discuss Using Free AI Chat to Develop an APP With NO Coding Experience?

[Eric Lyon]

Today, I became curious about how advanced all the free version AI Chats are and decided to research a little regarding the ability to create an APP from the ground up with very little to no coding experience (I haven't tried it yet myself). There appears to still be a learning curve, but my findings were interesting, to say the least.

Let's dive right in to see what I found...

Bellow is a guide on how you can create an app or software with little to no coding experience by leveraging AI chat tools like GitHub Copilot, Gemini, or Grok. While these AI assistants can generate and suggest code, the process still benefits from a bit of planning and iterative learning.

1. Define Your Idea and Goals​

• Clarify the Purpose: Write down the problem you want your app to solve or the functionality you want to offer. For example, maybe you’re dreaming of a simple to-do list, a budget tracker, or a weather app.
• List the Features: Detail the key features. If you’re building a to-do app, you might need an interface to add tasks, mark them as complete, and delete them.
• Sketch a Rough Outline: Even simple flow diagrams or lists can help you visualize how you want the app to work—from the user interface to the backend processes.

2. Familiarize Yourself with Basic Concepts​

• Understand the Stack (At a High Level): You don’t need to become an expert in coding, but it’s useful to know that an app typically has a front end (the part users interact with) and sometimes a back end (which manages data, logic, and storage).
• Learn the Terminology: Spend a little time getting familiar with common terms (like “function,” “API,” or “database”) through short tutorials online. You can ask the AI chat for explanations, e.g., “Can you explain what an API is in simple terms?”

3. Choose Your Development Environment​

• Code Editor with AI Support: Tools like Visual Studio Code are great because they support extensions like GitHub Copilot. These extensions help generate code based on your comments and prompts.
• No-Code/Low-Code Platforms: If you’re not ready to dive into code, consider platforms like Bubble, Adalo, or Glide. Some of these platforms integrate AI features or provide guided workflows that simplify the development process.

4. Outline What You Want in Plain Language​

• Specify Requirements in Comments: Begin by writing a “commentized” version of your app in your code editor.
  • Maybe something like:
    javascript
    // I need a function that accepts a task input from the user and adds it to a visible list.
    
    This helps you organize your thoughts and gives the AI a clear instruction.
• Ask the AI to Generate the Code: Input your comment and let the AI assistant (like Copilot) suggest code. You can say things such as, “Generate a JavaScript function that does this” or “How can I build an input form in HTML for this purpose?”

5. Iterate with AI Assistance​

• Test and Modify: Once the AI generates some code, run your project in your development environment. If something doesn’t work as expected, ask the AI, “I’m getting an error on line X, what might be wrong?” or “How do I refine this function so it works as intended?”
• Learn as You Go: Even if you don’t plan on becoming a full-time developer, spending even a little time reviewing the AI-generated code can help you understand the basics. Ask follow-up questions like, “What does this line of code do?” or “Can you explain how this function works?”

6. Expand Your App’s Features​

• Break Down Additional Tasks: As your app evolves, outline new features in plain language. For example, “Now I need to add a delete button that removes a task from the list.” Then, ask the AI to generate the necessary code or even to integrate with a simple database if needed.
• Integrate Iteratively: Build your app feature-by-feature rather than trying to code the entire app at once. This iterative approach allows you to test each module, understand the code better, and refine it with the AI’s help.

7. Learn Deployment Basics​

• Choose a Deployment Platform: Once your code is functional, deploy your app so others can use it. Platforms like Heroku, Netlify, or Firebase often have simple, guided deployment processes.
• Ask for Deployment Guidance: You can ask your AI chat, “How do I deploy a simple web app on Netlify?” and get step-by-step instructions tailored to your project.

8. Refine and Iterate​

• Solicit Feedback: Use the working app as a learning tool. Test its features, get user feedback, or run through different scenarios to see where improvements can be made.
• Use the AI as Your Continuous Partner: Whether you need help adding a feature, optimizing the code, or turning a bug into a solution, keep engaging with your AI. This approach doesn’t just get you a ready-to-use app, it also helps you build confidence in understanding how your app works.

A Few Additional Tips:​

• Start Small: Begin with a minimal viable product (MVP). Let the app’s first version have a few core features. Expand once you’re comfortable.
• Use Online Resources: There are tons of tutorials, forums, and community examples. If the AI gives you a piece of code you don’t understand, search for simple explanations online. This will help bridge the gap between AI-generated code and your understanding.
• Consistency is Key: Make gradual improvements to your app over time. The iterative process builds your competence and your project simultaneously.

By following these steps, even someone with no coding background might be able to move from idea to a functioning app. With AI chat assistants as your guide, ready to generate code, debug, and explain, it becomes less about writing code from scratch and more about shaping your vision into reality.

Personally, I have not tried to create an app with AI Assistance yet, but my findings so far made sense.

Has anyone tried to actually create an app with no coding knowledge using an AI Assistant?
If so, what was your experience and results?

Has anyone tried to fix an existing OpenSource app or software with broken code or errors using an AI Assistant?
If so, what was your experience and results?

Please, share your thoughts and experiences with this type of AI usage.

Am I on the right track?

 

[marijuanadomain]

Is there script I can use to automate a website about a directory of restaurants in an area like Miami
Please let me know
Thanks

 

[Eric Lyon]

Is there script I can use to automate a website about a directory of restaurants in an area like Miami
Please let me know
Thanks

That might be interesting...

I asked CoPilot the following:

create a .php script that can harvest all restaurant location information in Miami, Florida and populate an .html based directory.

I'm sure, i should have included some more data in my request, but it was a quick test to see what it would do.

