South Fork Apps Blog

Using ChatGPT and Vibe Coding

Mon, 26 May 2025 11:00:47 -0400

I had no idea what I was doing when I sat down Saturday morning. But by the afternoon, I had an app running on my iPhone. Here’s how I used ChatGPT to build it, vibe-style.

I started by simply asking, “How do I vibe code an app.”

The response that I got was a breakdown of creating the app within Xcode. I had Xcode open and clicked to work with apps and away we went. I had it automatically update the code with whatever I asked.

The Spark

To start, I sent a screenshot of the new project selection and it walked me through which project to select for the app. It patched the ContentView.swift with a very basic app with a text box and an add task button. I even had to ask it how to view the app. It walked me through the simulator as well as how to connect my phone and get it working on my device. I was so excited to see something I “created” on my phone.

I know that I didn’t type every line of code, but I wonder if that era is over.

I didn’t have to know any code at all. All that I did was tell ChatGPT what I wanted and it updated the code for me. I would run the code and it would pop up on my phone with the new changes I had requested. This made me a bit nervous as I had no clue what the actual code meant at the time. I was so excited, I didn’t think to take screenshots, but I excitedly showed it off to my family that I had something on my phone that was my app.

Learning as I Go

As more and more lines of code were created, I thought to myself that this would be a great learning experience as I was just planning on seeing what would happen and suddenly fell into an app being on my phone. I had no intentions of that happening when I sent the first question of how to vibe code an app. So, I asked ChatGPT to comment on all of the code that it created as well as anything else it added. I was amazed at how it all started to make sense once I read the comments so that I could see what it was creating.

After this, I just started asking it to do everything. Create a dark mode, add a timer, change this button, create a tab bar, make this more visually appealing. It did it all and the few times there was a build error, I would just send ‘build error’ and it would look at the code and explain what it had done wrong. _ The build error is now fixed. editingTaskID has been wrapped in a custom EditableTaskID struct that conforms to Identifiable, making it compatible with the .sheet(item:) view modifier. You should now be able to build and run the app successfull_ I would then go to the code and see what it changed.

Hitting the Limits

After about an hour, I started getting “Unable to generate edits” error messages from ChatGPT.

I would ask it to retry, but would get the same error, so I asked it why it wasn’t working anymore. It replied, “It looks like the editing tool (which lets me make live updates to your code) was temporarily disabled by the system — possibly due to an internal timeout or maintenance. This sometimes happens if there’s a long session or too many rapid edits in a short time. It’s usually temporary, and should re-enable itself shortly. You don’t need to do anything on your end. In the meantime, I can still guide you step-by-step through any changes — or prepare the exact text for you to paste in. Just let me know what you prefer!” So, it started walking me through step-by-step directions on where to enter the code and what code to replace. I thought this was a great thing, but slowed down my progress tremendously.

At this point, I just wanted to see what all we could create.

So, I did what it told me to do for a few iterations of the app. It would occasionally say that it could do the changes for me and whenever I said go ahead, I would get the same “Unable to generate edits” error. I thought that creating a new chat might help and we started right up with ChatGPT doing all the heavy lifting and me just rambling off ideas.

When it came to navigation, I asked what the best method was for creating a tab bar across the bottom. It gave several options and showed the code, as well as the pros and cons of each. It was like having a coding genius that I could bounce ideas off of, tell them to do it, and within seconds the updated app would be on my phone. It was truly a wild experience!

Once I had the main section of the app built, I told ChatGPT to build a Settings screen with everything that it could think of. So it built a settings screen with a settings cog in the upper right corner. It had built a full page of toggles and options off that one request. The trouble was that none of the toggles did anything. So, I went one by one in telling it that this setting needed to change this and this setting needed to do this.

I eventually had to quit because it was a Saturday and I needed to do something besides sitting in front of my computer. My mind was racing all day long about what I could add next and what I could change.

The Dilemma

I am really struggling about what to put my time into. I want to build this out, but at the same time I really do not want to push something to the App Store, that I personally didn’t understand. It has been a great learning experience and I want to learn more code and how Swift works before I go any further, but this was an eye opening experience for me and overall I am happy with where I am on this journey.

Stanford Class

Mon, 26 May 2025 10:17:55 -0400

I forgot to post this on the afternoon of Friday, May 23, 2025. So, I’m gonna go ahead and post it today.

The Stanford CS106A: Programming Methodologies class has been a great start for me. I initially started the CS193p: Developing Applications for iOS using SwiftUI class but saw in the introduction that the CS106A class was a highly recommended pre-requisite. I dove in on the new class and thought that I needed to build a solid base of knowledge before moving on to more advanced classes. I want to learn as much as I can and if an instructor is telling me to take another class first, then I’m going to jump in on that course.

The class itself is in person, but all of the material that I have come across is online for free. It seems that the videos of the lectures are behind a Stanford login that I do not have. I have been reading the material myself and following along with the neat little Karel application.

Karel

Karel is a neat tool within the course that teaches the very basics of coding. I feel like it is elementary at times and wonder if it really is helping me code, but as many people have taken the course and how long it has been in use, I’m sure that it is a great tool that will pay off if I learn how to use it.

