GitHub Copilot Chat is designed to assist with code quality improvements by refactoring specific, selected code segments. Prompts that ask for enhancements to readability (A) and maintainability (B) are precise and actionable requests. Copilot can analyze a function or block of code and suggest concrete changes, such as simplifying logic, improving variable names, or applying design patterns, which directly align with its core refactoring capabilities based on patterns from its training data.

C. This prompt is too broad and ambiguous. GitHub Copilot Chat operates most effectively on specific code selections or files, not entire applications, and "latest coding standards" is not a specific, actionable instruction.

D. This prompt is speculative and outside the tool's function. GitHub Copilot is trained on existing code and cannot predict future trends or refactor a codebase based on hypothetical future standards.

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1. GitHub Official Documentation, "Using GitHub Copilot Chat in your IDE": This document outlines the capabilities of Copilot Chat, including refactoring. It states, "You can ask GitHub Copilot to refactor a piece of code for you by highlighting the code in the editor and entering a prompt in the chat input." The examples provided, such as asking for fixes or improvements, align directly with improving readability and maintainability on a selected code segment.

Reference Location: In the section "Refactor code."

2. GitHub Official Documentation, "GitHub Copilot frequently asked questions (FAQ)": This document clarifies the scope and limitations of Copilot. It explains that Copilot's suggestions are based on the context of the code being edited. This context-bound nature supports why prompts must be specific to a code segment (like a function) rather than an entire application. It also implicitly confirms that Copilot works with existing patterns, not future predictions.

Reference Location: In the section "How does GitHub Copilot work?".

3. Dakhel, A. M., et al. (2023). GitHub Copilot, an AI pair programmer: Asset or liability? arXiv preprint arXiv:2302.12207. This academic study explores how developers use Copilot. The findings indicate that developers use it for tasks like "code refactoring and optimization," which includes improving code structure and clarity. This supports the use of prompts aimed at enhancing specific quality attributes like readability and maintainability.

Reference Location: Section 3.2, "RQ2: How do developers use GitHub Copilot in their daily programming tasks?", subsection "Code Refactoring and Optimization."

DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2302.12207