Get Started with the Future of Coding: GitHub Copilot

Visual Studio Code
3 Mar 202314:33

TLDRGitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant that acts as an autocomplete-style pair programmer to accelerate code development. It integrates with Visual Studio Code and offers suggestions to help users write code more efficiently. The tool can answer technical questions, assist with HTML and CSS, generate regex patterns, and even create unit tests for functions. It simplifies SQL syntax and provides multiple solutions for coding tasks, allowing developers to choose the most suitable option. GitHub Copilot is particularly beneficial for students and professionals looking to enhance their coding productivity. For those interested in pricing or a free trial, GitHub offers a dedicated student developer pack.

Takeaways

  • 🤖 GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that provides autocomplete-style suggestions to help developers code more quickly.
  • 🚀 To start using Copilot, you need a GitHub account and the Copilot extension installed in Visual Studio Code.
  • 💡 Copilot can answer technical questions directly in the code editor, which is useful for studying or preparing for interviews.
  • 🔍 It offers predictions and suggestions as you code, which can be accepted by pressing the tab key.
  • 🌐 Copilot assists in various coding tasks, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and even complex tasks like regex pattern creation and unit testing.
  • 📝 When writing code, Copilot can suggest complete structures and methods, making it easier to build and test functions.
  • 🔗 It can help with including external resources like stylesheets and frameworks, such as quickly adding Bootstrap to an HTML document.
  • 🧩 Copilot provides multiple solutions to a coding problem, allowing developers to choose the most suitable one for their needs.
  • 📖 It assists in writing and structuring SQL queries, making it easier for those who find SQL syntax challenging.
  • ✅ The tool can generate unit tests for functions, saving developers time, especially when dealing with complex applications.
  • 📈 Copilot's effectiveness increases the better developers get at prompting it with the right conditions and requirements.
  • 💰 Pricing information and a free trial are available on GitHub Copilot's website, and students can access special offers through the Student Developer Pack.

Q & A

  • What is GitHub Copilot?

    -GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that offers autocomplete style suggestions as you code, aiming to help you code quickly and efficiently.

  • How does GitHub Copilot assist with coding?

    -GitHub Copilot assists by providing autocomplete suggestions as you type, predicting the next logical code based on the context, and offering solutions to technical questions directly within the code editor.

  • What is the first step to start using GitHub Copilot?

    -The first step is to create a GitHub account if you don't already have one, which can be done by signing up with your email on GitHub's website.

  • How do you install GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code?

    -After signing up for GitHub, you go to Visual Studio Code, navigate to the extension marketplace, search for Copilot, and install the extension.

  • What happens after installing the GitHub Copilot extension?

    -Copilot will prompt you to sign into GitHub. Once signed in, you'll know it's working when it starts giving you predictions as you code.

  • How can GitHub Copilot help with technical interviews?

    -You can ask Copilot technical questions directly in a comment format with a 'Q' followed by a colon, and it will provide answers and explanations to help you prepare.

  • What is an example of how GitHub Copilot speeds up HTML coding?

    -GitHub Copilot can predict and suggest the next HTML tags to use as you code, such as suggesting a 'HEAD' tag after 'DOCTYPE', and a 'TITLE' tag within 'HEAD'.

  • How does GitHub Copilot assist with regex patterns?

    -You can ask Copilot to write a specific regex pattern for you. For example, if you want to match a phone number in a certain format, Copilot will generate the pattern for you.

  • What is the role of GitHub Copilot in unit testing?

    -GitHub Copilot can assist by generating test conditions and unit tests for functions, saving you time and effort in setting up tests.

  • How does GitHub Copilot help with SQL syntax?

    -GitHub Copilot can help you write SQL queries by suggesting the correct syntax and structure for database operations, such as creating tables or querying data.

  • What are some benefits of using GitHub Copilot for large applications?

    -GitHub Copilot can save significant time by automating repetitive coding tasks, providing multiple solutions to choose from, and assisting with complex operations like unit testing.

  • How can students benefit from GitHub Copilot?

    -Students can sign up for the Student Developer Pack, which may include benefits for using GitHub Copilot, to assist with their coding projects and learning.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Introduction to GitHub Copilot

This paragraph introduces GitHub Copilot, an AI pair programmer that provides autocomplete suggestions to speed up coding. It explains how Copilot works, its goal to enhance coding efficiency, and the process of signing up for a GitHub account and installing the Copilot extension in Visual Studio Code. The paragraph also demonstrates how to use Copilot for technical queries, such as asking about SOLID principles in object-oriented programming, and how it can predict coding structures, as shown with an HTML example. It concludes with a mention of the Copilot icon in Visual Studio Code and a teaser for more coding examples to come.

05:02

🚀 Enhancing Productivity with Copilot

The second paragraph delves into how Copilot can streamline coding tasks. It showcases how Copilot quickly styles HTML with Bootstrap and assists in writing and testing regular expressions. The paragraph also touches on unit testing, where Copilot can generate test conditions for a calculator function. It then moves on to SQL, illustrating how Copilot can help with syntax and writing queries more efficiently. The user is shown how to select from multiple suggestions and customize them according to their needs. The paragraph concludes with a note on the availability of different pricing plans and a call to action for students to sign up for the student developer pack.