Here was the results:​

<~~~CoPilot Reply - Start~~~>

Below is an example PHP script that demonstrates one approach to harvesting restaurant data and then generating an HTML directory. Important: Before using or modifying this script, please ensure you have explicit permission to scrape data from any website you target. Unauthorized harvesting may violate a website’s terms of service or local laws. This example is intended for educational purposes only.

In this example, the script uses PHP’s cURL functions to retrieve HTML from a target URL, loads the HTML into a DOMDocument, uses XPath to extract restaurant names and addresses, and then builds a simple styled HTML output saved to a file. (Keep in mind that you’ll need to adjust the URL and the XPath queries to match the actual structure of the website you’re working with.)

<?php
// DISCLAIMER: This script is for educational purposes only.
// Make sure you have permission to access and scrape data from the target website.
// Unauthorized scraping may violate the site's terms of service or local laws.

//////////////////////////////
// Step 1: Define the target URL
//////////////////////////////
// Replace this URL with the actual page that lists restaurants in Miami, Florida.
$url = 'https://example.com/miami-restaurants';

//////////////////////////////
// Step 2: Fetch the HTML content using cURL
//////////////////////////////
$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, $url);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
$response = curl_exec($ch);

if (curl_errno($ch)) {
    die("cURL error: " . curl_error($ch));
}
curl_close($ch);

if (!$response) {
    die("No data retrieved from the URL.");
}

//////////////////////////////
// Step 3: Parse HTML and extract restaurant info
//////////////////////////////
// Load the HTML into a DOMDocument
libxml_use_internal_errors(true);
$doc = new DOMDocument();
$doc->loadHTML($response);
libxml_clear_errors();

// Create an XPath query object
$xpath = new DOMXPath($doc);

// NOTE: The XPath below assumes the restaurant information is structured as follows:
// Each restaurant is contained in a <div class="restaurant"> element,
// with the restaurant name inside an <h2> element and the address in a <p class="address">.
// You MUST adjust these queries based on the actual HTML structure of your target website.
$restaurantNodes = $xpath->query("//div[contains(@class, 'restaurant')]");

$restaurants = [];

foreach ($restaurantNodes as $node) {
    // Grab the restaurant name.
    $nameNode = $xpath->query(".//h2", $node);
    $name = ($nameNode->length > 0) ? trim($nameNode->item(0)->nodeValue) : "Unknown Name";
   
    // Grab the restaurant address.
    $addressNode = $xpath->query(".//p[contains(@class, 'address')]", $node);
    $address = ($addressNode->length > 0) ? trim($addressNode->item(0)->nodeValue) : "Address not available";
   
    $restaurants[] = [
        'name'    => $name,
        'address' => $address,
    ];
}

//////////////////////////////
// Step 4: Generate HTML directory
//////////////////////////////
$htmlOutput = '<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <title>Miami Restaurants Directory</title>
    <style>
        body {
            font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
            margin: 40px;
            background-color: #f4f4f4;
        }
        h1 {
            color: #333;
        }
        .restaurant {
            background: #fff;
            padding: 15px;
            margin-bottom: 10px;
            border-radius: 5px;
            box-shadow: 0 2px 5px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
        }
        .restaurant h2 {
            margin: 0 0 5px;
        }
        .restaurant p {
            margin: 0;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Miami Restaurants Directory</h1>';

if (!empty($restaurants)) {
    foreach ($restaurants as $restaurant) {
        $htmlOutput .= '<div class="restaurant">';
        $htmlOutput .= '<h2>' . htmlspecialchars($restaurant['name']) . '</h2>';
        $htmlOutput .= '<p>' . htmlspecialchars($restaurant['address']) . '</p>';
        $htmlOutput .= '</div>';
    }
} else {
    $htmlOutput .= '<p>No restaurant information was found. Please check your XPath queries and source URL.</p>';
}

$htmlOutput .= '
</body>
</html>';

//////////////////////////////
// Step 5: Save the directory as an HTML file
//////////////////////////////
$fileSaved = file_put_contents('miami_restaurants_directory.html', $htmlOutput);

if ($fileSaved === false) {
    die("Failed to write the HTML file.");
}

echo "The 'miami_restaurants_directory.html' file has been generated successfully.";
?>

A Few Additional Considerations​

1. Adjust the XPath Queries: The code assumes that each restaurant’s details lie within a <div> element with a class that includes "restaurant", with its name inside an <h2> and address in a <p> tagged with a class "address". In reality, you'll likely need to inspect the HTML of your target website (using a browser’s developer tools) and adjust these queries accordingly.
2. Respect Robots.txt and Terms of Service: Always review the website’s robots.txt file and terms of service. Use official APIs if available—for example, many directories offer public APIs—to ensure that your data collection is permitted.
3. Error Handling and Logging: For production code, consider more robust error handling and possibly logging errors rather than using die(). This script is simplistic for demonstration.
4. Scaling and Performance: If you plan to harvest a large amount of data or scrape multiple pages, you may need to implement delays between requests (throttling) and consider asynchronous processing to avoid overloading the target server.

This example offers a foundation for your project. If you’d like to expand it further—perhaps by adding pagination handling, integrating additional data fields (like phone numbers or website URLs), or employing a more advanced scraping library—you now have a starting point to build upon.

<~~~CoPilot Reply - End~~~>

Well, that was kind of interesting. I didn't test the code, but it looks like the basics are there. I suppose adding more questions and instructions to refine it more and flesh it out might get it to where you need it to be.

What do you think?

 

[kimbac]

Thanks for sharing this guide! As a newbie in app development, it made everything seem way more doable. I started using AI tools like ChatGPT to generate small pieces of code, and it’s remarkable how easy it is to jump in by simply telling it what I need.

I haven’t built a complete app or tackled open-source projects yet, but your tips have helped me get started. I’m checking out platforms like Glide and Adalo now. You’re totally on the right path—I can’t wait to see what you create!