Debugging and Code Review

Fixing bugs is often harder than writing code. ChatGPT's ability to "Explain" things makes it an incredible tool for finding logic errors.

1. The "Error Message" Fix

Don't just paste code. Paste the Error Message too.

• "Here is my Python code and the traceback error I'm getting. Why is the KeyError happening on line 42?"

2. Code Review for Performance

Ask the AI to find "anti-patterns" or slow code.

• "Act as a Senior Performance Engineer. Review my SQL query for 'N+1 problems'. Suggest a way to optimize it for a database with 1 million records."

graph TD
    Bug[Bug Spotted] --> Input[Paste Code + Error]
    Input --> Think[ChatGPT Analysis]
    Think --> Fix[Suggested Fix]
    Fix --> Test[Human Test]
    Test -->|Fail| More[Add More Traceback]

3. Refactoring

Clean code is easier to maintain.

• "Refactor this long 'if/else' chain into a cleaner 'switch' or 'match' statement in Python 3.10."

4. Security Audits

• "Are there any SQL Injection vulnerabilities in this PHP script? If so, show me how to fix them using Prepared Statements."

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Hands-on: The Broken Script

1. Intentionally break a script (e.g., remove a colon or misspell a variable).
2. Paste it into ChatGPT and ask: "Find the bug in this script and explain WHY it was a bug."

Understanding the "Why" is how you grow as a developer.

Key Takeaways

• Context is King: Always provide the Error Message.
• Ask for Optimizations, not just fixes.
• Use AI to learn from your mistakes.