As software developement services, our jobs often involve problem-solving, researching new technologies, documenting code, and more. While experience helps streamline many of these tasks over time, there are still instances where extra help can speed things up or provide a fresh perspective. Enter ChatGPT – an AI assistant created by OpenAi to be helpful, harmless, and honest.
In the dynamic world of software development, developers are constantly seeking ways to enhance productivity and streamline their workflows. One such powerful tool that has gained popularity in recent times is ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI. In this article, We’ll share some real examples of how ChatGPT for developers is helpful into their workflows to improve efficiency and learning. This article explores how developers can leverage ChatGPT to make their jobs easier across various aspects of coding.
As software continues to permeate every industry, the demands on development teams grow more intense. Here at The Right Software, we’re always looking for ways to help our engineers work smarter, not harder. That’s why we’ve been experimenting with an AI assistant called ChatGPT to accelerate and enhance the development process.
CEO Perspective on Using ChatGPT
As the leader of The Right Software, CEO Khuram Javaid believes tools like ChatGPT can drastically improve team productivity if utilized effectively.
He shares:
“As both a CEO and system administrator, ChatGPT assists me with both technical and non-technical tasks. On the technical side, it helps me quickly generate server configuration code snippets for Apache, Nginx, and with Linux commands. This enables faster prototyping compared to searching documentation.
It also streamlines administrative operations like writing contracts, proposals, invoices and summaries – simply by describing the task in natural language. This saves substantial time spent on manual documentation work.
ChatGPT has even helped validate code submitted during interviews, verify regular expressions, and develop testing questionnaires – tasks that would otherwise require significant effort.
Outside work, I enjoy gardening and ChatGPT provides timely guidance on plant nutrition and growing seasons. Overall, its ability to understand explanations in plain English and respond accurately makes it a very useful productivity tool.
While AI assistance does not replace human skills, I believe tools like ChatGPT can massively enhance what we are capable of if applied judiciously. At our company, we plan to continue strategizing innovative ways different roles may leverage conversational AI to work smarter. The potential for increased efficiency and focus on higher value work is significant.“
Generating Server Configurations with ChatGPT
One area where ChatGPT for developers has proven particularly useful is for quickly standing up server environments. Khuram will often have ChatGPT generate base configurations to test ideas before implementing in production.
For example, he recently had a new idea for load balancing across multiple Apache servers:
ChatGPT Prompt: Can you provide an example Apache configuration snippet that demonstrates basic load balancing across two servers with the same content?
ChatGPT: Here is an example that routes half the traffic to each server:
This saves valuable time prototyping versus manually coding and testing configurations from scratch.
Khuram Javaid believes with careful application, teams can maximize their potential through AI augmentation rather than replacement of human tasks.
How is ChatGPT useful for developers-Views from Different Roles:
As developers, we are always trying to optimize our workflows and make our jobs more efficient. With new technologies emerging all the time, it can be difficult to know which ones are actually useful for developers. In this article, I will share how various developers on my team have used ChatGPT in their daily work, and how it has helped make their jobs a bit easier.
Senior Laravel Developer Waqas shares:
I have been using Laravel as my primary backend framework for years now. There are always new packages, features, and best practices evolving in Laravel and it can be hard to keep up with everything. As a senior developer, I often mentor our junior developers and help them with issues they run into. ChatGPT has become a useful resource for quickly getting answers to common questions without having to dig through documentation myself.
For example,
One of our junior deveveloper Irshad recently came to me with an issue deploying a Laravel project to a new server. He had set up the server environment correctly but was getting errors on the deployment. I copied and pasted our conversation into ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: Irshad is trying to deploy a new Laravel project to a server but is getting errors. The server environment seems to be set up correctly with PHP, MySQL, etc. but deploying the project via Git is resulting in errors. Any ideas what could be causing this?
