Copilot Learning Hub: Copilot for Developers

Introduction

Hello and welcome back to Copilot Learning Hub! In today's thrilling episode, we have an awesome lineup of tools for all you devs and aspiring developers out there. We are excited to introduce a fantastic set of tools, and who better to guide us than our good friend Anthony Baro. Anthony, thank you so much for joining us.

Meet Anthony Baro

My name is Anthony Baro, and I am a Developer Advocate at Microsoft. I specialize in developer tools and focus on transforming ideas into reality using Microsoft AI and cloud services. I’ve been in the dev space for a very long time and have had numerous intense conversations about how we can speed up the developer's journey to solve hard problems rather than fixating on persistent issues. Today, I’m thrilled to share a suite of tools that can expedite this journey.

The Power of AI: GitHub Copilot

The advent of AI has pushed the envelope in implementing ideas into the cloud and bringing them to users' hands. It’s important to understand that AI is a co-pilot, not a replacement. It enables and pushes you forward but follows your instructions. Today, I'll demonstrate how to leverage GitHub Copilot inside Visual Studio Code.

Demonstration in Visual Studio Code

Let’s start by creating a simple Tic Tac Toe game. I opened Visual Studio Code and asked Copilot to build me a Tic Tac Toe game in Python. Initially, it returned an error because Copilot isn't the lead developer. To get more specific, I directly typed the command in the programming window, and this time, Copilot generated the Python code for a Tic Tac Toe game.

Visual Studio Code has integrated features such as generating explanations for code, fixing errors, and automating documentation. By highlighting code and using slash commands like /explain, Copilot provides a step-by-step understanding of what the code does. This helps immensely when inheriting undocumented code.

Leveraging Codemates and DevBox

Another incredible feature is testing. Imagine you want to create a test for your code. By highlighting the code and typing /test, Copilot offers a test case to ensure your app works correctly.

Switching gears, let's talk about code spaces. This feature provides a developer container in the cloud, accessible through a browser and identical to Visual Studio Code. By leveraging code spaces, you can share code securely and avoid potential issues when inserting open source code into private projects.

Diving into Visual Studio

Visual Studio also supports GitHub Copilot, delivering similar powerful features. If you are a long-time user of Visual Studio, you can now supercharge it with Copilot. Just like in VS Code, you can use slash commands for explanations, documentation, and tests. Visual Studio also offers DevBox for cloud-based development, ensuring that you never miss out on Copilot functionalities.

The Co-pilot Experience

Using GitHub Copilot provides a seamless experience across both Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio. Whether you're working on an exploratory project or enterprise-level code, Copilot adapts to your needs. It ensures the security of your project's intellectual property while including helpful suggestions and explanations.

Anthony Baro, our expert guide, highlighted that future announcements will bring even more integration features for Copilot into Visual Studio, making the journey of building applications even smoother.

Keywords

• GitHub Copilot
• Visual Studio Code
• Visual Studio
• Developer Tools
• AI in Development
• Coding
• Software Development
• Automated Testing
• Code Documentation
• Cloud Services

FAQ

What is Copilot?

Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that helps developers by providing code suggestions, explanations, and automating tasks.

Can Copilot automate code documentation?

Yes, Copilot can automate code documentation by explaining what specific code sections do and adding comments inline.

Is Copilot secure to use in private projects?

Yes, Copilot for private use comes with security features to ensure that your company’s intellectual property is not affected by open-source suggestions.

Does Copilot work in both Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio?

Yes, Copilot is integrated into both Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio, providing similar features and functionalities in both environments.

How can Copilot help with testing?

Copilot can generate test cases for your code automatically. By highlighting the code and using the /test command, it provides automated tests to ensure your code works correctly.

What are code spaces and DevBox?

Code spaces are developer containers in the cloud that allow you to develop securely using a browser. DevBox is similar but for Visual Studio, enabling cloud-based development with all the required governance and permissions.