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Simple tricks I have picked up from actual use.
I wanted to use an AI Code generation tool for my iOS development. After some reading, I settled on Git Hub Copilot. There were options to install an Xcode extension from several git hub repositories, but the process appeared a little involved. It was reasonably easy to set up Git Hub Copilot, especially since the start-up I work for was willing to pay for it. I encountered a minor issue getting Visual Studio Code to see the active enterprise subscription.
My first tip is to keep both IDEs open simultaneously. I’m doing this on a Mac, so I use Mission Control to assign Visual Studio Code and Xcode to two virtual desktops. I then can four-finger swipe between them to change my IDE quickly.
I use Visual Studio Code for AI-augmented coding and Xcode to check for buildability. I want to work the code generation into my process without slowing down my daily coding output. Having the two tools open and quickly switching accomplishes this. Copilot has sped me up in some places and slowed me down in others. Of course, the more I use it, the better I get at prompts and the more valuable the tool becomes.
When I initially opened my project with Visual Studio Code, VS Code needed some time to develop suggestions.
When Open AI released ChatGPT last year, I learned their API by building a native iOS App. I had to write networking code in Swift and make a UI with SiwftUI to display the chat. I learned that all models available in the API have a text limit. I assume Copilot has access to the latest Open AI Large Language Models, and the most significant token limit I have seen quoted is 32000. That is plenty to ingest your entire program. For reference, that is 64 500-word files. I noticed a lag time after opening VS Code and when I started to see completions. This lag is your entire program being ingested for evaluation by the tool.
I’ll continue to bounce between the two programs to develop my technique. In the meantime, I can safely report it’s a helpful tool. If you liked this article and are considering a Medium Membership please use my referral link.
