GitHub Copilot just got exponentially smarter

Visual Studio Code
4 Dec 202306:25

TLDRGitHub Copilot has recently become significantly more intelligent with the introduction of a new workspace command that allows it to search an entire project locally, providing more comprehensive and holistic answers. This advancement overcomes the previous limitation of large language models, which could only process a limited number of tokens at a time. Additionally, Copilot is now powered by GPT 4, enhancing its capabilities further. Users can now directly interact with Copilot through an inline chat for code suggestions and modifications, such as creating a Facebook login button. Copilot's predictive abilities are showcased as it automatically generates the necessary code for specific functionalities, including anticipating the need for a Facebook URL and styling the button to match the brand's color. Furthermore, Copilot offers real-time assistance with error resolution, suggesting solutions based on the last terminal command and output. The new VS Code Speech extension allows developers to communicate with Copilot using voice commands, streamlining the development process. Finally, Copilot assists with writing commit messages and pull request descriptions, making it an invaluable tool for developers.

Takeaways

  • 🚀 GitHub Copilot has significantly improved in intelligence and functionality.
  • 🔍 A new workspace command allows Copilot to search through the entire project locally for more accurate results.
  • 🔗 The transition to GPT 4 enhances the chat and GitHub Copilot's capabilities.
  • 📚 Copilot can now provide holistic answers by understanding the entire project context.
  • 🔄 Iteration is crucial for successful use of Copilot, enabling real-time updates and adjustments.
  • 🎨 Copilot can anticipate user needs, such as generating a Facebook URL or a color for a button.
  • 📝 It offers guidance on running applications and provides solutions to errors encountered.
  • 💬 Users can now interact with Copilot using the VS Code Speech extension for speech-to-text support.
  • 🛠️ Copilot assists in writing commit messages and PR descriptions, streamlining the development process.
  • 🔧 The new features are available for immediate use, enhancing the developer experience.
  • 📌 The presence of a Copilot icon in VS Code indicates access to its advanced features and support.

Q & A

  • What is the recent significant improvement made to GitHub Copilot?

    -GitHub Copilot has become exponentially smarter with the addition of a new workspace command that allows it to search the entire project on the local machine, giving it a holistic view of the project and enabling it to provide more comprehensive answers.

  • What is the limitation of large language models like ChatGPT that GitHub Copilot previously faced?

    -The limitation was the size of the messages, or tokens, that could be sent to the model. It was impossible to send the entire project and source code to the model due to size constraints, resulting in GitHub Copilot having only a partial view of the user's project.

  • How does the new workspace command in GitHub Copilot help with finding specific functionalities in a project?

    -The workspace command enables GitHub Copilot to search through the entire project on the local machine, providing a list of places where a specific functionality, like a login implementation, might be located.

  • Which version of GPT is now handling all chat and GitHub Copilot interactions?

    -All chat and GitHub Copilot interactions are now handled by GPT 4, which is a more advanced version of the language model.

  • How does GitHub Copilot assist in iterating over code?

    -GitHub Copilot assists in code iteration by providing real-time feedback and suggestions as the user types or describes the desired changes. It can automatically generate code snippets and make adjustments based on user instructions.

  • What is the role of the VS Code Speech extension in the context of GitHub Copilot?

    -The VS Code Speech extension provides speech-to-text support in VS Code, allowing developers to literally talk to GitHub Copilot, making it easier to communicate their coding intentions without the need for typing.

  • How does GitHub Copilot help with writing commit messages?

    -Since GitHub Copilot functions as a pair programmer, it understands the context of the work done. It can automatically generate a good commit message for the user, based on the changes made to the code.

  • What does the new Copilot icon in VS Code signify?

    -The new Copilot icon, which resembles little sparkles, indicates the presence of Copilot's assistance throughout various parts of the VS Code interface. It helps users quickly identify where they can access Copilot's features.

  • How can GitHub Copilot help with resolving errors encountered during the build process?

    -GitHub Copilot can analyze the last terminal command and output to provide suggestions for resolving errors. It offers options and solutions based on the error encountered, such as suggesting a change in Node version.

  • What is the benefit of being able to specify context for chat with GitHub Copilot?

    -Specifying context allows GitHub Copilot to provide more accurate and relevant answers. It can focus on particular files or sections of the code, leading to more precise assistance and suggestions.

  • How does GitHub Copilot assist in writing descriptions for pull requests?

    -GitHub Copilot can automatically generate a description for a pull request, similar to how it writes commit messages. This saves the user time and ensures that the description accurately reflects the changes made.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 Enhanced GitHub Copilot Workspace Command

The video discusses the recent updates to VS Code and GitHub Copilot, highlighting the new workspace command that allows Copilot to search the entire project on the local machine. This feature overcomes the limitation of large language models like ChatGPT, which previously could not process the entire project due to token size constraints. The new command enables Copilot to provide more holistic and accurate answers about the project structure. Additionally, GitHub Copilot now utilizes GPT 4, enhancing its capabilities further.

