In search of the needle in the code haystack
Anyone who has ever programmed a website knows how much time can be wasted tracking down errors in PHP or CSS code. In recent months, however, the emergence of generative AI has opened up new opportunities. It almost looks as if the increase in efficiency conjured up by digitalisation apologists is actually becoming a reality. At least when it comes to creating and maintaining WordPress websites, ChatGPT’s “programming skills” are already useful in several respects:
1. Code-Generation
ChatGPT can be used to generate code snippets based on requirements entered “in prose”. This saves time for WordPress developers. They can efficiently generate code for custom themes and plugins or bug fixes for existing code. The description of the problem is sufficient to obtain the required code including explanations of the functionality.
2. Code-Optimisation
ChatGPT can also review existing code and suggest optimisations (in real time) to improve performance or adhere to best practices. This feature is useful for maintaining an efficient and optimised codebase in WordPress, which contributes to better website performance and easier maintenance.
3. Learning and troubleshooting aid
For anyone new to programming WordPress sites, ChatGPT is a learning aid. It can explain complex concepts and WordPress code or help with debugging code by providing insightful error analyses. By interacting with ChatGPT, developers can not only correct their code but also improve their understanding, making it a valuable tool for continuous learning.
Maybe I should give him a name. Henry? James?
Boring standard tasks
4. Creation of documentation
The programme also does a good job of creating clean documentation – even automatically if required.
So will the construction of websites be done by machines in the future? My clear answer is “no”. The integration of ChatGPT can certainly speed up the development workflow for many projects because it tends to take over boring standard tasks. For developers, this only means one thing: they can move on to the next chapter and tackle the many unsolved problems.
For me, ChatGPT has developed into a “code butler” that is always ready for action, usually helpful and therefore much appreciated. Perhaps I should give him a name. Henry? James?