How to Use GitHub Copilot for Code Conversion

Introduction

Sometimes, you come across a great piece of code but it’s written in a different programming language than the one you're using in your project. Instead of rewriting it from scratch, GitHub Copilot can help you convert it with just a simple prompt. In this article, I’ll show you how I used Copilot to convert a C# console app into C++ in just a few steps.

Imagine you found some useful code, but it’s written in a different language than you need for your project. You can use Copilot to convert your code from one language to another. Let’s see how it is done.

I’ve a simple console app with Program.cs as the main code. I want to convert this code into C++.

I simply write the following command.

Copilot generates C# code to C++ that looks like the following.

And also writes an explanation of the C++ code in details.

On this screen, you can insert this code in a new file or preview it.

Using the same method, you can easily convert code from one language to another.

Note. As a reminder, you want to check the newly converted code is written the way you like and doesn’t have any bugs or issues. While Copilot is good at creating new code, it learns from existing old code. That means, the newly generated code may work just fine but there is no guarantee that the code is optimized and uses the latest version of C++.

Conclusion

GitHub Copilot makes it easy to convert code between programming languages, saving you time and effort. While it does a great job generating code, always double-check the output for bugs, outdated syntax, or optimization issues. With a little review, Copilot can be a powerful tool in your development workflow.

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