Prompt engineering playbook for programmers

Developers are increasingly relying on AI coding assistants to accelerate our daily workflows. These tools can autocomplete functions, suggest bug fixes, and even generate entire modules or MVPs. Yet, as many of us have learned, the quality of the AI’s output depends largely on the quality of the prompt you provide. In other words, prompt engineering has become an essential skill. A poorly phrased request can yield irrelevant or generic answers, while a well-crafted prompt can produce thoughtful, accurate, and even creative code solutions. This write-up takes a practical look at how to systematically craft effective prompts for common development tasks. AI pair programmers are powerful but not magical – they have no prior knowledge of your specific project or intent beyond what you tell them or include as context. The more information you provide, the better the output. We’ll distill key prompt patterns, repeatable frameworks, and memorable examples that have resonated with developers ... Read full article.