Copilot ✈️

Getting Started

Github Copilot Setup

Github Copilot Settings

1. Install the Github Copilot extension in VS Code

2. Sign in to your Github account on VS Code.

3. Configure the extension settings to your preference, most importantly choose the model to use.

To get the Github Copilot Pro Plan through Kellogg, send an email request to rs@kellogg.northwestern.edu to get added to the Kellogg Github organization. Availalble to stafff, students, and faculty.

Copilot Uses

• Code completion: Copilot can suggest code completions as you type

  • use the Tab key to accept a suggestion

  • use the Esc key to dismiss a suggestion

  • use Cmd-Right to incrementally accept a suggestion

• Code chat inline: Copilot can suggest entire lines or blocks of code inline

  • use the Cmd-I shortcut to insert a suggestion

  • use / to insert pre-defined prompts (e.g. /fix, /explain, /test, /doc)

  • works in code files, noteooks, and terminal

• Copilot chat: Copilot can provide explanations, suggestions, and code snippets in a chat-like interface

  • use for larger scale code generation and coding tasks

  • can use other parts of the codebase as context (e.g., higlight a chunk of code and use /explain)

  • chat has ask, edit, and agent modes

  • available / commands depends on mode being used

Exercise

Let’s try out Copilot (we will do this on our local machine).

1. Open VS Code and go to the Book Scraper project.

2. Use Cmd-I to start an inline chat in the python file.

3. Open the Copilot chat window and ask it to explain the code.

4. Use the /explain command to get a detailed explanation of the code.

5. Use the /test command to generate test cases for the code.

6. Use the /doc command to generate documentation for the code.

7. Open a terminal and use Cmd-I to start a chat in the terminal.