Programming with GitHub Copilot

KURT DOWSWELL is a software architect with over 13 years of experience delivering enterprise-grade software solutions for the Department of Defense. He is one of the first developers to work with GitHub Copilot and is a GitHub “community hero,” evangelizing the AI coding tool to the global developer community.

• Introduction xviiPart I Getting Started with GitHub Copilot 1Chapter 1 Get Started with GitHub Copilot 3Learn Why GitHub Copilot Matters 4Create a GitHub Account 4Acquire a GitHub Copilot License 4Install an IDE Extension 5First Run: Test Copilot 10Conclusion 15Reference 15Chapter 2 Decoding GitHub Copilot 17Uncover the AI Behind GitHub Copilot 17Understand Security, Privacy, and Data Handling 18Understand Copyright Protections 20Explore the GitHub Copilot Trust Center 21Conclusion 22References 22Part II GitHub Copilot Features in Action 23Chapter 3 Exploring Code Completions 25Introducing Code Completions 25Working with Copilot Code Completions 26Discovering the Toolbar and Panel 34Updating Copilot Settings 36Leveraging Keyboard Shortcuts 38Conclusion 40Chapter 4 Chatting with GitHub Copilot 41Discovering Copilot Chat 41Defining Prompt Engineering with Copilot Chat 48Commanding Your Conversation with Precision 52Conclusion 65Part III Practical Applications of GitHub Copilot 67Chapter 5 Learning a New Programming Language 69Introducing Language Education with Copilot 70Setting Up Your Development Environment 70Learning the Basics 72Creating a Console Application 74Explaining Code with Copilot 77Adding New Code 78Learning to Test 79Conclusion 85Reference 86Chapter 6 Writing Tests with Copilot 87Establishing the Example Project 87Adding Unit Tests to Existing Code 89Exploring Behavior-Driven Development with Copilot 94Conclusion 99Chapter 7 Diagnosing and Resolving Bugs 101Establishing the Example Project 101Fixing Syntax Errors 103Resolving Runtime Exceptions 105Resolving Terminal Errors 109Conclusion 111Chapter 8 Code Refactoring with Copilot 113Introducing Code Refactoring with Copilot 113Establishing the Example Project 114Refactoring Duplicate Code 116Refactoring Validators 122Refactoring Bad Variable Names 127Documenting and Commenting Code 129Conclusion 132Chapter 9 Enhancing Code Security 133Detailing Code Security 133Establishing the Example Project 134Exploring Code Security 135Finding and Fixing Security Issues 139Conclusion 142Chapter 10 Accelerating DevSecOps Practices 143Detailing DevSecOps 143Simplifying Containers 144Automating Infrastructure as Code 148Streamlining CI/CD Pipelines 152             Conclusion 158Chapter 11 Enhancing Development Environments with Copilot 159Amplifying Visual Studio with Copilot 159Elevating Azure Data Studio with Copilot 166Boosting JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA with Copilot 171Enhancing Neovim with Copilot 176Consulting Copilot in the GitHub cli 181References 185Conclusion 185Chapter 12 Universal Conversion with GitHub Copilot 187Translating Natural Language to Programming Languages 188Converting JavaScript Components 190Simplifying CSS Styles 191Enhancing Nontyped Languages with Types 196Transitioning Between Frameworks and Libraries 199Converting Object-Oriented Languages 203Migrating Databases 205Transitioning CI/CD Platforms 206Modernizing Legacy Systems 209Conclusion 213Reference 214Part IV Key Insights and Advanced Use Cases for GitHub Copilot 215Chapter 13 Considering Responsible AI with GitHub Copilot 217Introducing Responsible AI 217Examining How Copilot Implements Responsible AI 218Programming with AI Responsibly 226Conclusion 226References 227Chapter 14 Augmenting the Software Development Life Cycle with GitHub Copilot 229Introducing the SDLC 229Assessing the Adoption of AI in the SDLC 231Detailing Levels of AI Integration in the SDLC 232Showcasing GitHub Copilot in the SDLC 238Addressing Concerns: AI Adoption and the Future of Work 250Conclusion 251References 251Chapter 15 Exploring Copilot Business and Enterprise 253Introducing Copilot Business and Enterprise 254Chatting with Copilot in GitHub.com 257Indexing Code Repositories to Improve Copilot’s Understanding 262Getting Better Answers with the Knowledge Base 267Leveraging Copilot Chat in Code Repository Files 273Enhancing Pull Requests with Copilot 279Managing GitHub Copilot 288Looking Ahead 292Conclusion 293References 293Conclusion 295Appendix Resources for Further Learning 297GitHub Copilot Overview and Subscription Plans 297Community Engagement and Support 299Legal and Ethical Considerations 299Research and Insights 300Glossary 303Index 311