How to Use Copilot Effectively: 6 Months of Bug Crushing

TLDRLearn how to use Copilot effectively and avoid common bugs. Find out the do's and don'ts of using Copilot, including why you shouldn't rely on comment-driven development. Understand the importance of being cautious with Copilot's logic suggestions and how to make the most out of its boilerplate generation. This comprehensive guide is based on 6 months of experience and will help you use Copilot more efficiently.

Key insights

🔍Be cautious when using Copilot for comment-driven development. It may produce both correct and incorrect results.

🔍Copilot's logic suggestions may not be optimized or efficient. Review and optimize the generated code.

👩‍💻Consider the experience level of the developer when deciding whether to use Copilot. Juniors may struggle with bug detection and frequent code reviews.

🧰Leverage Copilot's ability to generate boilerplate code, saving time and effort.

👍Use Copilot with caution and rely on your own expertise to enhance the quality of the code.

Q&A

What is Copilot?

Copilot is an AI-powered code generation tool that assists developers in writing code more efficiently.

Should I use Copilot for comment-driven development?

No, comment-driven development is not recommended when using Copilot. It may lead to incorrect code generation.

Is Copilot suitable for junior developers?

Junior developers should exercise caution when using Copilot. They may struggle with bug detection and frequent code reviews.

Does Copilot generate optimized code?

Copilot may not always produce optimized or efficient code. It is important to review and optimize the generated code.

How can Copilot be beneficial?

Copilot can be beneficial in generating boilerplate code, saving time and effort.

Timestamped Summary

00:00Introduction and background on using Copilot

02:58Caution with comment-driven development and the potential for incorrect code generation

04:21Demonstration of bugs and the importance of bug detection and code reviews

06:20The benefits of using Copilot for generating boilerplate code

07:53The importance of explicit types and review for optimized code

09:21Considerations for using Copilot based on experience level

09:30Conclusion and recommendations for using Copilot effectively