◆ MATLAB

Generate MATLAB function reports

This is real work, not a feature someone invented — it comes from real job ads and real questions people asked. Below are four ready AI prompts: get it done, make it easy for the next person to say yes to, work out the right move when you are stuck, and stop it coming back.

4prompts

The same task, four prompts

today's deadline · the next reviewer · the stuck moment · the pattern
AExecute — do the immediate taskGenerate a report for the function 'calculate_pressure.m' located in the 'simulation_tools'…+
Generate a report for the function 'calculate_pressure.m' located in the 'simulation_tools' folder. Include the function's dependencies, input/output arguments, and a summary of its internal logic.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
BImprove — make it easier to acceptBefore I submit this function report to the senior engineer, make it easy to understand for…+
Before I submit this function report to the senior engineer, make it easy to understand for someone unfamiliar with the code. Emphasize the purpose of the 'process_sensor_data.m' function at the top, clearly explain any complex matrix operations, and flag any external data files it relies on so they can quickly assess its reusability.
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
CDecide — diagnose the stuck momentI'm tasked with modifying the 'system_calibration.m' function, but its internal logic is dense,…+
I'm trying to understand a legacy function, but its documentation is sparse, and I'm unsure of its side effects or dependencies.
I'm tasked with modifying the 'system_calibration.m' function, but its internal logic is dense, and I can't find clear documentation on what external variables it might alter or which other scripts call it. If I make changes without understanding its full impact, I could break the entire simulation. How should I best approach generating a report or analysis that reveals all its dependencies and potential side effects so I can modify it safely?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI frequently waste hours trying to decipher old, poorly documented functions when I need to…+
I keep struggling to quickly understand and debug complex legacy functions, costing me time and increasing the risk of errors.
I frequently waste hours trying to decipher old, poorly documented functions when I need to adapt them for new projects or fix bugs. I'm constantly tracing dependencies and guessing at variable meanings. What habit can I change to more efficiently generate and utilize function reports, so I can quickly grasp the structure and behavior of unfamiliar code for the research lead?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?

Questions people actually ask

honest answers, no sign-up

Every task here was seen in the real world. Someone doing the job named it, a real job ad asked for it, or a lot of people asked about it online.

If nothing real showed a task, it is not on the page. That is the whole rule.

They are the same job approached four ways, because what you need depends on where you are.

Get it done today. Make it easy for the next person to say yes to. Work out the right move when you are stuck. Learn the pattern so the job stops coming back.

For most of these jobs it can carry the heavy thinking - draft it, sort it, check it, rehearse it with you.

It cannot sit in your chair, take the blame when a number is wrong, or notice what nobody wrote down. Let it do the first 80%. Keep the last 20% that is truly yours.

No. Copy any prompt and paste it into the AI you already use. No account, no score, no wall in the way.

Any of them. The prompts describe the work rather than naming a product, so they are not tied to one assistant.

That is also why they keep working when you switch.

Change it freely. Every prompt is a starting line, not a rule.

Put in your real numbers, your real names and your real deadline. The more you make it yours, the better the answer comes back.

The tasks come from real job ads, published job data and the questions people ask in public forums.

The steps come from MATLAB's own documentation, with practitioner sources for the traps the manual does not mention.

Push once. Ask it to sharpen the weakest part and to say what it assumed.

Most wrong answers come from a missing detail rather than a bad prompt - tell it the thing it could not know.