GitHub Copilot - Cheatsheet

Overview

Quick reference: Essential shortcuts, commands, and patterns for effective GitHub Copilot usage

Keyboard Shortcuts

Effective Prompting Patterns

Function Generation

// ✅ Detailed function description
// Function to debounce API calls, waits for specified delay after last call
// Parameters: func (function), delay (ms), immediate (boolean)
// Returns: debounced function that can be cancelled
function debounce(func, delay, immediate = false) {
  // Copilot generates implementation
}

// ✅ With examples
// Convert temperature between Celsius and Fahrenheit
// Example: convertTemp(100, 'C', 'F') → 212
// Example: convertTemp(32, 'F', 'C') → 0
function convertTemp(value, from, to) {
  // Implementation follows
}

Class Generation

# ✅ Class with clear purpose and methods
# User management class with authentication and profile operations
# Methods: login, logout, update_profile, get_user_data
class UserManager:
    def __init__(self, database):
        # Copilot suggests initialization
        
    def login(self, username, password):
        # Authentication logic generated
        
    def logout(self, user_id):
        # Logout implementation

API Integration

# ✅ Specific API requirements
# REST API client for JSONPlaceholder service
# Methods: get_posts, create_post, update_post, delete_post
# Handles authentication, rate limiting, and error responses
import requests
from typing import Dict, List, Optional

class JSONPlaceholderClient:
    def __init__(self, base_url: str = "https://jsonplaceholder.typicode.com"):
        # Implementation generated

Common Comment Patterns

# Parse CSV file and return as list of dictionaries
# Handle missing values and data type conversion
# Support for custom delimiter and encoding

# Filter dataframe by multiple conditions
# Remove duplicates and handle null values
# Sort by specified column with custom order

// Express middleware for request logging
// Include timestamp, method, URL, IP address
// Write to file and console with rotation

// React component for user profile form
// Include validation, loading states
// Handle form submission and error display

-- SQL query to find users with recent activity
-- Join users, sessions, and activities tables
-- Filter by last 30 days, include user details

# MongoDB aggregation pipeline
# Group by category, calculate averages
# Sort by count descending, limit to top 10

# Unit tests for email validation function
# Test valid emails, invalid formats
# Edge cases: empty, null, special characters

// Integration test for user registration API
// Test success case, validation errors
// Mock external dependencies and database

Quick Commands

VS Code Command Palette

GitHub Copilot: Enable/Disable
GitHub Copilot: Open Completions Panel
GitHub Copilot: Generate Tests
GitHub Copilot: Explain This
GitHub Copilot: Fix This
GitHub Copilot: Generate Docs
GitHub Copilot: Toggle Inline Suggestions

Inline Chat Commands

/explain - Explain selected code
/fix - Fix problems in selection  
/test - Generate unit tests
/doc - Generate documentation
/optimize - Optimize performance
/refactor - Improve code structure

Configuration Snippets

VS Code Settings

{
  // Enable/disable Copilot
  "github.copilot.enable": {
    "*": true,
    "yaml": false,
    "plaintext": false,
    "markdown": true
  },
  
  // Inline suggestions
  "github.copilot.inlineSuggest.enable": true,
  "github.copilot.inlineSuggest.count": 3,
  
  // Editor integration
  "editor.inlineSuggest.enabled": true,
  "editor.inlineSuggest.showToolbar": "onHover",
  
  // Advanced settings
  "github.copilot.advanced": {
    "secret_key": "your-key",
    "length": 500,
    "temperature": 0.1,
    "top_p": 1,
    "indentationMode": {
      "python": "tab",
      "javascript": "space"
    }
  }
}

Language-Specific Settings

{
  "[python]": {
    "github.copilot.enable": true,
    "github.copilot.inlineSuggest.enable": true
  },
  "[javascript]": {
    "github.copilot.enable": true,
    "github.copilot.advanced.temperature": 0.2
  },
  "[markdown]": {
    "github.copilot.enable": false
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Best Practices Checklist

Before Using Copilot

• ✅ Have a clear understanding of what you want to build
• ✅ Set up proper project structure and dependencies
• ✅ Configure Copilot settings for your workflow
• ✅ Understand your codebase conventions

While Using Copilot

• ✅ Write clear, descriptive comments before code
• ✅ Review each suggestion before accepting
• ✅ Test generated code thoroughly
• ✅ Refactor to match your code style
• ✅ Understand the logic being generated

After Using Copilot

• ✅ Run comprehensive tests
• ✅ Review for security vulnerabilities
• ✅ Check for licensing compliance
• ✅ Document generated functions properly
• ✅ Optimize performance if needed

Pricing & Plans

Resources & Links

• Official Documentation: docs.github.com/copilot
• VS Code Extension: Search "GitHub Copilot" in extensions
• JetBrains Plugin: plugins.jetbrains.com
• Community: GitHub Discussions
• Status Page: githubstatus.com