C# + GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2022

What is GitHub Copilot?

GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered programming assistant that assists developers by generating code based on their comments and existing code. Now natively integrated into Visual Studio 2022, it supports multiple languages, including C#.

Steps to Set Up GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2022

Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 – Version 17.10 or later
• .NET Desktop Development workload installed
• GitHub Account – With an active Copilot subscription
• GitHub Copilot Extension – Installed via Visual Studio Installer
• Local Git Repository – Ensure your C# project is under Git version control

After installation, sign in with your GitHub account that has Copilot access. You’ll see a GitHub Copilot icon in the top-right corner of the IDE indicating its status.

Activating GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio

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If GitHub Copilot is installed but in an inactive state, it may be because:

• You’re not yet signed into Visual Studio with a GitHub account

To Activate Copilot

1. Click the Copilot status icon in the Visual Studio toolbar,
2. From the dropdown menu, choose Sign in.
3. Sign in with a GitHub account that has an active Copilot subscription.
   • Don’t have a subscription? You can purchase one at: https://github.com/pricing

Or…

1. Select Open Chat Window
2. Choose:
   • Sign up for Copilot Free to sign up for Copilot Free
   • Sign in if you already have a Copilot-enabled account.

Once signed in, the Copilot status icon will change to indicate it’s active.

Using GitHub Copilot to Generate C# Methods

1. Generating Simple Code with Copilot

   Step 1: Add a comment, e.g.

   // Prompt: Write a method to calculate the factorial of a number using recursion

   Step 2: GitHub Copilot will suggest code based on your comment after a few seconds.

   Step 3: Accept or Modify

   • Press Tab to accept.
   • Use Alt +] or Alt + [ to cycle through suggestions.
   • Modify as needed.

   Please watch the video below which helps us to use GitHub Copilot in C#

   

   You can even prompt GitHub Copilot to generate unit tests:

   // Unit test for Factorial method using MSTest

   GitHub Copilot will suggest

   [TestMethod]
   public void TestFactorial()
   {
       var calc = new Calculator();
       Assert.AreEqual(120, calc.Factorial(5));
   }

2. Generating Complex Code with Copilot

   If we need the list of customers from the database with some filters, then we can prompt like

   // Method to get active customers from a specific city using DbContext

   GitHub Copilot will generate like below sample code

   public class CustomerService
   {
       private readonly AppDbContext _context;
   
       public CustomerService(AppDbContext context)
       {
           _context = context;
       }
   
       public async Task<List<Customer>> GetActiveCustomersByCityAsync(string cityName)
       {
           return await _context.Customers
               .Where(c => c.IsActive && c.City == cityName)
               .OrderBy(c => c.LastName)
               .ToListAsync();
       }
   }

Benefits of Using GitHub Copilot

• Speeds up development by generating boilerplate and repetitive code.
• Understands your intent through comments and method names.
• Reduces manual errors in common data access patterns.
• Supports clean architecture by suggesting service-layer methods.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Always review the code for correctness and performance.
• Copilot doesn’t know your business logic, so suggestions may need tweaking.
• Security and validation are your responsibility.
• Suggestions can vary, so results may not always be consistent.
• Over-reliance can hinder learning if used without understanding the code.

Conclusion

For C# developers, GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio 2022 is revolutionary. It decreases complexity and increases productivity in everything from creating methods to writing tests. Experience the future of AI-assisted development by giving it a try.

Reference:  https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/ide/visual-studio-github-copilot-extension?view=vs-2022