Rules of the Road

This repository contains instructions for configuring Copilot Agent mode to work with the rules set down in the Cvent Paved Road.

Copilot Instructions

Copilot supports a feature called "instructions" that allows you to provide specific guidelines for how it should generate code. This can be particularly useful for ensuring that the generated code adheres to your project's coding standards and best practices.

Configuring Copilot Instructions

Copilot instructions are configured in the settings.json file, either inline as individual text instructions or as a file reference.

1. Open your settings.json either by navigating to File > Preferences > Settings or by pressing Command+, search for copilot instructions.

2. Choose the type of instructions to configure (see instructions types below).

3. Specify the instructions in JSON format. You can either add them directly as text or reference a file in your workspace. For example:

{
    "github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.instructions": [
        {
            "text": "Use camelCase for variable names."
        },
        {
            "file": "path/to/instructions.txt"
        }
    ]
}

4. Save the file. The changes will take effect immediately.

It is important to ensure that instructions are short and precise. Poor instructions can degrade Copilot's effectiveness.

Instruction Types

There are five main types of instructions you can configure:

• Code Generation Instructions
• Code Review Instructions
• Commit Message Generation Instructions
• Pull Request Description Instructions
• Test Generation Instructions

Code Generation Instructions

Instructions that will be added to Copilot requests that generate code. This affects inline coding suggestions, chat completions, and code generation requests in both edit and agent modes.

Example:

    "github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.instructions": [
        {
            "text": "This is an example of a code generation instruction.",
        }
    ]

Code Review Instructions

Instructions provided to Copilot when reviewing code. This can be used to enforce coding standards, best practices, and is considered either when reviewing a selection, file, or an entire pull request.

Example:

    "github.copilot.chat.codeReview.instructions": [
        {
            "text": "This is an example of a code review instruction."
        }
    ]

Commit Message Generation Instructions

Instructions provided to Copilot when generating commit messages.

Example:

    "github.copilot.chat.commitMessageGeneration.instructions": [
        {
            "text": "This is an example of a commit message generation instruction."
        }
    ]

Pull Request Description Instructions

Instructions provided to Copilot when generating pull request descriptions.

Example:

    "github.copilot.chat.pullRequestDescription.instructions": [
        {
            "text": "This is an example of a pull request description instruction."
        }
    ]

Test Generation Instructions

Instructions provided to Copilot when generating tests.

Example:

    "github.copilot.chat.testGeneration.instructions": [
        {
            "text": "This is an example of a test generation instruction."
        }
    ]