Hands-on: VS Code & GitHub Copilot

VS Code is Microsoft's free code editor. GitHub Copilot is the AI plugin that turns it into a real work partner — not just for programmers. As a BA, you use it to read code, modify config files, generate structures, ask "what does this file do?".

5-minute setup

1. Download VS Code from code.visualstudio.com and install.
2. Open VS Code → click the Extensions icon (left) → search "GitHub Copilot".
3. Install "GitHub Copilot" and "GitHub Copilot Chat".
4. Sign in with GitHub. Subscription: free 1 month, then ~$10/month (free for students / open source).

The 4 modes

1. Ghost text (inline suggestions)

You type code or text and Copilot autocompletes in gray. Tab → accept. Esc → reject. Useful when you know what you want and just need "type-ahead".

2. Chat panel (Cmd/Ctrl+Alt+I)

A conversation with the model where you can ask for explanations, refactor suggestions, debugging. It has access to the open file. Useful for questions like "what does this function do?" or "how do I change X?".

Exemple de prompt-uri în Chat:
- "Explică-mi ce face acest fișier."
- "Adaugă un câmp 'phone' opțional în schema de aici."
- "Sunt user nou în acest cod. De unde să încep?"
- "Scrie un test pentru funcția selectată."

3. Edit mode

Select a code region, press Cmd/Ctrl+I and request a change. Copilot proposes the diff directly in the file — accept or reject. Much faster than chat when you know exactly what to change.

4. Agent mode

Relatively new mode. You give a complex goal (e.g. "add an About page with text X") and Copilot decides which files to modify or create. It's unpredictable — verify everything it does.

BA-specific use cases

• Read an unfamiliar code file and ask Chat "summarize this for me".
• Check whether a new spec is implemented — ask Chat "find where validation for X happens".
• Edit a translations / i18n file to add new copy — Edit mode.
• Quickly generate scaffolding for a new mock-up — Agent mode + verify.