Tag: github

Custom instructions for code generation are not used for code completions and are only used in chat.

Custom instructions example

# Project coding standards

## TypeScript Guidelines
- Use TypeScript for all new code
- Follow functional programming principles where possible
- Use interfaces for data structures and type definitions
- Prefer immutable data (const, readonly)
- Use optional chaining (?.) and nullish coalescing (??) operators

## React Guidelines
- Use functional components with hooks
- Follow the React hooks rules (no conditional hooks)
- Use React.FC type for components with children
- Keep components small and focused
- Use CSS modules for component styling

## Naming Conventions
- Use PascalCase for component names, interfaces, and type aliases
- Use camelCase for variables, functions, and methods
- Prefix private class members with underscore (_)
- Use ALL_CAPS for constants

## Error Handling
- Use try/catch blocks for async operations
- Implement proper error boundaries in React components
- Always log errors with contextual information

Use a .github/copilot-instructions.md file

You can store custom instructions in your workspace or repository in a .github/copilot-instructions.md file and describe your coding practices, preferred technologies, and project requirements by using Markdown.

VS Code automatically includes the instructions from the .github/copilot-instructions.md file to every chat request and applies them for generating code.

To use a .github/copilot-instructions.md file:

1. Set the github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.useInstructionFiles setting to true to instruct Copilot in VS Code to use the custom instructions file.
2. Create a .github/copilot-instructions.md file at the root of your workspace. If needed, create a .github directory first.
3. Add natural language instructions to the file. You can use the Markdown format.

   Whitespace between instructions is ignored, so the instructions can be written as a single paragraph, each on a new line, or separated by blank lines for legibility.

"github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.instructions": [
  {
    "text": "Always add a comment: 'Generated by Copilot'."
  },
  {
    "text": "In TypeScript always use underscore for private field names."
  },
  {
    "file": "general.instructions.md" // import instructions from file `general.instructions.md`
  },
  {
    "file": "db.instructions.md" // import instructions from file `db.instructions.md`
  }
],