Demo of GitHub Copilot

Let's show you how to use GitHub Copilot in a real-world scenario. In this demo, we will create a simple Python script that generates random passwords. We will use GitHub Copilot to help us write the code and provide suggestions.

-1- Create a new Python file

Let's start by opening our code editor and creating a new Python file called password_generator.py. We will then write a function that generates a random password based on user-defined criteria.

-2- Write the function signature

Provide the following prompt to GitHub Copilot:

Create a function called `generate_password` that generates a random password. 

-3- Accept the suggestion

Let's see what GitHub Copilot suggests. It should provide a function signature and some code to generate a random password. Accept the suggestion by pressing Tab.

You should see code similar to this:

def generate_password(length: int, use_special_chars: bool = True) -> str:
    import random
    import string

    characters = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
    if use_special_chars:
        characters += string.punctuation

    password = ''.join(random.choice(characters) for _ in range(length))
    return password

-4- Add a docstring

Now, let's add a docstring to the function to explain what it does. Provide the following prompt to GitHub Copilot:

Add a docstring to the function `generate_password` that explains what it does and its parameters.

Accept the suggestion by pressing Tab. You should see a docstring similar to this:

def generate_password(length: int, use_special_chars: bool = True) -> str:
    """
    Generate a random password.

    Parameters:
    length (int): The length of the password.
    use_special_chars (bool): Whether to include special characters in the password.

    Returns:
    str: The generated password.
    """

-5- Add a test

Now, let's add a test for the generate_password function. Provide the following prompt to GitHub Copilot:

Create a test for the `generate_password` function using the `unittest` framework.

Accept the suggestion by pressing Tab.

You should see a test similar to this:

import unittest

class TestPasswordGenerator(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_generate_password(self):
        password = generate_password(12, True)
        self.assertEqual(len(password), 12)
        self.assertTrue(any(char in string.punctuation for char in password))
        self.assertTrue(any(char.isdigit() for char in password))
        self.assertTrue(any(char.isalpha() for char in password))
        self.assertTrue(any(char.isupper() for char in password))

As you can see, GitHub Copilot has generated a test case that checks if the password meets the specified criteria. It's up to you to modify the test case to fit your needs.