GitHub Copilot: A Developer's Best Friend

I am an Associate Frontend Architect at Verndale, where I currently lead an initiative to adopt GitHub Copilot as an everyday tool. Every developer in the company, including both frontend and backend engineers, are integrating this tool to their IDEs of preference -mostly Visual Studio Code- to evaluate whether if it helps to increase our overall productivity.

 I'm positive we are going to adopt it and so far I'm loving it.

GitHub Copilot is a powerful AI assistant that can help you write better code. It can generate code suggestions, provide context-aware comments, and even help you debug  your code.

If you're a developer, you should definitely give Copilot a try. It could save you a lot of time and effort, and it could help you write better code.

Here are some best practices when using Copilot:

  • Use Copilot to generate ideas and suggestions, not to replace your own coding skills. Copilot is a tool that can help you write better code, but it's not a replacement for your own coding skills. Use Copilot to generate ideas and suggestions, but always review your code before committing it.
  • Be aware of Copilot's limitations. Copilott is a powerful tool, but it's not perfect. It can sometimes generate code that is not appropriate for your project, or that is not the most efficient way to do something. Be aware of Copilot's limitations and use it accordingly.
  • Use Copilot to learn new things. Copilot can be a great way to learn new programming languages and APIs. As you use Copilot, pay attention to the code it generates and the suggestions it makes. This can help you learn new things and become a better programmer.
  • Be patient. Copilot is still under development, and it's not always perfect. Be patient with Copilot and give it time to improve.
  • Give feedback. If you have any feedback about Copilot, be sure to let GitHub know. This will help them improve the tool and make it even better for everyone.

Here are some tips for writing code that Copilot can understand:

  • Use clear and concise code.
  • Use descriptive variable names
  • Use comments to explain what your code is doing.
  • Avoid using obscure or undocumented APIs.

Copilot is a great tool for developers, but it's important to use it wisely. By following these best practices, you can get the most out of Copilot and write better code.

GitHub recently launched another extension named Copilot Labs, which basically is a sidebar with panels that can help you with things like explaining pieces of code, translating from one programming language to a huge list of available others, or even creating test units.

I'm excited about the next big update, which is a ChatGPT-like chat also integrated to your development environment. I'll be writing about it soon.

I'd love to read your comments!

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