   • Count only associated File records with file_type="xml".
   • Keep the field updated when File records are created, updated, or deleted.
   • Ensure tests in backend/interview_app/test_01_xml_file_counter.py pass.

3. Frontend test 2: Implement createDebouncedSearch in frontend/src/02-debounced-search.js.

   • Input should initialize from searchValue.
   • Input should update when searchValue changes.
   • Search should be debounced and call onSearch with latest input.
   • Show a loading indicator while async search is in progress.
   • Support lifecycle-like behavior via returned update and destroy methods.

Run backend tests:

cd backend
python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python manage.py test

Run frontend tests:

cd frontend
npm install
npm test

Optional local run

Backend API server:

cd backend
python manage.py runserver

Frontend app:

cd frontend
npm start