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Vivekanandhan-Elavarasan
Vivekanandhan-Elavarasan

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Essential Insights on GitHub Copilot for Developers

#githubcopilot #webdev #promptengineering #ai

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered coding assistant designed to enhance developer productivity by providing real-time code suggestions, generating boilerplate code, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know to make the most out of GitHub Copilot.

Key Features of GitHub Copilot

  • Code Suggestions
  • Boilerplate Code Generation
  • Learning and Exploration
  • Error Reduction
  • Improved Productivity
  • Debugging
  • Unit Test Generation
  • Multi-Language Support

1. Code Suggestions

GitHub Copilot provides real-time suggestions as you write code, significantly improving speed and efficiency.

How to Use Code Suggestions:

Enable GitHub Copilot and start typing.

  • Accept a suggestion: Press Tab or Enter.
  • Reject a suggestion: Keep typing to ignore it.
  • View more suggestions: Press Ctrl + Space (Windows) or Cmd + Space (Mac).

Use Comments to Guide Copilot

 // Create a function to calculate the factorial of a number
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Copilot will generate the function automatically.

Customize Settings

  • Go to VS Code:

     File > Preferences > Settings > Extensions > GitHub Copilot

2. Boilerplate Code Generation

GitHub Copilot simplifies repetitive coding tasks by generating boilerplate code.

How to Generate Boilerplate Code:

Write a descriptive comment

 // Create an Express server with a single GET endpoint
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Use function or class names

 function createServer() {
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Leverage file context

  • Naming files like server.js or app.py helps Copilot infer the appropriate boilerplate code. Use framework-specific keywords
  • React: function App() {}
  • Node.js: const express = require('express');

Example: React Component 

import React from 'react'; const MyComponent = () => { return ( <div> <h1>Hello, World!</h1>  </div>  ); }; export default MyComponent;
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Example: Express Server 

const express = require('express'); const app = express(); app.get('/', (req, res) => { res.send('Hello, World!'); }); app.listen(3000, () => { console.log('Server is running on port 3000'); });
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3. Learning and Exploration

GitHub Copilot aids developers in exploring new technologies and best practices.

Learning Methods:

Learn by Example

 // Create a REST API endpoint using Express
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Copilot suggests relevant code snippets.

Understand Best Practices

  • Suggests secure coding practices, such as using bcrypt for password hashing.

Discover New Libraries

  • Suggests useful libraries based on context, such as date-fns for date operations.

Experiment with Code

  • Modify generated code snippets to understand their behavior.

4. Error Reduction

GitHub Copilot minimizes coding errors by providing accurate suggestions.

How It Reduces Errors:

Accurate Syntax Suggestions

 for (let i = 0; i < array.length; i++) { // Correct loop structure }
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Autocomplete for APIs and Libraries

 const fs = require('fs'); fs.readFile('file.txt', 'utf8', (err, data) => { if (err) { console.error(err); return; } console.log(data); });
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Error-Handling Suggestions

 try { const data = await fetchData(); } catch (error) { console.error('Error fetching data:', error); }
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Avoiding Common Mistakes

  • Prevents errors like missing await in async functions.

5. Unit Test Generation

GitHub Copilot assists in writing unit tests efficiently.

Steps to Generate Unit Tests:

Write a Comment Describing the Test

 // Write a unit test for the add function
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Use a Testing Framework

  • Ensure Jest, Mocha, or Pytest is installed.

Generate Tests for a Function

 function add(a, b) { return a + b; } test('adds two numbers', () => { expect(add(2, 3)).toBe(5); });
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Test Edge Cases

 test('returns NaN when inputs are not numbers', () => { expect(add('a', 3)).toBeNaN(); });
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Mocking and Stubbing

 const fetchData = jest.fn(() => Promise.resolve({ data: 'mocked data' })); test('fetches data successfully', async () => { const data = await fetchData(); expect(data).toEqual({ data: 'mocked data' }); });
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Parameterized Tests

 test.each([ [1, 2, 3], [0, 0, 0], [-1, -1, -2], ])('adds %i and %i to get %i', (a, b, expected) => { expect(add(a, b)).toBe(expected); });
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Generate Tests for Classes

 class Calculator { add(a, b) { return a + b; } } test('adds two numbers using Calculator class', () => { const calc = new Calculator(); expect(calc.add(2, 3)).toBe(5); });
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Conclusion

GitHub Copilot is a powerful tool that enhances productivity, reduces errors, and simplifies coding tasks. By leveraging its features effectively, developers can streamline their workflow and focus on building high-quality software.

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