10:03

📝 Advanced Use Cases and Future Outlook

The final paragraph discusses advanced use cases of Copilot, such as parsing lists of expenses in Python with specific conditions outlined in comments. It emphasizes the ability to choose from multiple solutions provided by Copilot and the efficiency gains from effective prompting. The speaker also provides information on pricing and a free trial, encourages subscription for updates on future content, and thanks the viewers for watching. The paragraph ends with a humorous self-critique of the speaker's repeated use of the word 'video' and a final sign-off.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered programming assistant that offers autocomplete-style suggestions to developers as they write code. It acts as an 'AI pair programmer', aiming to help developers code more quickly and efficiently. In the video, it is demonstrated how Copilot can predict and suggest code snippets, making the coding process faster and more streamlined.

💡AI pair programmer

The term 'AI pair programmer' refers to the concept of an artificial intelligence working alongside a human programmer to assist in the coding process. GitHub Copilot embodies this concept by providing suggestions and completing code in a way that mimics a human coding partner, thus aiming to double the speed of development.

💡Autocomplete style suggestions

Autocomplete style suggestions are a feature of GitHub Copilot where it predicts and offers code that the developer might want to write next. This feature is central to the efficiency gains promised by Copilot, as it helps in quickly completing code patterns and structures, as shown in the video through various examples like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

💡Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a popular source-code editor developed by Microsoft. It is used in the video as the platform where the GitHub Copilot extension is installed and utilized. The integration of Copilot within Visual Studio Code allows developers to take advantage of AI-assisted coding directly within their development environment.

💡Technical questions

GitHub Copilot is capable of understanding and responding to technical questions posed by developers within the code comments. For instance, in the video, it is shown how Copilot can provide explanations for software design principles like SOLID when asked through a specific comment format in the code.

💡SOLID

SOLID is an acronym for five design principles that assist in creating more maintainable and scalable object-oriented software. In the video, GitHub Copilot is used to explain what SOLID stands for, which includes principles like Single Responsibility, Open/Closed, Liskov Substitution, Interface Segregation, and Dependency Inversion.

💡Regex

Regex, short for regular expressions, is a sequence of characters that defines a search pattern. In the context of the video, GitHub Copilot is shown to assist in crafting regex patterns, which can be complex and difficult to devise manually, thereby simplifying the task for developers.

💡Unit testing

Unit testing is the process of testing individual units or components of the software to ensure they function as expected. In the video, it is demonstrated how GitHub Copilot can help in creating unit tests for a calculator function, automating a task that would otherwise be time-consuming.

💡SQL

SQL, or Structured Query Language, is a standard language for managing and manipulating relational databases. The video showcases how GitHub Copilot assists in writing SQL queries, making it easier for developers to interact with databases and retrieve or manipulate data.

💡Pricing and plans

The video mentions the availability of different pricing plans for GitHub Copilot, indicating that there are options for various user types, including students. It also mentions a free trial, allowing potential users to test the service before committing to a subscription.

💡Student Developer Pack

The 'Student Developer Pack' is an offering by GitHub that provides students with free access to a variety of developer tools, including GitHub Copilot. The video encourages students to sign up for this pack to take advantage of the benefits it provides for learning and development.

Highlights

GitHub Copilot is an AI pair programmer that offers autocomplete style suggestions as you code, aiming to double your coding speed.

To use Copilot, you need a GitHub account and the Copilot extension installed in Visual Studio Code.

Copilot provides predictions and autocomplete suggestions in real-time as you start coding.

You can ask Copilot technical questions directly in the code comments for quick insights.

Copilot can explain programming principles, such as SOLID, in object-oriented programming.

In HTML, Copilot can quickly generate tags and elements, including styled elements and lists.

Copilot assists in linking to external style sheets and applying styles in HTML.

It can also help integrate and style elements using frameworks like Bootstrap.

Copilot simplifies regex pattern creation and testing for matching specific formats.

The tool can generate and assist in writing unit tests for functions, saving developers time.

SQL syntax can be challenging, but Copilot helps by generating queries and assisting with syntax.

Copilot offers multiple solutions to coding problems, allowing developers to choose the most suitable one.

It provides a way to navigate through different solutions and accept them one word at a time if needed.

Copilot can parse complex data structures and apply specific conditions as prompted by the developer.

The tool can be used to automate and simplify tasks in various programming languages, including Python.

GitHub Copilot is not just a tool for coding assistance but also for learning and understanding programming concepts.

Pricing information and a free trial are available for those interested in using GitHub Copilot.

Students can sign up for the Student Developer Pack for access to GitHub Copilot and other developer tools.

The future of coding with AI like GitHub Copilot holds great potential for increasing efficiency and learning.

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