I've used it on this side project for:
- A rough crash course in F#. I'll say "what's the equivalent in F# of this C# concept?". It will often explain that there is no direct concept, and give me a number of alternative approaches to use. I'll explain why I'm asking, and it'll walk through the pros/cons of each option.
- Translating about 800 lines of TypeScript JSON schema structures to F#. A 1:1 translation is not possible since TypeScript has some features F# doesn't, so ChatGPT also helped me understand the different options available to me for handling that.
- Translating psuedo-code/algorithms into idiomatic F# as a complete F# beginner. The algorithms involve regex + AST-based code analysis and pattern matching. This is a very iterative process, and usually I ask for one step at a time and make sure that step works before I move onto the next.
- Planning design at a high-level and confirming whether I've thought through all the options carefully enough.
- Adding small features or modifications to working code: I present part of the function plus relevant type definitions, and ask it for a particular change. This is especially useful when I'm tired - even though I could probably figure it out myself, it's easier to ask the bot.
- Understanding F# compiler errors, which are particularly verbose and confusing when you're new to the language. I present the relevant section of code and the compiler error and 90% of the time it tells me exactly what the problem and solution is; 5% of the time we figure it out iteratively. The last 5% tends I have to stumble through myself.
- Confirming whether my F# code is idiomatic and conforming to F# style.
- Yes it makes mistakes. Just like humans. You need to go back and forth a bit. You need to know what you're doing and what you want to achieve; it's a tool, not magic.
Note: this is the commercial product, ChatGPT-4. If you're using the free ChatGPT 3.5, you will not be anywhere near as productive.