Introduction: Getting Familiar with Your New AI Partner in Programming
Imagine having an ever-available partner in Visual Studio that helps you whenever you work with this tool. For everyone, whether working with the free Community version of Visual Studio 2022 or a licensed version, this is a reality, not science fiction. GitHub Copilot is an AI-equipped pair programmer that has been added to Visual Studio 2022 and has revolutionized the coding method. In simple words, Copilot helps you code with the help of AI; just like an intelligent pair, it suggests lines of code, functions, and solutions as you type. The result is a better, faster, and even enjoyable experience for beginners and experts. You can download Visual Studio 2022 Enterprise / Professional with a valid License key from here for FREE!
What is Pair Programming with Artificial Intelligence?
Pair programming with the help of artificial intelligence is a concept based on classic pair programming. Pair programming means working on a project at the same time, in pairs. In its classic form, your pair is a human sitting beside you who gives you suggestions to improve your code. In the artificial intelligence form, however, your partner is an AI within your coding environment.
Tools such as GitHub Copilot understand your work context and suggest code. It can write a complete function or even add comments and documentation to your code. It’s like a professional assistant standing beside you who, instead of relying on their memory, can access millions of lines of code from all over the world to help you.
For example, it’s enough to write a comment like “// sort an array of numbers//” and artificial intelligence will generate the code. This goes beyond the simple capability of just autocompleting code. Traditional features in programming environments like IntelliSense in Visual Studio merely suggest a variable name or function name, but Copilot can suggest a whole block of code or a complete algorithm, and its suggestion is your obligation. This feature is very important for beginners who are not sure about their code, and experts can also use this feature to save time and avoid getting caught up in duplicate code.
GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio – Setup and Integration
GitHub Copilot is fully integrated into Visual Studio 2022, and if you are using newer versions of this environment, activating it is very simple. Actually, since version 17.10, Copilot is accessible as an optional installation element of Visual Studio, and in many cases, it is installed by default with the installation package.
To start working with Copilot in Visual Studio, it is enough to log in with your GitHub account because it belongs to GitHub. After activation, Copilot will start working in the background of the programming environment. A small icon in Visual Studio will show you that an artificial assistant is activated and ready to help you. From that moment on, the experience with Copilot is like magic. It is enough to start writing code or a comment, and Copilot will show you autocomplete code suggestions.
In the background, Copilot uses an advanced artificial intelligence model created by OpenAI, which has learned from billions of lines of code, but you should not worry about technical details. What is important is that artificial intelligence analyzes your text, function name, comments, and file content live and provides accurate suggestions. You can write just a simple and natural comment, and Copilot will write code based on your documentation.
Copilot supports different languages and frameworks, from Python to JavaScript, C#, and C++, and it is optimized for common languages in Visual Studio.
Interacting with these suggestions is very simple. Copilot will show you its suggestions as faded text in the programming environment, just like a writer who types their suggestions at the same time as you. You can just press a key to accept them, but if you don’t like the suggestion, you can continue typing or press the Escape key to delete the suggestion. Also, there is a separate panel where you can chat with Copilot and ask it to come up with different solutions, but for beginners, these instant offers during coding are the best part of the project.
How Copilot Transformed the Coding Experience
Adding an artificial intelligence assistant to Visual Studio results in the daily experience changing in multiple directions:
Increasing Speed and Optimization in Development: When Copilot handles repeated and boring parts of code, programmers realize they can implement new features faster. According to recent reports, around 76% of developers use intelligent coding tools and, with their help, do their jobs around 50% faster. Routine codes, such as getting and setting variables, simple algorithms, or duplicate templates that need to be written multiple times, will be written in just a few seconds with the help of Copilot. This allows you to spend your time more on interesting parts such as designing, architecture, and solving complicated issues, not doing repeated tasks.
Helping to Reduce Errors and Repeated Tasks: Since Copilot has learned from a massive volume of code, it knows the best and correct method for your desired work. This means you will have fewer faults in writing repeated code or fewer typos. Microsoft’s official documents also confirmed that this artificial intelligence assistant can decrease repeated tasks and result in fewer errors. It’s also a very good option for beginners. For example, they may not know they have to check for empty values or how to code loops, but Copilot suggests complete and correct code suggestions automatically.
Learning and Improving Skills: Contrary to the imagination, Copilot doesn’t make programmers lazy; it can also be a great tool for beginners to learn better. If you are not sure how to use a library or a special function, it is enough to write a comment, and Copilot will write its sample code for you. This will help you get familiar with the new features of languages and libraries faster. Many programmers say the existence of an artificial intelligence assistant makes coding more interesting and less stressful for them. You can play with Copilot’s suggestions and learn from them. But notice: you should always examine and understand whatever is suggested to you because this tool is an assistant, not a real understanding substitution.