Github

Fri, 23 May 2025 10:33:24 -0400

I had previously created a GitHub account, but was overwhelmed quickly by the application. I just installed GitHub Desktop and took the tutorial. It looks less than ten minutes and so much of what people have said about GitHub makes sense to me. I now know what pulling and pushing code to GitHub now means!

I feel like a complete newbie about all this because I know GitHub has been around and seems like a tool everyone knows how to use. I just hadn’t taken the time to learn it.

Why I’m Building South Fork Apps (and What’s Coming Next)

Fri, 23 May 2025 09:50:13 -0400

I’ve spent over two decades working with tech, but I’ve never built anything of my own, until now. I plan on using this blog to write about my journey in creating apps. I have an idea for my first app, but want to explore making others while charting my journey here. I’m not sure where the destination is other than getting apps on the App Store.

Development

I have never developed an app before and would like to at least learn the basics so that I understand what is going on with the app. I think that “vibe coding” will play a part of what I do as it seems that is just the new form of Googling what is going on with the app and then copy/pasting code from Stack Overflow or GitHub, and learning by doing.

The idea for my first app is a five-minute task manager. I use Todoist every day but would love to have a list for all my short tasks that take less than five minutes to complete. I have simple things like changing the air filter or I think users could even have a morning check-off list of getting ready. These tasks should not be clogging up your personal and definitely not your work to-do list.

Years ago in a previous job, I forgot to set out a microscope for a cancer case review. It was a five-minute task but skipping it meant doctors couldn’t meet. They weren’t able to discuss the current cases because I had forgotten to come in a little early and take five minutes to roll the microscope into the room and connect it to the computer. That moment stuck with me. It’s what led me to Todoist and the realization that even tiny tasks matter. **The problem? **Todoist eventually became overwhelming. I noticed that I had recurring short tasks and while I have them in a separate project, I think a separate app is what is needed. Finally, I have decided that I would create what could help me and hopefully help others. I’ve got some ideas like a counter, a shuffle button, work and personal sections, but I’m interested in what users will come up with as well. I am excited for the journey as much as the end product.

Why South Fork?

I created South Fork Apps because I have always lived near the South Fork of the Holston River. I have lived in different towns around the area, but while each town is a bit different, the views and people are mostly the same. I do not want to get too personal here as I want this to remain about the apps and the process around creating the apps. I have other outlets for getting personal happenings out into the world.

I think this is important to know where I am coming from because I do not know of any famous people coming from Northeast Tennessee unless they were a country music singer like Kenny Chesney or Dolly Parton. So, I think that it’s time for someone from this area to create something interesting and prove that folks in the mountains can create great technology. I have worked in conjunction with IT folks and have a degree in IT, but have never used it to create something as nerdy as creating an app. I feel like for this area, I am well versed in computer technology but I’m not going to lie in saying that this feels daunting and scary to make this a public statement of my intentions.

I guess my purpose for creating this is that it might inspire someone else to break out of their comfort zone and try something new. I have always been interested in creating apps, but felt like I wasn’t smart enough to learn. Now, I am making this a public announcement so that I can hold myself accountable in learning and growing as a developer.

There aren’t many great tech creators from this region. That doesn’t mean there can’t be.

Learning

I have started the Stanford CS106A course (for free) and plan on taking Stanford CS193p next. While I understand some of the concepts on the Stanford CS193p _Developing Applications for iOS using SwiftUI _course, it had the CS106A course as a pre-requisite, so I thought I would jump in on the ground level and build a good foundation of skills before learning more advanced (but is really introductory) classes. I heard about this course from a Relay podcast where Stephen (I think it was Stephen, I could be wrong) mentioned that almost every developer started on this free Stanford course. I was late to the class as it started a month before I found out about it, but all the course documents are still available to learn at your own pace. The idea of vibe coding is taking off and the idea for the app has been rattling around my brain, so I think all the arrows are now pointing in the same direction to get me on the correct path to get this done and get South Fork Apps started.

So, as I said, I want this blog to be a journal of my journey along this path. I will discuss what tools I use and what I like and don’t like. I will also share progress of my app(s) in hopes that it can inspire someone else while also keeping me honest on my progress.

If you’ve ever wanted to build something but felt stuck, I hope this blog helps you feel less alone. I’d love to hear your thoughts, advice, or just a quick keep going. You can reach me anytime. Let’s build something great!

Welcome to South Fork Apps!

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 10:18:04 -0400

I’m excited to introduce South Fork Apps. A new home for my thoughts on productivity, technology, and building a better way to work. I will also work through creating my apps and the publishing process. I will also review my work flows and discuss the tools I use to create and manage the apps I create as well as apps that I simply enjoy!

I grew up around the South Fork of the Holston River, and that idea of homegrown, meaningful progress is what I want South Fork Apps to represent. I have lived within shouting distance of this river my entire life, so I thought what better name than this to show my roots in Northeast Tennessee as well as my love for technology.

Thanks for stopping by. There’s a lot more to come.