Unleashing the Power of ChatGPT: How to Utilize AI to Write Better Code

Boston
4 min readMar 9, 2023

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As a programmer, you often encounter problems that require research and information to solve. This is where ChatGPT comes in — an AI language model trained by OpenAI that can answer your programming-related questions and provide useful information to help you solve problems and increase your programming efficiency.

ChatGPT is capable of understanding natural language and generating responses that are similar to how a human would respond. This makes it a valuable tool for programmers who need quick answers to their questions without having to spend time searching through documentation or online resources.

Here are some ways you can utilize ChatGPT to increase your programming efficiency:

Getting quick answers to programming questions

If you have a programming question that needs a quick answer, ChatGPT can help. Simply ask your question in natural language, and ChatGPT will generate a response that can help you solve your problem. For example, if you’re stuck on a coding problem, you can ask ChatGPT for help and it can provide you with tips or point you towards resources that can help you solve the problem.

Finding resources for progamming concepts

If you need to learn a new programming concept or technology, ChatGPT can help you find the resources you need to get started. Ask ChatGPT for recommendations on books, tutorials, or videos to help you learn a new programming language or framework. This can save you time searching for resources and help you get started with learning new skills quickly.

Generating code snippets

ChatGPT can also generate code snippets that can help you solve programming problems. Simply describe the problem you’re trying to solve, and ChatGPT can generate code snippets that you can use as a starting point. This can save you time and help you get your code up and running faster.

Here is a prompt that I had fed ChatGPT to help speed up a home project utilizing an Arduino Uno to measure air pressure, humidity, and ambient temperature:

To which it responded:

“Sure! Here’s a basic script for an Arduino Uno weather station using multiple DHT11 and BMP180 sensors:”

#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>
#include <Adafruit_BMP085_U.h>
#include <DHT.h>

#define DHTPIN1 2
#define DHTPIN2 3
#define DHTPIN3 4
#define DHTTYPE DHT11

DHT dht1(DHTPIN1, DHTTYPE);
DHT dht2(DHTPIN2, DHTTYPE);
DHT dht3(DHTPIN3, DHTTYPE);

Adafruit_BMP085_Unified bmp;

void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
dht1.begin();
dht2.begin();
dht3.begin();
bmp.begin();
}

void loop() {
// Read temperature and humidity from DHT11 sensors
float h1 = dht1.readHumidity();
float t1 = dht1.readTemperature();
float h2 = dht2.readHumidity();
float t2 = dht2.readTemperature();
float h3 = dht3.readHumidity();
float t3 = dht3.readTemperature();

// Read temperature and pressure from BMP180 sensor
sensors_event_t event;
bmp.getEvent(&event);
float temp = event.temperature;
float pressure = event.pressure / 100.0F;

// Print sensor readings to serial monitor
Serial.print("DHT1: Humidity = ");
Serial.print(h1);
Serial.print("%, Temperature = ");
Serial.print(t1);
Serial.print("C, ");

Serial.print("DHT2: Humidity = ");
Serial.print(h2);
Serial.print("%, Temperature = ");
Serial.print(t2);
Serial.print("C, ");

Serial.print("DHT3: Humidity = ");
Serial.print(h3);
Serial.print("%, Temperature = ");
Serial.print(t3);
Serial.print("C, ");

Serial.print("BMP180: Temperature = ");
Serial.print(temp);
Serial.print("C, Pressure = ");
Serial.print(pressure);
Serial.println("hPa");

// Wait for 5 seconds before taking the next reading
delay(5000);
}

Maximize efficiency and understanding

The language model can be particularly helpful when it comes to understanding code. In addition to generating code snippets, the model can also provide detailed explanations of the code, making it easier for beginners to understand. For instance, the model might explain the purpose of different lines of code or provide examples of how they can be modified. This can be especially useful when working on complex projects or when trying to debug code. Overall, the language model can be a valuable resource for programmers looking to increase their efficiency and improve their understanding of code.

As an example, let’s consider the code that ChatGPT generated above for an Arduino Uno weather station. After generating the code, the language model also provides the following detailed explanation of how the code works:

“This code includes libraries for the DHT11 sensors, the BMP180 sensor, and the Wire library for I2C communication. It defines the pins for the DHT11 sensors and the type of sensor used. It initializes the sensors in the setup() function and then reads temperature and humidity data from the DHT11 sensors and temperature and pressure data from the BMP180 sensor in the loop() function.

The code then prints the sensor readings to the serial monitor and waits for 5 seconds before taking the next reading. You can modify this code to suit your needs, such as adding LCD displays or other sensors to the weather station.”

Improving code quality

ChatGPT can also help improve the quality of your code. Ask ChatGPT for suggestions on how to optimize your code or make it more efficient. ChatGPT can provide suggestions on best practices, code organization, and more.

In conclusion, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help programmers increase their efficiency and productivity. It can help with getting quick answers to programming questions, finding resources for learning new programming concepts, generating code snippets, and improving the quality of your code. By utilizing ChatGPT, you can save time and become a more efficient programmer.

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Boston
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I have a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering (Hons) at the University of Queensland and am a Graduate Electrical Engineer at Jacobs Solutions.