Artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to automate repetitive tasks to help developers save time and improve the quality of their code. One of the most widely used AI tools by developers today is ChatGPT, a natural language model based on the GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 architecture with a subscription.
ChatGPT for developers, can understand natural language and generating relevant answers to questions asked. In this article, we will explore the different ways in which developers can use ChatGPT for various tasks related to software development and especially how it will help them to improve their productivity.
Ask ChatGPT to generate code quickly to avoid repetitive tasks. Explain to it what you want, in the language you want and even in the version of the language we need. This saves time and, in a few seconds, ChatGPT can create the starting architectures for your project.
Every good developer faces error logs several times a day. Sometimes those twenty or fifty lines are hard to read and it’s hard to quickly define what’s important and what is not. Take your error lines, copy them into ChatGPT and it can help you find exactly where the error is and correct it. All the human time for contextualization, understanding and analysis is reduced to a few seconds thanks to artificial intelligence.
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Use ChatGPT to analyze the performance of your code or to find bugs. ChatGPT will analyze how the code works according to the framework and the language to then propose methodologies to apply to improve the code. Beware, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence that can have flaws. If you find errors in its answers, do not hesitate to challenge it by mentioning that its answers are wrong. Sometimes, it will admit its mistakes, and this will allow it to propose a new correct answer, this time. If you want to optimize your code while keeping it readable, you can ask ChatGPT by submitting your lines of code. Then, ask him: “can you optimize these lines of code? However, I would still like to keep the code easily readable”. He will be able to recommend you a final solution with readable and efficient code!
ChatGPT can allow you to translate from one language to another. ChatGPT is trained on many languages, and it is very useful to convert from one language to another. The conversion is done in a few seconds and saves precious time! If you are not completely sure which language to use at first, ask ChatGPT.
Readability in code is important. If you enter an old project or if you have to work on very complex code, you can ask ChatGPT to help you. You can copy/paste your code, ask it to analyze these lines of code, to explain them to you and to add comments to better understand them. Don’t be surprised by the efficiency of ChatGPT, which in addition to giving you your answers, will also tell you about the security issues it has found in the code.
Right now, with the ever-increasing rules on data privacy, security is extremely important. Not being vigilant about it can be very problematic. Take your lines of code and send them to ChatGPT. Then ask it: “Tell me where my potential flaws are? ” It will show you the possible flaws and educate you to avoid these errors again. ChatGPT is a free tool (US$20 for the advanced version), so don’t miss out on what can help you increase the security of your applications!
Unit tests are a category of tests that must be performed on the code you generate in order to try to limit problems over time. As a real insurance policy, this task is essential but requires a lot of time from the development teams. ChatGPT allows you to generate it very quickly and save you a lot of time. Moreover, it will allow you to reduce programming errors over time.
ChatGPT understands the code but is also able to document it. This use case is extremely convenient, especially when complemented with a tool like Copilot. It becomes convenient when writing documentation to go through an IDE (Integrated Development Environment). It allows us to self-complete the documentation very quickly. Moreover, ChatGPT is available in French as well as in English, which is very useful to limit spelling mistakes. Indeed, sometimes in the teams you can have people who do not speak the same language, some are more comfortable in French and others in English, so it is possible to make your documentation bilingual or even multilingual in order to allow the greatest number to understand it.
Let’s dive into the future with GPT-4’s image analysis and generation. Imagine being able to draw on a simple sheet of paper a mock-up of the web interface you want to create. Take a picture of your design with a phone and submit it to ChatGPT-4. The artificial intelligence will use your picture to generate the code and execute it to create your site. All this is obviously done in seconds, where your development teams would have taken considerable time to understand the expected layout and execute it. This option is not yet available to the public at the moment but it will come in the near future. In addition, ChatGPT can be called upon for its artistic eye: if you have an email to write, you can ask it to create CSS to make your email look more professional. Microsoft has launched the Designer product, which is currently available in beta. This tool integrates DALL-E 2 backwards with all the power of OpenAI that goes with it. It will allow you to create visuals from text queries. Test it: in order to test Microsoft Designer, send it a picture of a winter landscape and ask it: “Can you transfer this winter landscape into a summer landscape? The result is so detailed that it looks like a photo taken by a professional. If you want to test this tool, sign up on the Microsoft designer waitlist.
Regular expressions or regexes can be defined by the following explanation: Imagine having a large bag full of puzzle pieces. Our goal is to find the pieces that match certain criteria, for example: a puzzle piece with an art drawing on it, another one with pieces of bricks on it, or a last one with a drawing of a bicycle at the bottom right of the puzzle piece. A regex is a piece of code that will allow you to filter these puzzle pieces, so you can quickly find the pieces you need. Best of all, ChatGPT can also create regexes based on specific developer needs. The tool can be very useful because it can take this information and explain these regexes to you in simplified human language. You won’t have to spend hours on these tasks.
Copilot is a tool that connects directly to the development environments of your technical teams. The connected tool allows you to auto-complete code for your developers. Called an auto-completion tool, it allows you to generate code by considering the coding style of your teams and your context. These superpowers will make the daily life of your developer teams easier and allow them to increase their productivity. Moreover, Microsoft has announced Copilot X, which promises to be very powerful because it will allow you to analyze a very large amount of code whereas GPT-3.5 was limited to 5000 tokens. If you want, you can subscribe to the Copilot X waitlist.
ChatGPT has proven to be a versatile tool that can significantly enhance the software development process. From automating repetitive tasks to providing intelligent code suggestions, its applications are vast and impactful. As developers continue to explore and integrate AI into their workflows, tools like ChatGPT will play a crucial role in boosting productivity, improving code quality, and fostering innovation. By leveraging these 10 concrete use cases, developers can not only streamline their processes but also unlock new opportunities for growth and efficiency in their projects.
If you’re interested in further enhancing your business through technology, consider the advantages of acquiring custom software. Custom solutions are tailored to meet your specific business needs, providing flexibility, scalability, and a competitive edge. To learn more about how custom software can benefit your business, check out our detailed article: The 6 Advantages of Acquiring Custom Software in a Business.
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