Boost Developer Productivity with Pieces: Your AI-Enabled Workflow Copilot

Introduction

Hi, I am Shivam, a computer science graduate student currently working as a Frontend developer while finishing my master's in computer science (which will end in a month). My daily tasks include working with different tech stacks like Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, Docker, AWS, etc. I also find code snippets to post on social media like Twitter (X) or LinkedIn. At the end of the day, I write down what I have learned in the form of blogs. I need something to keep track of my work so that when I sit down to write my blog around 8:00 P.M., I can easily find everything I did during the day.

This blog is about Pieces. Below, you'll find a more in-depth breakdown of how I use Pieces to keep track of everything, how I use it to complete my daily tasks, and how we can use it in the best way that will help us increase our productivity.

How do I track my work?

Previously, I used Notion to keep track of my work. I had to copy and paste many things, and often I missed some. But now, it's so easy. Pieces for Developers automatically keep track of everything. I just go to one place, Pieces Desktop, and find what I need. Sharing or adding more context is super easy now. Kudos to the Pieces Team🙌

I don't just save snippets; I also save screenshots, important websites, documents, and key Slack conversations. Sometimes, I forget to pin a website. In that case, I just go to Pieces Desktop and ask, like:

What’s the package I was searching in Chrome? or List all the tabs I opened recently. This makes it much easier to track everything.

What drew me to Pieces?

Pieces' ability to understand and connect information from different sources grabbed my interest. While AIs like ChatGPT, Gemini, or GitHub Copilot can do specific tasks, the way Pieces handles things is amazing. It doesn't just give us answers to our questions; it truly understands what we need. It uses Live Context, which gives us real-time information about our projects and the work we do every day.

Live Context works by understanding what you're doing.

• Files you're working on

• Variables you've created

• Functions you're writing

• The overall structure of your code

By keeping track of these things in real time, Live Context builds a picture of what you're working on. This lets Pieces go beyond just answering your questions. It can guess what you might need next and give you helpful suggestions, like:

• Formulas for a function you're building

• Information about a specific variable

• Examples of how a similar function was written

It is like having a coding buddy who remembers everything you've done so far and can offer relevant advice based on the situation.

This is one of the main reasons I love using Pieces. Besides this, features like Auto-Saving Snippets, and Question Suggestions are also amazing.

Why a formal review?

Many developers struggle to manage the constant flow of information they deal with every day. Pieces offers a solution, and I wanted to share my experience to help developers decide if it's the right tool for them. Pieces is not just for those already working in tech but also for students, learning and preparing. I interact with many students and junior developers, and I feel that if they get tools like Pieces early in their careers, they can boost their productivity much better. This review isn't just about whether Pieces works for me; it's about exploring its potential to improve the overall developer experience. If Pieces can effectively manage information overload and boost productivity, it could significantly impact the software development field. That's why I never hesitate to suggest Pieces to my friends.

The Good. The Awesome!

The list of good features is very long. But, there are a few awesome things about Pieces that I found amazing, and I’ve shared them in a video.

Few things like:

• Enhanced Context: Provides suggestions and assistance based on your broader context, including recent web searches, open documents, and project details.

• Smart Code Snippet Management: Saves snippets with descriptions and links for easy retrieval and organization.

• Project-Specific Assistance: Tailors suggestions to your project's codebase and language.

• Improved Workflow: Picks up context from where you left off and can potentially save time.

Below, I've shared a few examples of how I use Pieces and how its features make my work easier and save me a lot of time.

1. The first thing I like most about Pieces is the Live Context feature. It helps me remember where I left off with my work. This feature is great. Whenever I shut down my PC and come back, the first thing I check is what I was working on before. What project was I on? What package was I searching for? For this, I just open Pieces Desktop, turn on Live Context, and click on one of the suggested prompts. Sometimes, I write down the context.

It shows me everything: the video I was working on, the blog I was writing, the notes I was taking, and a few documents I had opened in my Chrome tab. It summarizes everything in a simple list. This feature is really interesting and very useful.

1. The second feature I like most about Pieces is also related to Live Context. We can ask anything about our work directly from Pieces Desktop. For example, I just open Pieces Desktop, turn on Live Context, and ask, "When last time personName messaged recently?" Pieces processes this and then gives a summarized answer.

This feature is great because it understands the context well and gives us what we need. In a few lines, it showed me the latest task, including the assignee, priority, the member to contact, and the file I needed. This feature is also useful.

1. The third feature I like most about Pieces is how it understands our questions with very little context.

For example, I recently saved a snippet about the npm library called ExcelJS, which helps convert React components into Excel files. I went to Pieces Desktop, picked up the saved snippet from the bottom left corner, and asked a question about it.

I asked, Explain this with an example. I didn't mention any specific library or code. Pieces understood the context from my saved snippet and provided a detailed, step-by-step example.

This saves a lot of time because we don't need to write a lot of context; just a few details are enough for Pieces to understand. It saves a lot of time.

Pieces Live Context

Live Context is one of the features that sets Pieces apart from other AI tools. Live Context gives Pieces an advantage, making it a great tool. But, what is Live Context?

What is Live Context?

Pieces Live Context is a smart feature that helps developers by keeping track of what they’re working on in real time. It remembers your tasks and can remind you of what you were doing, provide helpful tips, and answer questions based on your recent activities. This makes it easier to pick up where you left off and stay focused, without inputting or searching for information manually. It works on macOS, Windows, and Linux, all on your device, making your workflow smoother and more efficient.

