GitHub Copilot Best Practices. Tips and Tricks on How To Get the AI on Its Best Behavior

Before we delve into the specifics of its features and functionalities, let's take some time to understand what it is and how it works. Essentially, GitHub Copilot is a tool designed specifically for developers like yourself to make coding easier than ever. Whether you're new to programming or a seasoned veteran, knowing about this valuable resource is going to change your coding game.

As a programmer, there is one thing you learn fast and you learn well. Talking to machines can be tricky. One poorly-placed coma can and will ruin your code in very creative ways. AI programming obviously changes that. You no longer need to be as vigilant about the fine details, and you can focus on being creative.

You can now communicate with your AI in natural language, with minimal hiccups along the way. Making the best of the functionality requires some understanding of minimal rules. A non-programmer will call it manners. We’re going to call them best practices.

At this stage, GitHub Copilot is a gorgeous tool, packed with spot-on features. It’s also clunky and frustrating when, in spite all of its power, it will generate beautifully-spaced, good-looking bugs and errors. This is all a question of what you prompt it to do and how. To get the best out of GitHub you need to make yourself understood and use a few tricks that will help you get great results.

The Broad Overview of What Github Copilot Can Do

Copilot is a tool that can help you speed up your work, eliminate the redundancy of coding, and inspire you to try new solutions. AIs are great at understanding natural language. You can describe what you want and GitHub will generate code solutions to your problem, in whatever programming language you need.

It understands context, remembers what you said previously and will establish an ongoing collaboration with you, with a lot of back and fort. With good guidance, in 8 out of 10 cases GitHub will write good code.

1. Know What Your Code Should Look Like

GitHub Copilot is great in the hands of programmers. Just like most AIs, it needs someone to identify what good work looks like. Some of the code might be total nonsense. Other times, it will serve you multiple versions to choose from. You need to be a good judge of code and you need to level your expectations. This AI will not make the programming job easier for your grandfather. It will make the programming job easier for you, the programmer who wants to get rid of boilerplate code.

2. Set a Good Example for the AI

GitHub Copilot is not a frozen AI, like ChatGPT. The AI learns as you use it. The more you code, the more it knows what your coding style is.

As you use GitHub Copilot, it learns from your patterns and the corrections you make to its suggestions. Take the time to correct and provide feedback on any inaccurate or incorrect suggestions. This helps improve the AI model over time, benefiting not just you but also the broader developer community.

3. Give GitHub Copilot Enough Context To Work On

GitHub Copilot generates code based on the context it analyzes. AIs are good at understanding natural language and retaining information from previous prompts. Give it the broad strokes of what you want to achieve first, instead of asking you to write a short function.

Make sure you provide clear and concise information about the task at hand, such as function signatures, variable names, and expected behavior. It will help Copilot provide more accurate and relevant suggestions.

4. Don’t Blindly Copy Snippets of Code

While Copilot can be a time-saving tool, avoid blindly copying and pasting code without understanding its purpose or functionality. Take the time to review the generated code snippets, understand their implications, and verify that they align with the desired behavior. This helps prevent potential bugs or unintended consequences in your code.

5. Write Clearly, Be Precise and Pragmatic About Your Orders

Yes, GitHub understands your requests in natural language, but it’s not the case to be vague or poetic about it. This tool is still a robot that will understand simple commands best. Aim to receive a short output from GitHub Copilot. The more complex or vague your ask is, the more likely GitHub Copilot will generate irrelevant or incorrect suggestions.

6. Stay Consistent

GitHub Copilot can generate code snippets in different styles and conventions. It's important to maintain consistency with the existing codebase or adhere to established coding standards. If your project follows a specific style guide, review and modify the suggestions accordingly to maintain consistency and readability.

7. Take Security Seriously

While GitHub Copilot can assist in generating code snippets, it's crucial to remain vigilant about security vulnerabilities. Code generated by Copilot may not account for specific security measures or best practices. Always review the code for potential security risks and apply appropriate security measures, such as input validation, proper error handling, and secure data handling.

8. Give Github Copilot an Example or Two

Sometimes, the best way to explain what you want is to show it. You can provide one or more examples of the expected output or behavior, and GitHub Copilot will try to generalize from them.

9. Double-Check on Comments and Documentation

Comments and documentation is part of the grind of the job. Nobody becomes a programmer for the paperwork, which is why it's great that Copilot can take over.

Keep in mind that the bot may not generate comprehensive comments or documentation for the code it suggests. Documenting your code properly and providing clear explanations for complex logic or algorithms is important. Add comments and inline documentation as needed to make the code more understandable and maintainable for yourself and other developers.

10. Respect Guidelines From Your Company

Certain companies, particularly those in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and government, have prohibited using GitHub within their organizations due to security concerns. It is crucial to acknowledge and respect these guidelines. They reflect the need to prioritize security in high-stakes applications.

In Closing

That wraps up our exploration of GitHub Copilot best practices! Of all the professionals out there, I think we can all trust programmers best to understand one thing. AIs need to be double-checked. This is the blanket guideline and best practice advice that you can give to anyone using AIs. These are not mature tools, but it's fantastic seeing them grow!