05:02

💬 Streamlined Chat and Code Iteration with Copilot

The presenter demonstrates how to use the quick chat feature in VS Code to request a new login button for GitHub, which is then iteratively adapted for Facebook. The video showcases Copilot's ability to anticipate user needs, such as automatically generating a Facebook URL and styling the button to match the Facebook logo color. It also covers the process of running the app, troubleshooting an error with the help of Copilot, and the convenience of using the VS Code Speech extension for hands-free coding assistance.

📄 Automating Commit Messages and Pull Requests with Copilot

The video script explains how GitHub Copilot can simplify the process of committing changes and creating pull requests by automatically generating commit messages and PR descriptions. This feature leverages Copilot's understanding of the project context and the changes made, making the process more efficient for developers. The presenter also encourages viewers to try out these features, providing links in the video description for further information.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered code assistant developed by GitHub and OpenAI. It is designed to enhance the coding process by offering suggestions and automating certain tasks. In the video, it is highlighted that Copilot has become 'exponentially smarter,' which means it has significantly improved its capabilities to understand and assist with coding projects.

💡VS Code

VS Code stands for Visual Studio Code, which is a popular source-code editor developed by Microsoft. It is the platform where GitHub Copilot operates, providing developers with a powerful tool to write and manage code. The video discusses updates to VS Code that improve integration with GitHub Copilot.

💡Language Models

Language models are AI systems that are trained to understand and generate human language. In the context of the video, the reference to large language models like ChatGPT highlights the technology behind GitHub Copilot. These models are used to process natural language inputs and provide relevant outputs.

💡Tokens

In the context of AI language models, tokens represent the basic units of text that the model processes. The video explains that there is a limit to the number of tokens that can be sent to the model at one time, which can restrict the amount of information that can be provided to the AI for analysis.

💡Workspace Command

The workspace command is a new feature in GitHub Copilot that allows it to search the entire project on a user's local machine. This feature is significant because it enables Copilot to provide more comprehensive and accurate assistance by considering the full context of the project.

💡GPT 4

GPT 4 refers to the fourth generation of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) model, which is an advanced AI language model. The video mentions that all interactions with GitHub Copilot and chat are now powered by GPT 4, indicating an upgrade in the underlying technology for enhanced performance.

💡Inline Chat

Inline chat in the video refers to a feature within VS Code that allows developers to interact with GitHub Copilot directly within the code editor, without having to switch to a different interface. This streamlines the process of getting assistance from Copilot.

💡Iterative Development

Iterative development is a process in which a software product is developed through repeated cycles of analysis, design, and testing. The video emphasizes the importance of iteration in the context of using Copilot, as it allows developers to refine their code and get real-time feedback.

💡CSS

CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets, which is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in HTML or XML. In the video, the developer uses GitHub Copilot to generate a new style for a Facebook button, demonstrating how Copilot can assist with front-end development tasks.

💡README

A README file is a text file that provides information about other files in a directory or project. It is often the first document developers look at to understand a project. In the video, the developer uses GitHub Copilot to inquire about running the application by referencing the README file.

💡VS Code Speech

VS Code Speech is a new extension for Visual Studio Code that provides speech-to-text support. This allows developers to interact with GitHub Copilot using voice commands, which can be more efficient than typing, especially for repetitive tasks.

💡Commit Messages

Commit messages are brief descriptions of changes made to a project's code. They are important for tracking the history and progress of a project. The video shows how GitHub Copilot can assist in writing commit messages, making the process less tedious for developers.

💡Pull Requests (PR)

A pull request is a feature in version control systems that allows developers to propose changes to a project. In the video, it is mentioned that GitHub Copilot can help write descriptions for pull requests, further automating the software development process.

Highlights

GitHub Copilot has become significantly smarter with major updates.

A new workspace command allows Copilot to search the entire project on the local machine.

The limitation of large language models to process large amounts of data has been removed.

GitHub Copilot now provides holistic answers by understanding the whole project context.

Chat and GitHub Copilot are now powered by GPT 4, enhancing its capabilities.

Copilot can now directly navigate to specific components, like a modal login component.

The quick chat feature allows for streamlined communication with Copilot without leaving the code.

Copilot assists in iterative development by providing real-time code suggestions.

It can automatically generate code for configuration settings, like a Facebook URL.

Copilot demonstrates an understanding of design elements, such as the color of the Facebook logo.

Users can specify context for chat, including specific files, for more targeted assistance.

Copilot offers solutions to errors by analyzing the last terminal command and output.

The VS Code Speech extension enables speech-to-text support for interacting with Copilot.

Copilot can create and apply new CSS classes to HTML elements based on voice commands.

Commit messages and pull request descriptions can be automatically generated by Copilot.

The new updates are available for use, making Copilot an even more powerful coding partner.

All the necessary links for using the updated Copilot are provided in the video description.

The new features aim to enhance the coding experience by reducing manual tasks and increasing efficiency.

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