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Add prompt engineering article (#51214)
Co-authored-by: Jess Hosman <[email protected]>
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content/copilot/using-github-copilot/prompt-engineering-for-github-copilot.md
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| --- | ||
| title: Prompt engineering for GitHub Copilot | ||
| shortTitle: Prompt engineering | ||
| intro: 'Follow these strategies to improve your {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} results.' | ||
| versions: | ||
| feature: copilot | ||
| topics: | ||
| - Copilot | ||
| --- | ||
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| A prompt is a request that you make to {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %}. For example, a question that you ask {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %}, or a code snippet that you ask {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to complete. In addition to your prompt, {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} uses additional context, like the code in your current file and the chat history, to generate a response. | ||
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| Follow the tips in this article to write prompts that generate better responses from {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}. | ||
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| ## Start general, then get specific | ||
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| When writing a prompt for {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}, first give {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} a broad description of the goal or scenario. Then list any specific requirements. | ||
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| For example: | ||
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| > Write a function that tells me if a number is prime | ||
| > | ||
| > The function should take an integer and return true if the integer is prime | ||
| > | ||
| > The function should error if the input is not a positive integer | ||
| ## Give examples | ||
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| Use examples to help {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} understand what you want. You can provide example input data, example outputs, and example implementations. | ||
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| For example: | ||
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| > Write a function that finds all dates in a string and returns them in an array. Dates can be formatted like: | ||
| > | ||
| > * 05/02/24 | ||
| > * 05/02/2024 | ||
| > * 5/2/24 | ||
| > * 5/2/2024 | ||
| > * 05-02-24 | ||
| > * 05-02-2024 | ||
| > * 5-2-24 | ||
| > * 5-2-2024 | ||
| > | ||
| > Example: | ||
| > | ||
| > findDates("I have a dentist appointment on 11/14/2023 and book club on 12-1-23") | ||
| > | ||
| > Returns: ["11/14/2023", "12-1-23"] | ||
| Unit tests can also serve as examples. Before writing your function, you can use {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to write unit tests for the function. Then, you can ask {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to write a function described by those unit tests. | ||
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| ## Break complex tasks into simpler tasks | ||
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| If you want {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to complete a complex or large task, break the task into multiple simple, small tasks. | ||
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| For example, instead of asking {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to generate a word search puzzle, break the process down into smaller tasks, and ask {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to accomplish them one by one: | ||
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| * Write a function to generate a 10 by 10 grid of letters. | ||
| * Write a function to find all words in a grid of letters, given a list of valid words. | ||
| * Write a function to that uses the previous functions to generate a 10 by 10 grid of letters that contains at least 10 words. | ||
| * Update the previous function to print the grid of letters and 10 random words from the grid. | ||
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| ## Avoid ambiguity | ||
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| Avoid ambiguous terms. For example, don’t ask "what does this do" if "this" could be the current file, the last {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} response, or a specific code block. Instead, be specific: | ||
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| * What does the `createUser` function do? | ||
| * What does the code in your last response do? | ||
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| Ambiguity can also apply to libraries: | ||
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| * If you are using an uncommon library, describe what the library does. | ||
| * If you want to use a specific library, set the import statements at the top of the file or specify what library you want to use. | ||
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| ## Indicate relevant code | ||
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| If you are using {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} in your IDE to get suggestions as you code, open any relevant files and close irrelevant files. {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} will use the open files to understand your request. | ||
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| If you are using {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} in your IDE, open the file or highlight the code that you want {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to reference. You can also specify which files {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} should reference. For example, in {% data variables.product.prodname_vscode_shortname %}, use the `#file` variable or the `@workspace` participant. For instructions on how to reference files in your IDE, see "[AUTOTITLE](/copilot/github-copilot-chat/copilot-chat-in-ides/using-github-copilot-chat-in-your-ide)." | ||
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| ## Experiment and iterate | ||
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| If you don’t get the result that you want, iterate on your prompt and try again. | ||
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| If you are using {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to get suggestions as you code, you can delete the suggestion entirely and start over. Or you can keep the suggestion and request modifications. | ||
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| If you are using {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %}, you can reference the previous response in your next request. Or, you can delete the previous response and start over. | ||
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| ## Keep history relevant | ||
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| {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat_short %} uses the chat history to get context about your request. To give {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} only the relevant history: | ||
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| * Use threads to start a new conversation for a new task | ||
| * Delete requests that are no longer relevant or that didn’t give you the desired result | ||
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| ## Follow good coding practices | ||
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| If you aren't getting the responses you want when you ask {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} for suggestions or explanations in your codebase, make sure that your existing code follows best practices and is easy to read. For example: | ||
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| * Use a consistent code style and patterns | ||
| * Use descriptive names for variables and functions | ||
| * Comment your code | ||
| * Structure your code into modular, scoped components | ||
| * Include unit tests | ||
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| >[!Tip] | ||
| > Use {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to help your code follow best practices. For example, ask {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to add comments or to break a large function into smaller functions. | ||
| {% ifversion ghec %} | ||
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| Similarly, if you aren't getting the responses you want when you use {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} with knowledge bases, apply these best practices to your knowledge base files: | ||
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| * Organize the files into a logical hierarchy | ||
| * Use clear and concise language | ||
| * Include examples and use cases, if relevant | ||
| * Cross reference between related files | ||
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| {% endif %} | ||
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| ## Further reading | ||
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| * [How to use GitHub Copilot: Prompts, tips, and use cases](https://github.blog/2023-06-20-how-to-write-better-prompts-for-github-copilot/) in the {% data variables.product.company_short %} blog | ||
| * [Using GitHub Copilot in your IDE: Tips, tricks, and best practices](https://github.blog/2024-03-25-how-to-use-github-copilot-in-your-ide-tips-tricks-and-best-practices/) in the {% data variables.product.company_short %} blog | ||
| * [A developer’s guide to prompt engineering and LLMs](https://github.blog/2023-07-17-prompt-engineering-guide-generative-ai-llms/) in the {% data variables.product.company_short %} blog | ||
| * [Prompting GitHub Copilot Chat to become your personal AI assistant for accessibility](https://github.blog/2023-10-09-prompting-github-copilot-chat-to-become-your-personal-ai-assistant-for-accessibility/) in the {% data variables.product.company_short %} blog |
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| * **Find out more about {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} code completion"** - See [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/using-github-copilot/using-github-copilot-code-suggestions-in-your-editor)." | ||
| * **Find out more about {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_chat %}** - See "[AUTOTITLE](/copilot/github-copilot-chat/using-github-copilot-chat-in-your-ide){% ifversion fpt %}.{% endif %}"{% ifversion ghec %} and "[AUTOTITLE](/copilot/github-copilot-enterprise/copilot-chat-in-github/using-github-copilot-chat-in-githubcom)."{% endif %} | ||
| * **Learn how to write effective prompts** - See "[AUTOTITLE](/copilot/using-github-copilot/prompt-engineering-for-github-copilot)." |