5 cool things you should try with Copilot right now

Olivia Guzzardo — Tue, 28 Feb 2023 18:17:14 +0000

It's rare that a new coding tool comes along and truly revolutionizes developer productivity. That's why I've been so excited about GitHub Copilot; I honestly can't imagine coding without it anymore.

GitHub Copilot is your own personal AI pair programmer, designed to suggest code straight from your editor. The coolest thing about it is that it learns from the code that you write, so the suggestions get even better over time. It's like you have somebody coding right along with you, but they can read your mind and there's no heavy breathing down your neck.

Everyday I feel like I discover something new that Copilot helps with, so let’s take a look at 5 things that you probably didn't know Copilot could do.

1. Explaining Code

Ever read code and have no idea what the heck is going on? Same! Let Copilot do the explaining for you.

2. Remembering Syntax

There are certain things in coding, that no matter how many times you do them, you just can’t remember the syntax (I’m looking at you, centered div). Well, you don’t have to remember, because Copilot is right there to tell you.

3. Writing Regex

Speaking of syntax that I can never remember: regex. You’re lying if you say you’ve never googled the proper regex for whatever pattern you’re trying to match. But now, you can just get Copilot to generate it.

4. Adding Comments

Commenting code – the bane of a developer’s existence. My most common comment used to be // TODO: add comment. Not anymore! Copilot’s got me covered.

5. Answering Questions

And finally, sometimes you just want to get a bit more conversational. Did you know that you can actually ask Copilot questions?

Try It Out

The beauty of GitHub Copilot is not that it does all your development for you, but that it increases your productivity by suggesting relevant code. This means less time writing boilerplate code and more time problem solving. Try it for yourself and see what else Copilot can do!