ChatGPT: Here are some things to check for common Laravel deployment errors:
- Ensure the web server user (e.g. www-data) has writable permissions to
storage/ and bootstrap/cache folders - Run
composerinstall andnpminstall on the server to install dependencies - Check for any database migration issues by running
php artisan migrate - Clear config cache with
php artisan config:cacheif using encrypted env variables - Check for any file permission issues preventing deployment
- Try deploying a simple
"Hello World"app to verify it’s not a project-specific issue
I was able to take the suggestions from ChatGPT, diagnose the issue with Irshad, and it turned out to be a file permission problem preventing the deployment. ChatGPT saved us both time by quickly troubleshooting without needing to search documentation. I’ve found it very helpful for getting fast answers to common Laravel issues.
Senior Laravel Developer Yasir also uses ChatGPT:
As a senior developer, I’m often working on large and complex Laravel projects. There is so much functionality needed that it can be difficult to remember all the details offhand for features I may not use frequently. ChatGPT has been great for quickly jogging my memory on implementation details without needing to dig through code examples online.
For example, recently I was working on setting up file uploads for a project and needed to generate URLs for uploaded files. I knew Laravel had functionality for this but couldn’t remember the exact code needed. I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: In Laravel, how do I generate a URL for a stored file so it can be linked to/accessed directly
and here’s the response of ChatGpt:
ChatGPT provided the exact code I needed, saving me from having to search through documentation or old code examples. Being able to quickly get implementation details directly has been very useful when prototyping or working on complex features.
Senior Laravel Developer Taimoor also finds it helpful:
As a senior full-stack developer, I work on both front-end and back-end code. When tackling new front-end frameworks, it can be daunting to learn all the ins and outs. ChatGPT has been great for helping me get up to speed more quickly on frameworks like Vue and React that I may not use as frequently as Laravel.
For example, when starting a new Vue project recently, I needed to implement routing but couldn’t remember the exact Vue router syntax. I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: How do I set up routing in a Vue app using the Vue-router plugin?
ChatGPT: Here is an example of setting up routing in Vue using vue-router:
ChatGPT provided a basic but complete example to jog my memory on how to set up routing. Being able to get quick snippets when learning new frameworks saves a lot of time versus searching documentation.
MERN Stack Developer Haseeb Shares His Experience:
As someone who works primarily with MERN stack technologies, I find ChatGPT extremely helpful for quickly answering questions about JavaScript, React, Node.js, MongoDB and related topics. There is so much evolving in these frameworks that it’s easy to forget some implementation details.
For example, recently when working on a React project, I needed to pass data between components but couldn’t remember the best approach. I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: What are some common ways to pass data between React components?
ChatGPT: Here are some common ways to pass data between React components:
- Props – Pass data from parent to child components via props. Specify as a property on the child component.
- State lifting – Lift shared state to a common ancestor component using useState and pass data down as props.
- Context API – Create a Context with useContext and useState to share data across components without needing to pass props through intermediary levels.
- Redux – Centralized state management library that uses actions and reducers to share state between components.
- Custom hooks – Create reusable hook functions that allow components to share logic without being connected in the component tree.
The main approaches are typically props, state lifting, Context API or Redux depending on the use case and how complex the data sharing needs to be.
This overview of the different data passing techniques helped remind me of the various React patterns and which one may be best suited for my specific needs. Being able to quickly look up implementation details on core front-end skills is extremely valuable.
Laravel Developer Samra Finds it Helpful for Documentation:
As a Laravel developer, the Laravel documentation is extremely helpful but can sometimes be difficult to navigate to find exactly what you need. ChatGPT for developers has proved very useful for formulating effective documentation search queries to quickly surface the relevant information.
For example, recently I was working on setting up file uploads and needed to generate URLs to linked files. I knew this was somehow related to the Laravel Storage documentation but couldn’t find exactly what I was looking for through standard searching. I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: How do I search the Laravel documentation to find information about generating URLs for stored files?
