Elastic Copilot Documentation

Introduction

Elastic Copilot is a powerful VS Code extension that enhances your coding experience with AI-powered assistance. Unlike other AI coding tools, Elastic Copilot can access your terminal and file system, use a browser inside VS Code, and interact with it in real-time, showing you the process of testing and development as it happens.

Every step of development is captured, allowing you to go back and review the process at any time. This documentation will guide you through the features and capabilities of Elastic Copilot, helping you get the most out of this powerful tool.

Key Features

Getting Started

Installation

You can install Elastic Copilot directly from the VS Code marketplace:

1. Open VS Code
2. Go to the Extensions view (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Elastic Copilot"
4. Click Install

Basic Usage

After installation, you can activate Elastic Copilot by clicking on the Elastic Copilot icon in the activity bar or using the keyboard shortcut:

Ctrl+Shift+E (Windows/Linux)\nCmd+Shift+E (Mac)

Once activated, you can start a conversation with Elastic Copilot by typing in the input box. Here are some examples of what you can ask:

// Create a new React component\nCreate a responsive navigation bar component using React and CSS\n\n// Fix a bug\nHelp me fix this error: TypeError: Cannot read property 'map' of undefined\n\n// Refactor code\nRefactor this function to use async/await instead of promises\n\n// Generate tests\nWrite unit tests for this authentication service

Advanced Features

Terminal Integration

Elastic Copilot can execute terminal commands to help you with various tasks:

// Install dependencies\nInstall React and styled-components for my project\n\n// Run tests\nRun the test suite for the authentication module\n\n// Start a development server\nStart a development server for my React application

File System Access

Elastic Copilot can interact with your file system to create, modify, and organize files:

// Create a new file\nCreate a new React component called UserProfile in the components directory\n\n// Modify an existing file\nAdd form validation to the registration form in src/components/RegistrationForm.js\n\n// Organize files\nRefactor the project structure to follow the feature-based organization pattern

In-Editor Browser

Elastic Copilot includes an integrated browser that can be used to test web applications in real-time:

// Test a web application\nTest the login functionality of my web application\n\n// Demonstrate a feature\nShow me how the responsive design works on different screen sizes\n\n// Debug an issue\nHelp me debug why the form submission isn't working

Development History

Elastic Copilot captures every step of the development process, allowing you to review and go back to any point:

// View development history\nShow me the steps we took to implement the authentication system\n\n// Go back to a previous state\nRevert to the state before we refactored the database schema\n\n// Compare different approaches\nCompare the performance of the two sorting algorithms we implemented

Best Practices

To get the most out of Elastic Copilot, follow these best practices:

1. Be specific in your requests - The more details you provide, the better Elastic Copilot can assist you.
2. Use project context - Refer to specific files, functions, or components in your project to help Elastic Copilot understand the context.
3. Break down complex tasks - For complex tasks, break them down into smaller, more manageable steps.
4. Review and understand the code - Always review and understand the code that Elastic Copilot generates before integrating it into your project.
5. Provide feedback - If Elastic Copilot's solution isn't quite right, provide feedback to help it refine its approach.

Frequently Asked Questions