Programming with GitHub Copilot : Write Better Code--Faster!

Accelerate your programming with the most popular AI coding tool on the market: GitHub Copilot In Programming with GitHub Copilot: Write Better Code — Faster, veteran software developer and GitHub community hero Kurt Dowswell delivers an insightful and hands-on exploration of GitHub's powerful, new AI coding assistant, Copilot. In the book, you'll discover how to use the tool's capabilities to push the boundaries of what you thought was possible in programming. Even if you've used autocomplete tools—like VS Code's TabNine extension—before, you'll be floored by GitHub Copilot's potential to transform the way you code. You'll learn how to install, configure, and use the software, from employing it's most common and widely used features to deploying business and enterprise functionality. You'll even discover how to fix runtime and compilation bugs and write unit, integration, and end-to-end tests. You'll also find: Prompt strategies to get GitHub Copilot to help you brainstorm new code solutions What the future looks like for AI-assisted coding, including discussions of issues like code licensing and ethics Directions for chatting with Copilot, including common commands and prompts to help you guide the conversation to where you want it to go Perfect for practicing programmers, developers, and software engineers, Programming with GitHub Copilot is also an essential resource for coders and other IT practitioners-in-training who want to expand their knowledge and improve the scope and depth of their programming skillsets. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Acknowledgments About the Author Contents at a Glance Contents Introduction Part I Getting Started with GitHub Copilot Chapter 1 Get Started with GitHub Copilot Learn Why GitHub Copilot Matters Create a GitHub Account Acquire a GitHub Copilot License Install an IDE Extension Download Visual Studio Code Install the GitHub Copilot Extension Configure the IDE Settings for Copilot Install Node.js First Run: Test Copilot Get the Prerequisites Explore Copilot Conclusion Reference Chapter 2 Decoding GitHub Copilot Uncover the AI Behind GitHub Copilot Understand Security, Privacy, and Data Handling Message Transmission Data Storage Prompt and Suggestion Data User Engagement Data Additional Security Vulnerability Prevention System GitHub Advanced Security Understand Copyright Protections Explore the GitHub Copilot Trust Center Conclusion References Part II GitHub Copilot Features in Action Chapter 3 Exploring Code Completions Introducing Code Completions Working with Copilot Code Completions Prerequisites Naming Your File Top-Level Comment Using Meaningful Names Writing Specific Comments Referencing Open Tabs Discovering the Toolbar and Panel Detailing the Completions Toolbar Discover the Completions Panel Updating Copilot Settings inlineSuggestCount length listCount Leveraging Keyboard Shortcuts Focus on GitHub Copilot View Suggest Terminal Command Triggering Inline Suggestion Navigate to the Next Panel Suggestion Navigate to the Previous Panel Suggestion Open Completions Panel Conclusion Chapter 4 Chatting with GitHub Copilot Discovering Copilot Chat Chatting in the Sidebar Maximizing Conversations with the Editor View Expanding Your Conversation to a New Window Shifting the Conversation to the Right Utilizing Inline Chat Discovering Quick Chat Defining Prompt Engineering with Copilot Chat Understanding the Basics Prompting for Code Prompting for Solutions Having a Single Clear Objective Specifying a Specific Technology Keeping Prompts Short Gaining Context in Chat Open Tabs Context Editor Context File Context Selection Context Commanding Your Conversation with Precision Querying with @workspace Learning with /explain Generating Tests with /tests Finding a Fix with /fix Scaffolding with /new Crafting with /newNotebook Engaging with @vscode Inquiring with /api Learning with @terminal Conclusion Part III Practical Applications of GitHub Copilot Chapter 5 Learning a New Programming Language Introducing Language Education with Copilot Setting Up Your Development Environment Prerequisites Setup Guide Learning the Basics Prerequisites Learning C# with Copilot Creating a Console Application Prerequisites Creating a C# Console Application with Copilot Explaining Code with Copilot Adding New Code Learning to Test Creating Context with Selection Creating Context with Tags Running Tests Conclusion Reference Chapter 6 Writing Tests with Copilot Establishing the Example Project Prerequisites Adding Unit Tests to Existing Code Driving Unit Test Creation with Comments Using Inline Chat to Generate Tests Exploring Behavior-Driven Development with Copilot Adding User Accounts Setup End-to-End Tests Conclusion Chapter 7 Diagnosing and Resolving Bugs Establishing the Example Project Prerequisites Fixing Syntax Errors Resolving Runtime Exceptions Setup Resolving Terminal Errors Conclusion Chapter 8 Code Refactoring with Copilot Introducing Code Refactoring with Copilot Establishing the Example Project Prerequisites Refactoring Duplicate Code Adding Unit Tests Refactoring Duplicate Error Handling Code Refactoring Validators Adding Unit Tests Extracting Validation Code to Functions Refactoring Bad Variable Names Documenting and Commenting Code Method Documentation Project Documentation Conclusion Chapter 9 Enhancing Code Security Detailing Code Security Establishing the Example Project Prerequisites Exploring