Explore Python IntelliSense in Copilot chat code blocks

[mjbvz]

This is an open ended, exploratory item

VS Code recently enabled intellisense in copilot chat code blocks. Although this is mostly implemented in a language agnostic way, language extensions may need to make some changes to get the best support

For this exploration, I'd like the python team's help testing out IntelliSense in copilot chat code blocks. I've provided a list of ideas on what to test below, however feel free to build on it. I've gone through them for JS/TS and found them to be a good starting point. You can also file feature request against VS Code for new feature ideas

Areas to test

• The Python extension should see TextDocuments for each chat code block

  There will actually be two docs per code block, one with the scheme vscode-chat-code-block: and one with the scheme vscode-copilot-chat-code-block:. vscode-chat-code-block is the scheme used by VS Code core to provide basic intellisense (such as expand selection. vscode-copilot-chat-code-block is the scheme used by copilot to provide go to definition support. This is needed because copilot registers itself as the go to def provider for vscode-chat-code-block

• Basic syntax language features — such bracket matching and Smart Selection — should always work

• You should never see errors reported for code in chat code blocks

  Try asking copilot to generate invalid code to confirm this

• Test hovers and go to definition within a single code block

  For example if you ask for binary search in python, there should be a single code block that has these IntelliSense features

  • Make sure these features work for global symbols
  • Also test IntelliSense for symbols defined within the block
  • Check that any special python features in hovers (such as links) work as expected
  • Make sure the code block IntelliSense observes any relevant workspace/project settings

• Test cross code block IntelliSense

  Ask a questions such as binary search in python and follow up by asking write some tests for it. The second code block should use the binary search function defined in the first. Inside of the second code block you should be able to hover on it to see documentation and use go to definition on it

• Test IntelliSense for workspace symbols

  This feature is mostly handled by copilot but still worth testing. For it, as a @workspace question to find code in the workspace. For example, @workspace where's the code for binary search

  • Make sure can use hover, go to definition, go to implementation, and go to type definition for symbols that come from the workspace
  • Make sure you can still use these features for globals and locals too

• Make sure that code in code blocks is never picked up as a reference

  If a code block uses a global symbol for example, when you run find all references on that symbol in a normal workspace file, you should not see the use in the code block listed

• Make sure symbols code blocks never shows up in workspace symbol search

• Explore any python specific features/behavior of these IntelliSense features inside these chat code blocks

• Think about if there's any additional IntelliSense features that would help users understand code inside of chat code blocks

[rchiodo]

I'm wondering if our import resolution is going to work. The schema will make us think the file is not on the local file system, so we won't search the workspace. We might have to special case the schema here.

[heejaechang]

default workspace might work with stdlib with any random url in async server. but that said, feels like it might be better to just create new workspace that deals with copilot specifically? like copilotWorkspace ? and we enable or disable certain features there?

[luabud]

next week I'll try to look more deeply into this, since right now we only support vscode-chat-code-block and I was struggling to get a Pylance build with vscode-copilot-chat-code-block and I'm not sure why.

But so far I noticed that when Copilot uses one of the workspace files as reference, go to def and hover works as expected. With reference:

No reference (nothing shows when hovering models)

Also noticed that go to definition on .models takes to the Django built-in models module, not my models.py file. But the classes go to the models.py as expected:

Errors are not being displayed indeed, although a few diagnostics such as unaccessed symbol or unreachable code are displayed (note that the "experimental pylance" string is a known bug that has just recently been fixed):

Apart from that, everything else worked well: bracket matching, smart selection, go to def on global variables, response results not showing on symbol search