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From Idea to Code: Automate Development with GitHub Copilot

Executive Summary

This 1-day, hands-on course empowers professional developers to maximize GitHub Copilot's capabilities. Learn the essentials of Copilot. Participants will discover how to use Copilot in Visual Studio Code, Visual Studio and other IDEs/editors, understand subscription options, and see how generative AI and prompt engineering drive code generation across languages and frameworks.

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Description

Unlock the full potential of GitHub Copilot in this intensive half-day course tailored for professional developers. Whether you're curious about what GitHub Copilot is, exploring the differences between GitHub Copilot vs Microsoft Copilot, or diving into enterprise-level tools like GitHub Copilot Enterprise, this course delivers a comprehensive, hands-on introduction. Participants will learn how to navigate the GitHub Copilot workspace, understand subscription models (Individual, Business, Enterprise), and get started with Copilot coding using Visual Studio Code and GitHub CLI. The course also explores how GitHub Copilot works behind the scenes with generative AI and prompt engineering, empowering developers to transform natural language into functional code across languages and frameworks.

Objectives

  • Understand what GitHub Copilot is and the basics of Prompt Engineering.
  • Learn how GitHub Copilot works and how to install and configure it across editors and IDEs.
  • Compare GitHub Copilot vs Microsoft Copilot and determine which is right for your workflow.
  • Discover the power of GitHub Copilot Enterprise for large teams and secure environments.
  • Explore code completions, language translation, and context-aware coding suggestions.
  • Practice Copilot coding for unit tests, configuration files, and documentation generation.

Duration

7 hours of intensive training with live instruction delivered over one to two days.

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Course Outline

Introduction to Github Copilot
  • What is GitHub Copilot?
  • What is Prompt Engineering?
Getting Started with Copilot
  • GitHub Copilot pricing and subscription tiers (Individual, Business, Enterprise).
  • Copilot and Copilot Chat in editors/IDEs.
  • Installing the extensions.
Core Features of Cursor
  • Integrated editing and AI code suggestions.
  • Codebase awareness and context handling.
  • Real-time collaboration capabilities.
Code Completions and AI Understanding
  • Generative AI as a Compiler.
  • Language Translation: Human to Code, Human to Human, Code to Code.
  • Why Context Matters in Prompt Engineering
Copilot as Your Code Copilot
  • Using Copilot Chat effectively.
  • Code generation and review.
  • Getting help and writing documentation.
  • Learning and upskilling with AI support.
Terminal Productivity with Copilot
  • Copilot in the Terminal Scope (VS Code + CLI).
  • Automating workflows with GitHub Copilot CLI.

Prerequisite

  • Students should have a basic understanding of programming concepts and experience with a programming language such as Python, JavaScript, or C#.
  • Students will need a GitHub account and a GitHub Copilot subscription to fully participate in the course. The Individual Free subscription works well for the course as long as the student has not used up their 2000 free inline code completions and 50 chat/premium requests for the month.

Training Materials

All students receive comprehensive courseware covering all topics in the course.