ChatGPT: Try searching the Laravel documentation for terms like:
- “generate url stored file”
- “link stored file”
- “storage facade url”
- “storage path url”
The Storage Facade documentation covers methods like Storage::url() and Storage::path() that can be used to generate URLs and retrieve file paths. You may also find relevant information in the file uploads documentation section.
Being guided to those specific search terms and sections helped me immediately find the documentation pages on the Storage facade URLs, which is what I needed. ChatGPT’s suggestions for effective documentation searches have proved very helpful for quickly navigating Laravel’s extensive online resources.
WordPress Developer Sajjad Shares His Experience:
As someone who works primarily with WordPress, I really appreciate how ChatGPT can help with common questions across the CMS, themes, plugins and various WordPress development needs. There are so many different approaches and best practices that evolve over time, it’s nice to have a quick resource to fall back on.
A recent example was when working on a theme and needing to generate navigation menus dynamically. I knew about the wp_nav_menu() function but couldn’t recall the proper way to assign it in a template. I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: How do I assign a WordPress navigation menu to a template location to display it?
ChatGPT: To assign a WordPress navigation menu to a template location, you use the following steps:
Having the step-by-step process recalled quickly saved me from digging through documentation. ChatGPT is great for WordPress development questions in a pinch.
Designer Adnan Finds it Useful:
As a designer, I don’t work directly in code but often need to understand development workflows and constraints to effectively collaborate with engineers. ChatGPT has been handy for bridging that gap and getting quick technical explanations.
For example, when discussing design specifications for an upcoming feature, one engineer mentioned they wanted to implement infinite scrolling. I wasn’t familiar with how that worked so I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: How is infinite scrolling typically implemented in websites?
ChatGPT: There are a few main approaches to implementing infinite scrolling on websites:
- Load more button/pagination – Show additional content when a “load more” button is clicked. Good for longer pages.
- IntersectionObserver API – Detect when user scrolls to bottom and dynamically load new content. Popular for news/feed displays.
- Virtual scrolling – Render only visible content and placeholders for future items to mimic infinite scroll without loading everything.
- AJAX requests – On scroll, make additional GET requests to load more content into the DOM without a page refresh.
- Pre-render additional pages – Load all content upfront and use CSS/JS to animate scrolling between pre-rendered pages. Better for performance but larger initial payload.
Getting a quick technical overview helped me better visualize how different infinite scrolling solutions could impact the user experience and implementation costs. Being able to efficiently discuss technical concepts is key to collaborative design work.
QA Engineer Arslan Appreciates Testing Help:
As someone in quality assurance, testing applications thoroughly is a core part of my role. ChatGPT has proven quite useful for brainstorming creative test cases when I’m stuck or getting suggestions to cover edge scenarios I may have missed.
For example, while testing a product filtering feature, I wanted to explore more comprehensive test cases but was drawing a blank on complex inputs. So I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: I’m testing a product filtering feature. What are some tricky or edge case test inputs I should use to thoroughly test the filter functionality?
ChatGPT: Here are some ideas for complex test cases to filter functionality:
- Empty/blank filter values
- Very long filter text strings
- Special characters like !@#$%^&*() etc in filters
- Unicode characters in different languages
- Duplicate filter parameters
- Invalid data types for filters (strings in int fields)
- Out of range numbers (negative, very large)
- Empty arrays/objects as filter params
- Filter by unrelated/incorrect fields
- Test sorting order with different filters
- Verify filters work independently and combined
This helped spark interesting edge cases I wouldn’t have thought of like empty inputs, special characters, different languages and unexpected data types. Being able to crowdsource creative testing ideas quickly expands my test coverage.
Flutter Developer Ahmad Nawaz Appreciates Code Examples:
I find ChatGPT immensely helpful for generating code snippets and examples on demand. Flutter is constantly evolving and there’s often new approaches to tackle problems that I don’t have existing template code for in my projects. ChatGPT for developers makes it easy to flesh out examples and prototypes.
