There’s no doubt about it: ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. People all over the world use this handy AI chatbot for various tasks, from translating texts to creating content. It’s even given Google a run for its money.
Therefore, it is not surprising that ChatGPT can also write code. Some programmers are delighted by the opportunity to spend less time and effort coding. Others, however, fear how this tool will affect their work and the industry.
No matter what category you fall into, ChatGPT can certainly make your job easier. That is, if you know how to properly instruct the chatbot and what errors to expect.
This article has all the details.
How to write code using ChatGPT
Having tested ChatGPT extensively, programmers around the world established that the AI chatbot is familiar with the most popular programming languages. JavaScript, C#, Python, PHP and the list can go on and on.
Sure, you can use this tool to write code from scratch. However, this is only a fraction of ChatGPT’s encoding capabilities.
Here you’ll find everything you can do with ChatGPT when it comes to coding, including helpful tips to get started.
Write new code
Writing code from scratch is one of the notable uses of ChatGPT in programming. But before you plan to outsource every part of writing code to this tool, you should consider some of the limitations of ChatGPT.
You may be disappointed if you expect ChatGPT to deliver complex code without syntax errors. For now, the chatbot has only proven useful for writing simple code with clear and concise instructions. If you overwhelm ChatGPT with detailed instructions and requests, you’ll probably end up with bad code, often containing completely made-up parts.
To avoid wasting time (since the goal is to save it!), you should use ChatGPT to write basic code, such as WordPress plugins. Alternatively, you can break down a complex project into more manageable tasks and ask your AI friend to help you with them.
Here’s how to ask ChatGPT to write new code:
“Act like a [specific coding job]. write code for [concisely describe the purpose of the code and what it should include].”
If you need code for a specific technology stack, your ChatGPT message should reflect that.
This is how you can activate ChatGPT correctly:
“Act like a [specific coding job]. You are writing code for the next technology stack [list the technologies used]. Write [clearly state what you need to build and what each element should accomplish].”
Debug existing codes
In addition to writing new code, ChatGPT can help you fix existing ones. Instead of racking your brain over why your code isn’t working, you can simply ask the chatbot the following question:
“This code does not work as expected: [paste the problematic code]. How can i fix it?”
ChatGPT will take a few seconds to detect any errors, from misplaced brackets to logical errors. The AI assistant will explain why the detected error is a problem and suggest ways to fix it.
Sometimes you may be asked to provide more context. If that’s the case, just add what you’re trying to achieve with your code.
Another way to approach debugging existing code is to paste the error message and request a fix. The message should be something like this:
“I am getting the following error in my code: [paste the error]. How do I solve it?
As before, you may need to answer some questions about the language, libraries, frameworks, and servers you used while coding. This will help ChatGPT focus on the problem.
Improve existing codes
Your code can work and still not be the best version possible. So even if you are satisfied, you can ask ChatGPT to optimize it. There are two ways to do it:
- “This is my code: [paste your code]. How can I optimize it?
- “Generate an optimized version of this code: [paste your code].”
In addition to providing an optimized result, ChatGPT will usually list what was wrong with your original code and what actions you had to take to optimize it.
And do not worry; This process will not change the behavior or functionality of your code. It will only improve its design and structure.
Simplified code
Programmers often have to deal with huge and somewhat unsightly blocks of text when coding. Fortunately, this does not always have to be the case. If you have written code that is too complex, you can ask ChatGPT to simplify it.
With a few tweaks here and there, your code will be easier to maintain, test, scale, optimize, and many other things you’ll probably need to do at some point.
Asking ChatGPT to simplify the code is, well, simple. You can use this template:
“Simplify the following code as much as possible: [paste your code].”
The new (and improved) code will be followed by an explanation of what was changed and why.
Translate code
Have you ever looked for a solution to a particular problem and found it in another programming language? If so, your problems end here.
With ChatGPT, you can translate (or transfer) your code from one language to another with great accuracy.
The translation message is relatively simple and goes like this:
“Translate the following code from [original programming language] to [target programming language]: [paste your code].”
Writing code documentation
Although programmers often find it tedious or challenging, code documentation is vital to software development. The good news is that you can trust your AI partner with this task as well.
Again, ChatGPT’s message is simple:
“Write documentation for this code: [paste your code].”
Of course, ChatGPT will produce such documentation (in great detail, we might add). But you can also expect some examples of code usage as a little added bonus.
If you want to put the documentation online, your message should look like this:
“Write documentation for this code: [paste your code] in HTML format.
Explaining the code
If you are a beginner, you may have found some mysterious codes on platforms like StackOverflow. You don’t understand the code, so you don’t know if it’s useful to you. This is where ChatGPT can help.
While you don’t write code per se, this functionality can help you get better at coding. Once you understand complicated code, you’ll be one step closer to writing one yourself.
All you need to do is copy the code that’s puzzling you and ask ChatGPT the following question:
“What does this code do? [paste your code]”
The AI chatbot will provide a detailed explanation that can help you incorporate similar codes into your arsenal.
Your AI-powered coding assistant
As valuable as ChatGPT is for coding, you shouldn’t expect it to do all the work. After all, the tool only has as much knowledge as its training data allows. This means that you can expect ChatGPT to make mistakes. And that’s if we put it lightly.
If not used correctly, ChatGPT can produce absolutely unusable strings of letters and numbers.
So, think of ChatGPT as your coding assistant. It can give you a lot of useful information, help you spot gaps, and cover the basics. The rest is up to you.
