◆ MATLAB

Search for a string in cell array

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 taskSearch the cell array 'log_messages' for any entries containing the string 'ERROR'. Return the…+
Search the cell array 'log_messages' for any entries containing the string 'ERROR'. Return the indices of the matching messages.
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 acceptI need to find all configuration parameters in 'config_list' that are related to 'thermal'.…+
I need to find all configuration parameters in 'config_list' that are related to 'thermal'. Before I present this to the design review team, make sure the search is case-insensitive and also catches variations like 'therm' or 'temperature', so I don't miss any relevant settings.
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 trying to find all instances of 'sensor_failure' in the 'system_logs' cell array, but it's…+
I just spent an hour manually sifting through hundreds of log entries looking for a specific failure mode.
I'm trying to find all instances of 'sensor_failure' in the 'system_logs' cell array, but it's buried among thousands of entries, and the exact phrasing varies. I'm worried I'll miss a critical event that caused the recent test rig malfunction, and the project lead needs an answer by end of day. What's the most effective way to search this cell array for all relevant failure messages, even with slight variations, without missing anything important?
when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed. Helpful?
DBecome — change the patternI repeatedly waste a lot of time manually sifting through large cell arrays of text data, like…+
I constantly struggle to efficiently find specific information within large text-based data structures.
I repeatedly waste a lot of time manually sifting through large cell arrays of text data, like log files or experiment notes, trying to find specific patterns or keywords. This makes it hard to quickly diagnose issues or extract insights for the project manager. What habit should I change to become more efficient and precise in searching and extracting information from text-based data, especially when the exact phrasing isn't always consistent?
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.