Get started with a friendly robot that writes code sometimes better than you

If you want to boost programming productivity with an AI coding assistant then welcome to this Copilot tutorial. GitHub Copilot plugs into your developer tools like VS Code and Codespaces and offers inline code completion that feels like pair programming without the awkward small talk. It can save you time on boilerplate and repetitive tasks while still letting you keep final control.

Install the Copilot extension

Open the VS Code marketplace and install the official GitHub Copilot extension or enable Copilot inside GitHub Codespaces. The extension injects suggestions directly into the editor so code completion appears inline and not as a mysterious popup that judges you.

Sign in with your GitHub account

Authenticate using a GitHub account that has access to Copilot. Granting permissions links the extension to your subscription and starts suggestion delivery. Yes you must sign in. Yes it is that quick.

Adjust editor and suggestion settings

Open your editor settings and tune suggestion frequency language preferences and telemetry options. You can change how large suggestions are and how often the tool interrupts your flow. Tweak acceptance behavior so you do not end up with code that reads like it was written during a caffeine crash.

Invoke suggestions and use shortcuts

Trigger suggestions by typing natural language comments or common code patterns. Accept a suggestion with Tab or view alternative completions with Ctrl Space. Use multi line completions for boilerplate and for helper functions you repeat often. The right prompt usually gets the best results so be a little generous with comments.

Review and refine generated code

Treat every suggestion as a draft not a finished masterpiece. Run tests and linting and do a manual review to check logic performance and security. Refactor suggestions until the style and performance match your project standards. Remember you are still the owner of the code so keep the good parts and edit the rest.

Practical tips for better prompts and habits

• Write descriptive natural language comments before starting a function. A clear prompt yields more relevant suggestions and fewer awkward surprises.
• Use Copilot for boilerplate generation and repetitive tasks but avoid blind acceptance of complex algorithmic code.
• Run unit tests and static analysis after accepting suggestions to catch regressions early.
• Customize suggestion size and frequency in settings to avoid noise during focused work sessions.

Wrap up and quick workflow

This Copilot tutorial showed how to install and authenticate Copilot tune the editor and use shortcuts to accept suggestions while keeping a review workflow that keeps generated code reliable. Use it to speed up development with AI coding assistance while maintaining code ownership and quality. If it ever writes something odd just remember it is a tool not your replacement.