Code Security Using HTTPS Implementing Validation Conclusion Finding and Fixing Security Issues Fixing Weak Password Hashing Fixing SQL Injection Conclusion Chapter 10 Accelerating DevSecOps Practices Detailing DevSecOps Simplifying Containers Creating a Container Deploying a Container Applying Security Controls Automating Infrastructure as Code Creating IaC Deploying Code Using Terraform Applying Security Controls Streamlining CI/CD Pipelines Creating CI Pipeline Adding Security Scanning Creating CD Pipeline Conclusion Chapter 11 Enhancing Development Environments with Copilot Amplifying Visual Studio with Copilot Prerequisites Installing the GitHub Copilot Extension Exploring Code Completions Chatting with Copilot Elevating Azure Data Studio with Copilot Prerequisites Installing the GitHub Copilot Extension Constructing Database Schemas with Copilot Inserting Test Data with Copilot Querying with Copilot Boosting JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA with Copilot Prerequisites Installing the GitHub Copilot Extension Exploring Code Completions Chatting with Copilot Enhancing Neovim with Copilot Prerequisites Installing the GitHub Copilot Extension Exploring Code Completions Consulting Copilot in the GitHub CLI Prerequisites Installing the GitHub Copilot Extension Getting Suggestions with Copilot Explaining Commands with Copilot Setting Up Aliases for Copilot Bash PowerShell Zsh References Conclusion Chapter 12 Universal Conversion with GitHub Copilot Translating Natural Language to Programming Languages Converting JavaScript Components Simplifying CSS Styles Converting Between CSS Frameworks Enhancing Nontyped Languages with Types JavaScript to Typescript Transitioning Between Frameworks and Libraries Pandas to Polars Express.js to Koa.js Converting Object-Oriented Languages Objective-C to Swift Migrating Databases SQL Server to PostgreSQL Transitioning CI/CD Platforms Modernizing Legacy Systems Modernizing a COBAL Program Conclusion Reference Part IV Key Insights and Advanced Use Cases for GitHub Copilot Chapter 13 Considering Responsible AI with GitHub Copilot Introducing Responsible AI Responsible AI Regulation Examining How Copilot Implements Responsible AI Fairness Reliability and Safety Privacy and Security Data Protection Vulnerability Prevention System Inclusiveness Transparency Accountability Further Research Programming with AI Responsibly Researching Responsible AI Principles Conclusion References Chapter 14 Augmenting the Software Development Life Cycle with GitHub Copilot Introducing the SDLC Requirements Design Coding Testing Deployment Maintenance Assessing the Adoption of AI in the SDLC Detailing Levels of AI Integration in the SDLC Level 0: Nonexistent Capabilities Demonstrated Level 1: Initial Capabilities Demonstrated Level 2: Managed Capabilities Demonstrated Level 3: Defined Capabilities Demonstrated Level 4: Quantitatively Managed Capabilities Demonstrated Level 5: Optimizing Capabilities Demonstrated Summary Showcasing GitHub Copilot in the SDLC Detailing the Example Scenario Requirements Gathering Refining the Backlog Planning with Copilot Coding with Copilot Testing with Copilot Deploying with Copilot Addressing Concerns: AI Adoption and the Future of Work Conclusion References Chapter 15 Exploring Copilot Business and Enterprise Introducing Copilot Business and Enterprise Detailing Base Features Programming with Copilot in Your IDE Chatting with Copilot in Your IDE Leveraging Copilot in the CLI Highlighting Copilot Business Presenting Copilot Enterprise Chatting with Copilot in GitHub.com Getting Insights About a Repository Asking Copilot General Programming Questions Indexing Code Repositories to Improve Copilot’s Understanding Detailing the Example Project Introducing Retrieval-Augmented Generation Indexing Your Repository Asking Repository-Specific Questions How Question Where Question Getting Better Answers with the Knowledge Base Creating a Knowledge Base Summary Leveraging Copilot Chat in Code Repository Files Explaining Code with Copilot Getting Suggested Improvements from Copilot Adding Context with Attach to Current Thread Enhancing Pull Requests with Copilot Discovering Pull Request Tasks Making a Code Change with Copilot Update the Basket Domain Model Update the Basket Service Update the Basket Page Committing to the Feature Branch Leveraging Copilot to Summarize Your Pull Request Managing GitHub Copilot Managing Access Managing Policies Content Exclusion Reviewing Audit Logs Looking Ahead Augmenting Results with Web Search Powered by Bing Customizing Copilot with Fine-Tuned Models Supercharging Copilot with Workspace Conclusion References Conclusion Appendix Resources for Further Learning GitHub Copilot Overview and Subscription Plans Getting Started with GitHub Copilot GitHub Copilot Individual GitHub Copilot Business GitHub Copilot Enterprise Managing Billing for GitHub Copilot GitHub Copilot Product-Specific Terms GitHub Copilot FAQs Community Engagement and Support GitHub Community Discussions on Copilot GitHub Copilot Trust Center Legal and Ethical Considerations Microsoft Copilot Copyright Commitment Empowering Responsible AI Practices Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights The EU Artificial Intelligence Act Research and Insights What Is Retrieval-Augmented Generation? Quantifying GitHub Copilot’s Impact on Productivity AI’s Impact on the Developer Experience Inside GitHub: Working with LLMs OpenAI Codex Glossary Index EULA