Keep Focusing and Understanding
One of the less paid-attention-to benefits of Copilot is staying focused when programming. Imagine you forgot how to read a JSON string in C#. You would have to leave programming, then go to the web and search for it. This will corrupt your concentration. But with Copilot, you can access your response or your desired code section instantly without ruining your concentration.
Real Examples and Operational Application for Beginners
Below the image is an example of a GitHub Copilot code suggestion in the Visual Studio 2022 environment. In the image above, you can see an example of a code suggestion by GitHub Copilot in the Visual Studio 2022 environment.
Faded text (above the selected section with red color) is the artificial intelligence’s suggestion to complete the provided code. Also, there is a guide that reminds the user that to accept the suggestion, they should press “Tab”. In this example, the programmer just wrote SubtractNumbers(int a, int b), and Copilot suggested completing the function by adding a simple command (return a - b;).
In operation, how is pair programming with AI? We can review some simple scenarios that a beginner or intermediate programmer may face:
Autocompletion of a Function: Imagine you are writing a function in JavaScript that will calculate the number of days between two dates. You just write the function title, for example, function and instantly open braces. Copilot may suggest the whole function body in faded text, for instance, some lines of code to calculate the difference between two dates and return the result. If the suggestion is true, you can accept it by just pressing the Tab button, and the whole function is ready. For a new programmer, it is very encouraging. This is the same as the programming environment telling you, “This is what you wanted to do, is it ok?” You can review the offer and also learn what the function is doing, and you will save time and energy.
Learning with Example: Imagine you are new to C# and you want to read data from a file. Maybe you don’t remember which class or method you should use (StreamReader or File.ReadAllText, etc.). If you just write a simple description, for example, you want to print the file content, Copilot can create code from this description. For instance, with the use of File.ReadAllLines just a loop, you can print every line. By accepting this suggestion, you receive both ready-to-use code and also learn a real example in C# to do this task. In this scenario, Copilot acts like an interactive teacher who shows you common templates and correct ways.
Generating Repeated and Routine Codes: In many projects, most of the programming section is related to tasks that are not complicated but consume a lot of time. For example, getting and setting values, initializing objects, or simple validations. Copilot is very useful in these cases, and as soon as you define your needs, it will generate basic code. For example, if you have a class with some fields and you want to write a ToString() method to evaluate if objects are equal, it is just enough to start writing it or even just write a comment such as “rewrite ToString class,” and Copilot may write you the full method. This means you leave boring tasks to AI and focus on the main logic of your program.
Getting Familiar with New Tools and Libraries: If you are working with a new library, for example, it’s the first time you are using an API, Copilot will suggest how to use it. Imagine you have recently added a library to send internet requests to your projects, but don’t know how to use it. It’s just enough to write a simple description that you want to send a GET request, and Copilot will suggest a code snippet for your needs. It can even give you code to check possible errors. This is the same as searching the web to find an example, with the difference that the example is at your service, and you don’t have to search for it.
Notice: Copilot is very powerful, but it is not perfect. Imagine it as a new programmer full of energy who usually writes correct and useful code, but sometimes it may misunderstand what you mean, or sometimes it may suggest something that is not accurate. Always review what it suggests and learn from it. Over time, you will also learn how to write descriptions and nomenclatures that Copilot understands better and gives you accurate answers.
Conclusion: Beginning of a New Era in Coding with AI
GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2022 is a giant leap in programming. With the introduction of pair programming with the help of AI in one of the most famous programming environments, the programming process has changed to an interactive experience with the support of AI. Beginners no longer need to get caught up in a simple spelling error or how to start a function – this intelligent colleague is always present to show you the right direction. At the same time, expert programmers can accelerate their speed, get rid of repetitive sections, and also examine new approaches with AI suggestions.
An important point is that tools such as Copilot do not take the place of thinking. You, as the programmer, always decide what to do. AI may write the code, but you must decide if the code is correct or not, or if it suits your project’s needs. In operation, having a Copilot is the same as having a fast and experienced assistant who can do repetitive tasks very quickly and helps your ideation. But it still needs your guidance and supervision.
In a simple sentence, pair programming with AI is changing the way programming is done and making it effective and collaborative. Copilot’s integration with Visual Studio makes this advanced technology available to many developers. This lovely and beneficial technology is a pathfinder for beginners because it gives suggestions instantly. With the popularity of software development with the help of AI, you can expect to focus on programming more than designing solutions, and keeping in mind command spelling. This is very beneficial for new programmers because they can focus more on learning concepts, not memorizing commands.