A recent case was when exploring a state management package called Riverpod. I wanted to see how to declaratively provide state using a FutureProvider but didn’t have any sample code templates. So I asked ChatGPT:
ChatGPT Prompt: Can you provide an example code snippet showing how to use FutureProvider in Riverpod to declaratively provide future state?
ChatGPT: Here is an example using FutureProvider to declaratively provide future state in Riverpod:
This snippet showed me exactly how to set up FutureProvider and consume it to display async data. Being able to generate quick example code using ChatGPT enables effective prototyping with new Flutter packages and concepts.
Here are my views as a Content Writer finds prompts useful:
Myself Musarat! As a content writer, I regularly need to research and learn about new technical topics to explain them clearly to non-technical audiences. ChatGPT has been very useful for quickly generating example code prompts so I can get a working knowledge even without coding skills.
For instance, when writing a tutorial on building a basic CRUD app with React, I wanted to better understand how to set up routing. So I asked ChatGPT for a sample prompt:
ChatGPT Prompt: Can you provide an example code prompt demonstrating how to set up routing in a basic React app?
ChatGPT: Here is an example React routing code prompt:
Being able to quickly generate code snippets like this allows me to test-run concepts and accurately describe technical processes even without development experience. ChatGPT for developers is extremely useful for bridging that gap as a non-technical writer.
Here are the others experience which shows the usage of ChatGpt
Many developers have found ChatGPT to be a useful tool for various tasks. Here’s an experience shared by one of our Senior Developers on how he uses ChatGPT with examples:
- I use ChatGPT daily to improve my code quality and learn new technologies.
- I use ChatGPT to write utilities functions and classes as well.
- It helps me understand technologies that are new to me.
- I have used ChatGPT to generate documentation for my code, APIs, etc. Then, the documentation can be refined later.
- It helps me analyze logical errors that I might be making. So, I provide a code snippet and explain the problems. It solves the problem within seconds, which makes the development very robust.
- I also use ChatGPT as an assistant during project development, guiding and helping me with best practices and approaches. Since it keeps track of context, it is effortless to just highlight the current problem and it will know the background. And will answer accordingly.
Examples:
- In a project, we had 4 levels of categories and we were importing external data from time to time. But sometimes, one or more categories were missing from the data source. So, integrated ChatGPT 4 in the project to automatically fill in the missing data as a background service.
- Once I used to generate massive dummy data based on a partial of the system’s schema. It scanned the schema diagram and gave me the data.
Coding Example:
ChatGPT Prompt: I have an array of float values with a precision of up to 10 points, now I want to reduce the precision to 2 points only. How do I do it using built-in functions in PHP?
ChatGPT Response:
This shows how ChatGPT for developers can help with tasks like formatting code, answering coding questions, and more.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this article has demonstrated numerous ways that developers across different roles at The Right Software have been leveraging ChatGPT for developers to streamline their workflows and boost productivity. Whether through crowd-sourcing ideas, troubleshooting issues, Learning new skills, or generating code examples – ChatGPT has proven an invaluable resource for augmenting our capabilities.
As AI technologies continue to progress rapidly, it will be increasingly important for companies to strategize how such tools can best empower their teams rather than replace human tasks. At The Right Software, we are committed to exploring innovative applications of conversational AI that allow our people to focus on higher value work.
We also recognize that not every organization has the bandwidth to explore AI use cases themselves. That’s why we now offer ChatGPT consulting services to help other businesses leverage the potential of this amazing technology. Whether you need assistance integrating it into existing processes, training your teams on effective usage, or having our AI experts troubleshoot any issues – we can support your conversational AI adoption journey.
The opportunities for increased productivity, efficiency and innovation through human-AI collaboration are immense. It is an exciting time as we continue finding new ways to work smarter with the help of technologies like ChatGPT. The Right Software aims to be at the forefront of strategizing these partnerships between people and machines.
