Can ChatGPT Write Velo Code?

Hey there, web wizards and Wix enthusiasts! Welcome back to Wix Wiz. Today, we're venturing off the beaten path into the intriguing world of artificial intelligence with a particular spotlight on ChatGPT—an AI chatbot that’s been creating quite the buzz. If you’re into website development or even just somewhat keyed into tech trends, you've likely heard whispers (or shouts) about ChatGPT.

Now, you might be asking, "What's the big deal?" Well, people are speculating if this nifty piece of tech could dismantle giants like Google, or reshape the entire coding and web development landscape. So, naturally, I had to see for myself how ChatGPT fares with writing Velo code for Wix.

Today, we're taking this AI powerhouse for a spin through some coding tasks to see if it’s about to make us obsolete—or if it's a handy tool worth having in our coding toolbox. Buckle up, code enthusiasts; it’s time to put ChatGPT to the test with some Velo tasks.

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Setting the Scene: Velo Code Challenges

The objective here is straightforward: engage ChatGPT with some Velo code tasks that range from fairly simple to more complex, things I've covered in tutorials before. These include:

1. Toggling a button.

2. Querying a Wix collection.

3. Creating a custom product page using dynamic pages and data sets.

Let’s see if ChatGPT is capable of tackling these tasks or if it’s sending us down a rabbit hole of JavaScript instead.

Task 1: Toggling a Button

Off we started with a seemingly straightforward task: asking ChatGPT to write a code snippet to toggle a button using Velo in Wix. I greeted the AI with a simple request: “write a code snippet to toggle a button using Velo.”

Now, fair warning here; I’m not an expert at crafting prompts for AI. In fact, there’s probably an art to it—a skill in itself. Sadly, the response was disappointing. Instead of Velo, ChatGPT churned out code for Vue.js, which, as you Wix aficionados know, is miles away from what we needed.

Not to be deterred, I pressed on and clarified: “Do you know what Velo by Wix is?” Again, the results fell short. Even with refined prompts like “write a code snippet to toggle a button in Wix using an onClick event listener,” the AI returned conventional JavaScript rather than Velo-specific code, failing on the very first task. Yikes.

Task 2: Querying a Wix Collection

With the button flop behind us, it was onto querying a Wix collection—a task familiar to anyone who's meddled with databases in Velo. The request: query a Wix collection called "my collection" and find results where the name field is equal to Bob.

Wonder of wonders, CHATGPT nailed it! It imported the right modules and even nailed the query structure, proving that for tasks closely aligned with Wix documentation, this AI has potential. It correctly referenced the documentation and generated usable code. Score!

Encouraged, I dared to probe deeper with a more complex query involving reference fields and conditions akin to a real-world scenario. Alas, here the AI unravelled—missing the mark with deprecated methods and skipping out on vital logical operators. It’s clear that once we traverse beyond 'documentation 101,' ChatGPT starts to struggle.

Task 3: Integrating an External API

For the pièce de résistance, I tasked ChatGPT with integrating an external API into Wix—a common challenge for developers. Specifically, I asked for backend code to call the Marvel API and front-end code to populate a repeater with API data.

Unsurprisingly, this task unraveled the AI. While it offered a rudimentary outline—requesting the right endpoint and conceptually fetching characters—it was littered with erroneous assumptions about authentication and ill-suited methods for handling requests and repeater setups. Better luck next time, right?

Wrapping Up: Is ChatGPT Ready for Web Code Primetime?

While it’s apparent ChatGPT won’t be putting Wix developers out of work just yet, its potential shines through, particularly with tasks grounded in preset documentation structures. It’s an exciting tool that, given time, may evolve into a reliable sidekick for web tasks.

As of now, its application extends more towards specific queries than tackling large-scale or nuanced development tasks. ChatGPT beautifully illustrates its strength in speed, but notably falters when deeper understanding and expertise are required.

The Final Verdict

The future is AI, and tools like ChatGPT promise to be part of our tech landscape—useful for brainstorming, debugging, or guiding novices through initial projects. Yet for those coding mysteries that require nuanced thinking and Wix-specific expertise, the human touch remains unmatched.

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That's all for this adventure, folks! Let me know your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to join NewForm afterward for more amazing opportunities. Until next time—keep coding, keep creating!