Pieces Live Context is not just for developers; it is also for regular PC users. Let's look at some examples to help you better understand what Pieces Live Context is.

Example:

1. Reminding You What You Were Doing: If you forget where you left off, just ask, "What was I working on before lunch?" and it will remind you of the article you were reading or your notes.

2. Keeping You Organized: It tracks your coding tasks and notes, so you can easily pick up where you left off and stay focused without having to search through your files.

3. Finding Specific Solutions: If you need to resolve an issue, you can ask, "How can I fix the error with Stripe payment integration?" and it will bring up the relevant code snippets, API documentation, or solutions you’ve used before.

This makes it useful for developers and anyone who uses a PC to manage tasks and projects.

Live Scenarios with Pros and Cons

We can access Live Context directly from our Pieces Desktop by turning it on.

I use Live Context for my daily tasks. Here are a few scenarios I've mentioned:

1. It has access to my entire PC, so I can ask it anything. I asked, Have you checked the Jira dashboard for any recent assignments? It quickly responded with all the recent Jira tasks, categorizing them as ToDo and In-progress with proper titles, names, and IDs.

I also asked another question about a Jira task I recently completed. It answered correctly with a proper and systematic order, including the ID, description, name, timing of completion, and more.

1. I asked questions about Slack chats, and it fetched the information correctly. I use Slack conversations when someone explains detailed steps to fix a bug. I just go to Pieces Desktop, ask what that person explained to me in Slack, and follow those steps to fix the bug. For example, I asked, What are the last 5 messages I got from Rahul in Slack? and it answered correctly.

3. It has access to my complete web search history. One morning (around 10 AM), I was viewing a site and then shut down my PC. When I opened it up again in the evening (around 7 PM), I asked, "Which video editing AI site did I view today?" and it gave the correct result with the proper name and time I viewed it.

The list could be very long, but overall, it speeds up development, improves work efficiency, and increases productivity.

Cons

The Live Context feature is great for many use cases and has many pros, but there are some areas where it could improve.

1. I will use a Jira Ticket scenario as an example. Today, I closed all my Chrome tabs and asked, "What's the recent Jira I was assigned?" It couldn't give me results. This rarely happens, but sometimes it can't fetch the data if that specific window isn't open in Chrome tabs. However, this issue is rare.

2. Sometimes the copilot takes a long time to provide results. It's understandable when it has to fetch information from the entire desktop, such as from the web, email, or Slack. However, even for simple questions like "Hello. Who are you?" it takes almost the same amount of time, which can be frustrating. When I ask 5-6 questions in quick succession, it speeds up the response time.

So, yes, this is about Pieces Live Context, including its pros and cons.

Wrapping things up

Overall Impression

Pieces holds a lot of promise for developers. Its strength lies in understanding context and connecting information from various sources. This can significantly improve workflow efficiency and knowledge accessibility.

Working with the Pieces Team

I've never reported any feature or bug to Pieces before. But I've attended Pieces's Twitter Spaces and Meetups, and I've talked with Tsavo Knott, which has been a great experience. Because of the way he connected with me, explained Pieces, showed me a demo using different scenarios, and gave me a detailed document to explore more about Pieces—not just the desktop app but also the web and IDE extensions—it felt like I was getting great support from a great team and a great person. That's why it was a great experience.

This is the first time I'm writing a review for Pieces, and I feel very lucky to contribute to such a fantastic team. If I get a chance to work with the Pieces team in the future, it would be my pleasure, and I would be very excited and fortunate to join them.

Pieces' Potential

The potential for Pieces to grow is exciting. As AI technology improves, Pieces could get better at predicting what developers need and suggesting helpful information on its own. Connecting with more tools and platforms could make it even more useful.

Pieces in the Long Run

Given its focus on knowledge organization and retrieval, Pieces can be a valuable tool throughout a developer's education and career. It can help manage the ever-growing stream of information encountered during learning and professional practice.

Missing Feature

One feature I'd love to see is an assistant that works across my entire desktop, like an AI Alexa that works in any app. For example, if I'm in Slack, I press a shortcut key, and it pops up on the side of the app. I can ask it any question, and it should have access to that app to answer me in context. It should be able to give suggestions, recommendations, updates, and fixes. This feature would be exciting to see.

Recommendation

For engineers looking to streamline their workflow and boost their knowledge accessibility, Pieces is definitely worth checking out. I'd describe it as an intelligent knowledge management tool that connects the dots and supercharges your developer journey.

For students and junior developers who want to boost their productivity, expand their knowledge, and speed up their daily tasks, Pieces is a great tool to use.

Conclusion

In this blog, I share how I use Pieces.

• A tool that helps me track my work and boost productivity as a developer and student.

• Pieces automatically organize code snippets, websites, documents, and Slack conversations, making it easy to find everything you need.

• Key features like Live Context, which provides real-time project insights and suggestions, significantly enhance the workflow.

• I discuss the pros and cons of Pieces, its growth potential, and why I recommend it to both seasoned developers and students.

To get started with Pieces, you can download its app, which works smoothly on Windows, macOS, and Linux. With the Pieces desktop app, you can also download its web extension available for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, and more. Additionally, you can download its IDE extensions for VS Code, IntelliJ IDEA, and more. Check it out! The Pieces developer community is great, so you can join them on Discord, contribute to their GitHub, and follow them on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Thanks for reading this blog. If you learned something from it, please like and share it with your friends and community. I write blogs and share content on JavaScript, TypeScript, Open Source, and other web development-related topics. Feel free to follow me on my socials. I'll see you in the next one. Thank You :)

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