Table of Contents
What is Copilot Chat?
GitHub Copilot Chat is a conversational interface that allows you to interact with Copilot using natural language. Unlike inline code completion, Chat provides a deeper, more interactive way to understand, debug, and refine your code.
Key Concept: Copilot Chat is your research assistant—use it for deep code understanding, debugging, and learning. Inline Copilot is your coding assistant for quick suggestions.
Copilot vs. Copilot Chat
GitHub Copilot (Inline)
- Quick code suggestions
- Real-time as you type
- Single file focus
- Fast and responsive
- Best for: Code completion
Copilot Chat
- Deep code understanding
- Conversational interface
- Multi-file analysis
- More thorough
- Best for: Debugging, learning, explanations
Accessing Copilot Chat
In VS Code
- Open Copilot Chat panel (Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Shift+I)
- Or click Copilot Chat icon in sidebar
- Start typing your question
- Chat appears in dedicated panel
Inline Chat
- Select code and right-click
- Choose "Copilot: Explain" or "Copilot: Refactor"
- Chat opens inline in editor
- Context-aware based on selection
Use Cases for Copilot Chat
1. Code Explanation
Understand complex code:
- "Explain this function"
- "What does this code do?"
- "How does this algorithm work?"
- "Explain this regular expression"
2. Debugging
Find and fix issues:
- "Why is this code throwing an error?"
- "Help me debug this function"
- "What's wrong with this code?"
- "Find the bug in this code"
3. Refactoring
Improve code quality:
- "Refactor this code to be more efficient"
- "Improve this function's readability"
- "Convert this to use async/await"
- "Apply best practices to this code"
4. Learning
Learn new concepts:
- "How do I implement X?"
- "What's the difference between Y and Z?"
- "Show me best practices for X"
- "Explain this design pattern"
5. Code Generation
Generate complex code:
- "Write a function to do X"
- "Create a class that implements Y"
- "Generate unit tests for this function"
- "Write API integration code"
Chat View Modes
1. Editor View
Chat appears in editor panel:
- Full conversation history
- Code blocks with syntax highlighting
- Can apply code directly
- Multi-turn conversations
2. Inline View
Chat appears inline in code:
- Context-aware based on selection
- Quick explanations or modifications
- Less intrusive
- Focused on specific code
3. Terminal View
Chat in terminal context:
- Command-line assistance
- Script generation
- Terminal-related questions
Best Practices
1. Be Specific
Ask specific questions for better answers:
Bad: "Fix this"
Good: "This function is throwing a null reference error. Help me add null checks."
2. Provide Context
- Select relevant code before asking
- Include error messages
- Mention constraints or requirements
- Reference related files if needed
3. Iterate
- Ask follow-up questions
- Refine based on responses
- Request clarifications
- Build on previous answers
4. Review Code
- Always review generated code
- Test before using
- Check for security issues
- Ensure it meets requirements
Advanced Features
Multi-File Analysis
Chat can analyze multiple files:
- Understand relationships between files
- Refactor across multiple files
- Explain architecture
- Find dependencies
Code Application
Apply code directly from chat:
- Click to apply code blocks
- Insert at cursor position
- Replace selected code
- Create new files
Exam Key Points
- Copilot Chat is for deep code understanding and debugging
- Access via Ctrl+Shift+I / Cmd+Shift+I or sidebar icon
- Use cases: explanations, debugging, refactoring, learning, code generation
- Chat view modes: Editor, Inline, Terminal
- Be specific and provide context for better answers
- Can analyze multiple files and relationships
- Can apply code directly from chat responses
- Always review generated code before using
- Use for complex tasks; inline Copilot for quick suggestions
- Supports multi-turn conversations and follow-up questions
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