Verbosity Modes
Every solution in CodeAndSystem.ai comes with a verbosity setting that controls how much explanation you see. You can change this at any time — per mode (Coding vs. System Design) and per solve.
The Three Levels
Clean
Just the code. No explanation, no complexity analysis, no comments beyond what is structurally necessary. Use this when you are in a live interview and need a working solution fast, or when you want to reverse-engineer the approach yourself.
Normal
A balanced breakdown: the approach in plain language, time and space complexity, edge case analysis, and the working solution with inline comments. This is the default and works well for most daily use.
Explanatory
Line-by-line teaching. Every decision is explained: why this data structure, why this traversal order, how the constraints shape the approach, what would break if you changed an assumption. Explanatory mode connects the specific problem you are looking at to the underlying pattern — you see how "use a sliding window" becomes concrete implementation steps for this problem, with these constraints.
When to Use Each Mode
| Mode | Best for |
|---|---|
| Clean | Live interviews, speed runs, testing your own understanding |
| Normal | Daily practice, code review, debugging |
| Explanatory | Learning a new pattern, studying unfamiliar problem types, deep practice |
A Study Workflow
If you are using CodeAndSystem.ai to learn (not just to get answers), here is a workflow that works:
- Attempt the problem yourself first. Spend 15-20 minutes. Write whatever you can.
- Capture in Explanatory mode. Read the full breakdown. Understand why each step exists.
- Close the solution. Re-attempt the problem from scratch without looking at the answer.
- The next day, try a similar problem. Use Normal mode this time. See if you can anticipate the approach before reading it.
- On the third attempt, use Clean mode. If you can read the code and understand why it works without explanation, the pattern has stuck.
This progression — Explanatory to Normal to Clean — mirrors how learning works: guided instruction, then scaffolded practice, then independent recall.
Verbosity and System Design
Explanatory mode works for system design too. Instead of line-by-line code explanation, you get:
- Why this architecture fits the stated requirements
- How the capacity estimates were derived from the constraints
- Trade-offs between design choices (SQL vs. NoSQL, push vs. pull, cache placement)
- What would need to change if the requirements scaled 10x
Changing Verbosity
Open Settings > Solution and set the verbosity level independently for Coding mode and System Design mode. You can also change it before any individual solve without affecting your default.