The case of CODEX in VSCode, which made development amazingly easy.
Another bug..." "I got stuck in building the environment..." These small "stumbles" accumulate in the course of development. Recently, however, I introduced the CODEX extension to VSCode, and my work became remarkably smooth. In this article, I will carefully introduce the experience.
What is CODEX VSCode?
A new code support agent developed by OpenAI. It is provided as a VSCode extension and can be used by switching between the following three modes
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Chat mode. You can ask questions in a conversational style like ChatGPT. Useful for code explanation and error resolution.
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Agent mode The system looks at the entire project and suggests refactoring and modifications on a file-by-file basis.
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Full-Access mode. Operates the entire repository and acts as a "development partner" by creating PRs, etc.
It is a departure from conventional "code completion AIs".
---It is different from conventional "code completion AIs".
What surprised me when I actually used it
1. error resolution is instantaneous
Whenever an error occurs in the terminal, just copy and paste to get an explanation and solution. The time I spent googling and going through articles has been reduced.
2. support for environment building
When I asked for help in setting up the latest environment for Next.js, the setup procedure, from the npx create-next-app command to the explanation of dependencies, was generated at once.
Even beginners are unlikely to get lost.
3. Refactoring suggestions
When you show them your code that has a long function, they offer concrete suggestions for modification, saying, "Let's split it up and organize the responsibilities. It gives me a sense of security as if I am undergoing a review.
--- Gary
Differences with GitHub Copilot
- Copilot has strong "code auto-completion".
- CODEX can "view the whole repository and perform tasks".
In other words, I had the impression that Copilot is "an aid at hand" and CODEX is "a partner for the team". It may be the strongest when both are used together.
Issues we noticed
Of course it is not perfect.
- Some functions are still unstable due to preview version
- Response can be slow depending on network environment
- Large repositories may take a long time to process
However, the fact that you can feel the future image of "AI working within VSCode and taking over development" is a big attraction.
---...
Summary: Already "AI engineers are inside VSCode
Since CODEX was installed in VSCode, development has become much easier. In particular, the processes of "research," "modification," and "consultation" have been shortened at a stroke.
- We don't have to stop for small errors.
- Code organization is also automatically suggested.
- Even PR creation can be entrusted to us.
It was a different dimension from the "AI completion" we have had in the past, and it felt like "another developer is living in VSCode ".
👉 In your everyday development, in what situations would you like AI to help you? Please let us know in the comments or feedback.