Insider newsletter digest: Cook up a controller with GitHub Copilot

Whether you’re a software architect, QA engineer, technical lead, or any other type of developer, you’ll most likely benefit from building a controller function in Node.js. A controller function is a specific piece of code within an application’s architecture—often found in the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern—that facilitates communication between the user and the underlying application logic.

Think of the controller function as the master chef in your code kitchen . It takes in your ingredients (user input), works its culinary magic behind the scenes by interacting with the data model, and serves up a deliciously updated UI . So, whether you’re coding up a storm or cooking up code, the controller function is your secret sauce to a flavorful application.

And here’s a little extra food for thought: did you know that you can build a controller on the fly with GitHub Copilot?

Follow this recipe to cook up your own controller function in Node.js with our new AI-pair programming tool:

1. Install the GitHub Copilot extension
2. Set up a new Node.js project and add instructions for GitHub Copilot.
3. Define your controller function specifications.
4. Leverage GitHub Copilot’s suggestions.
5. Accept and implement the code recommendations by pressing TAB and ENTER.
6. Add the required function details.
7. Optimize error handling.
8. Return API response.
9. Review and validate the code.
10. Update code to match your specific requirements.

One of our very own developer advocates, @LadyKerr, used this exact recipe to help concoct a GPT-3 application with GitHub Copilot that finds the nutritional content of any recipe with AI . You can find the source code and build it yourself here.

Or, if you’re a more visual learner, you can click through to follow the steps in this video:

Ready to whip up a controller function of your own? Let’s get cookin’ ! Sign up for GitHub Copilot.

Written by

Sara Verdi

@saraverdi