How I Used GitHub Copilot to Write a PowerShell GUI for Azure Tenant ID Lookup
When tasked with creating a PowerShell GUI to retrieve the Azure Tenant ID for any subscription, I decided to rely entirely on GitHub Copilot. Here’s how I did it—without manually writing a single line of code myself. (repo -> https://github.com/gsuttie/getTenantIdFromAzureSubscriptionId)
Setting Up
- Open Visual Studio Code: My preferred development environment. I enabled GitHub Copilot for code suggestions.
- Define Goals:
- A user-friendly GUI for inputting an Azure Subscription ID.
- Backend logic to retrieve the Tenant ID using Azure PowerShell.
- Automatically generate inline documentation and a comprehensive README file.
Prompting GitHub Copilot
- I started by creating a new PowerShell file and inputting the following prompt for Copilot:
Create a PowerShell script for a GUI that accepts an Azure Subscription ID, retrieves the Tenant ID using `Get-AzSubscription`, and displays it. Include inline comments and generate a README. - I then tweeked the prompt a few times and the end result can be found in the following GitHub repo
Documentation and README
I added another comment to the script:
Generate a README file explaining the purpose of this script, its usage, prerequisites, and examples.Copilot produced a structured README covering:
- Purpose: Explaining the script’s function.
- Usage: Step-by-step instructions on running the script.
- Prerequisites: Details about Azure PowerShell modules and authentication requirements.
- Example: A sample input and output demonstration.
Testing and Tweaking
I tested the script on a sample Azure environment. While functional, the GUI layout needed minor adjustments. I prompted Copilot with:
Improve the alignment and spacing of GUI elements.This fine-tuned the interface, making it visually cleaner.
Final Output
With GitHub Copilot, I:
- Built a functional PowerShell GUI to retrieve Azure Tenant IDs.
- Included inline comments and documentation.
- Generated a detailed README without writing any code manually.
Summary
GitHub Copilot significantly accelerated the development process. While it handled 95% of the work, reviewing and testing were key to ensuring functionality and usability. This approach is ideal for tasks where speed and automation are priorities.