Are you ready to elevate your coding experience with the innovative AI capabilities of GitHub Copilot? This blog post will guide you through the essential steps to set up your environment and make the most of this powerful tool. Buckle up, because we’re diving into a hackathon adventure with GitHub Copilot that’s all about learning, creating, and collaborating.

Goal

The primary goal of this GitHub Copilot Hackathon is to explore its functionalities through a set of engaging exercises (or labs). You’ll create a web server using Node.js, build a .NET Web API, or develop a Java REST API (either Spring Boot or Quarkus). Don’t worry, aspiring data engineers and scientists; we’ve got two tailored exercises for you based on Python! And if you’re a seasoned Copilot user, challenging tasks await you!

Pre-requisites

• GitHub Copilot Access: If you haven’t yet obtained an active Copilot license, you can request a 30-day trial here.

Work with GitHub Codespaces

Your environment is already configured to work with GitHub Codespaces, thanks to the necessary configuration files in the .devcontainer folder. Just create a new codespace, and you’re all set to start coding without any installations!

IDE Extensions

To maximize your Copilot experience, don’t forget to install the appropriate extensions for your IDE:

• Visual Studio Code Copilot Extension
• Visual Studio 2022 Copilot Extension
• Visual Studio 2022 Copilot Chat Extension
• JetBrains Copilot Extension

Work Locally

To work locally, ensure you have the following installed based on the technologies you wish to use:

• Visual Studio Code
• Docker
• For Node.js:
  • Install Node and npm
  • Run: npm install –global mocha
  • Run: npm install axios
• Install .NET
• For Java:
  • Install Java
  • Install Maven
• For Python:
  • Install Python
• For C++:
  • Install cmake

Instructions for Labs

Get hands-on with the provided labs:

• Node Server
• .NET Web API
• Java Spring Boot
• Java Quarkus
• Python Data Engineer
• Python Data Scientist
• C++

Challenges Instructions

For those looking to push their skills further, check out these challenges:

• Develop a shop cart
• Develop a memory game
• Develop a chat based on websockets
• Behavior Driven Development (BDD) challenge
• Analysis cryptocurrency market

Quick Links

• About GitHub Copilot
• Getting started with GitHub Copilot
• About code referencing in GitHub Copilot
• Using GitHub Copilot Chat in your IDE
• Enabling GitHub Copilot in the CLI
• GitHub Copilot Badges and Certifications

Troubleshooting

If you experience any issues while using GitHub Copilot or setting up your environment, here are a few troubleshooting tips:

• Ensure you have an active GitHub Copilot subscription.
• Confirm that you have installed the necessary IDE extensions.
• If suggestions aren’t appearing, try typing more lines of code to provide context.
• Press **Ctrl + Enter** to view additional suggestions if they don’t initially show up.
• For further support, utilize Copilot chat by pressing **Ctrl + i** to incorporate it directly in your code.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Wrap Up

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

Now, gear up and let your coding journey with GitHub Copilot begin!