[#682] Samples Parity: Align .NET and python agent-framework samples

[Cecilia Avila (ceciliaavila)]

Addresses #682

This pull request introduces several improvements and refinements to both the .NET and Python agent-framework samples. The main enhancements include a friendlier and more descriptive user experience, improved error handling, streamlined weather lookup logic, and updated documentation and configuration for easier setup and testing.

Key changes:

.NET Weather Agent Improvements

• Enhanced the weather agent's welcome message with a cat emoji and clarified instructions for users.
• Improved error handling in WeatherAgent.cs by catching exceptions during agent execution and sending a user-friendly error message if weather retrieval fails.
• Refactored and simplified the WeatherLookupTool:
  • Added a new DailyForecast record for structured forecast responses.
  • Combined and streamlined current weather and forecast retrieval methods, with better progress reporting and error feedback to users.
  • Improved API key management and error messages for missing configuration.
• Updated Teams app manifest and bot command hints:
  • Changed the bot's name and description to better reflect its weather focus and cat theme.
  • Updated compose box commands to "Current weather" and "5-day forecast" for clarity.
  • Removed unused compose extensions. [1] [2] [3]
• Commented out transcript logging middleware by default for easier local testing.

Python Weather Agent & Documentation Updates

• Clarified that conversation history is capped at 10 messages and is serializable per conversation.
• Updated model deployment and configuration instructions to use gpt-4.1-mini instead of gpt-4o, and simplified the setup for local testing by enabling anonymous access by default. [1] [2] [3]
• Improved quickstart and playground instructions for easier onboarding and local testing, including direct command-line examples and clarification on authentication requirements.
• Updated the project structure documentation to include the new progress.py tool for reporting progress.

These changes collectively make the weather agent samples more user-friendly, robust, and easier to set up and test locally.

Testing

These images show the two samples with similar behavior for normal responses and error handling.

[Copilot]

🟡 Changes recommended

Unresolved moderate issues remain in cancellation handling, forecast lookup resilience, duplicate error reporting, and persisted session-history trimming.

Get a fresh assessment by requesting another Copilot review.

Pull request overview

Aligns the .NET and Python agent-framework weather samples with improved forecasting, progress reporting, error handling, configuration, and documentation.

Changes:

• Adds structured forecasts and progress updates.
• Improves Python session handling and local setup guidance.
• Updates .NET Teams metadata, commands, and error handling.

File summaries

File	Summary and final review comments
samples/python/agent-framework/src/tools/weather_lookup.py	Refines weather and forecast lookup logic.
samples/python/agent-framework/src/tools/progress.py	Adds progress reporting.
samples/python/agent-framework/src/agent.py	Adds session persistence. Moderate (1 vote): persisted history can grow without bound despite the documented cap; trim persisted state or add a storage policy.
samples/python/agent-framework/README.md	Updates setup, testing, and session documentation.
samples/python/agent-framework/env.TEMPLATE	Updates model and anonymous-access defaults.
samples/dotnet/Agent Framework/Tools/WeatherLookupTool.cs	Adds structured forecasts and progress handling. Moderate (2 votes): forecast lookup unnecessarily depends on a separate current-weather request. Nit (2 votes): shared errors incorrectly say the forecast failed for current-weather requests. Moderate (1 vote): helper and caller can emit duplicate user-facing errors.
samples/dotnet/Agent Framework/README.md	Updates command documentation.
samples/dotnet/Agent Framework/Program.cs	Disables transcript logging by default.
samples/dotnet/Agent Framework/appPackage/manifest.json	Updates weather-focused branding and commands.
samples/dotnet/Agent Framework/Agent/WeatherAgent.cs	Updates the welcome message and exception handling. Moderate (2 votes): cancellation exceptions should be rethrown before the general exception handler to avoid masking cancellation or causing a second failure.

Review details

Suppressed comments (2)

samples/dotnet/Agent Framework/Tools/WeatherLookupTool.cs:163

• This helper sends a user-facing error before the calling method throws; WeatherAgent.OnMessageAsync then catches that exception and queues another generic error at lines 84-88. Invalid locations can therefore produce two error messages. Keep the user-facing error in one layer, either by removing this send or by handling the exception without re-queueing another message.

            if (turnContext.Activity.ChannelId.Channel?.Contains(Channels.Webchat) == true)
            {
                await turnContext.SendActivityAsync(friendlyError).ConfigureAwait(false);
            }
            else

samples/python/agent-framework/src/agent.py:77

• The before_strategy only limits the messages sent to the model; it does not evict older messages from HISTORY/session.state. Because line 149 serializes that state on every turn, long-running conversations still grow without bound even though the README describes a capped history. Add a storage/after-compaction policy, or trim the persisted state before serialization, if the 10-group cap is meant to apply to sessions as well.

CONTEXT_COMPACTION = CompactionProvider(
    before_strategy=SlidingWindowStrategy(
        keep_last_groups=10,
        preserve_system=True,
    ),

• Files reviewed: 10/10 changed files
• Comments generated: 3
• Review effort level: Lite

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