AI-Powered Coding Made Simple: Installation and Practical Use Cases of Continue in VS Code with Codestral

We are excited to present this comprehensive tutorial on how to use Continue in VS Code with Codestral. This guide will walk you through the process of integrating AI-powered coding assistance into your development environment, enhancing productivity and streamlining your coding workflows. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting, this tutorial will provide you with the tools and knowledge to leverage the power of AI in your coding projects.

Introduction to Continue

Continue is an innovative, open-source AI code assistant available for both Visual Studio Code and JetBrains. It brings AI-powered coding assistance directly to your development environment. It leverages advanced language models to provide features like code completion, documentation generation, and code analysis, making your coding experience more efficient and enjoyable. To learn more about Continue, visit their official website.

Introduction to Codestral

Codestral, powered by Mistral AI, is an advanced AI model designed to assist developers with code generation and analysis. It provides powerful capabilities to enhance coding workflows, making it easier to write, understand, and maintain code. By integrating Codestral with Continue, you can leverage these advanced features directly within your development environment. To learn more about Codestral, visit their official website.

Prepare Your Tools: Setting Up the Perfect Coding Environment

Before we dive into the tutorial, let's set up the environment to ensure a smooth experience. While this guide is based on a setup using WSL on a Windows 11 PC, it's worth noting that Visual Studio Code is highly versatile and runs seamlessly on other platforms like macOS and Linux. Adapt the setup steps as needed for your operating system.

Windows WSL on Windows 11 Personal Computer: If you're on Windows, consider using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), which allows you to run a Linux distribution alongside your Windows applications. WSL provides a robust development environment and is especially useful for workflows requiring Linux tooling. Learn more about WSL setup.
Visual Studio Code: Download and install Visual Studio Code, one of the most popular and versatile code editors. Its extensive range of extensions and customization options makes it a favorite among developers. Visit the Visual Studio Code website.
Codestral from Mistral AI API Key: Obtain an API key from Codestral, powered by Mistral AI, to unlock AI-powered coding assistance. This API key will enable you to integrate Codestral’s advanced capabilities into your workflow. Learn more about Codestral.

Install and Configure Continue: Quick and Easy Setup

Key Highlights:

Install Continue in just a few clicks.
Seamlessly configure Codestral for AI-assisted coding.
Enhance your workflow with powerful AI integrations.

Install the Continue Extension:
- Open Visual Studio Code.
- Go to the Extensions view by clicking on the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar on the side of the window or pressing Ctrl+Shift+X.
- Search for "Continue" and click the "Install" button. For detailed installation instructions, visit the Continue installation guide.
Figure 1: Installing the Continue Extension in Visual Studio Code.

After installation, a new button will appear on the left sidebar to open the Continue extension menu. This menu gives you quick access to all features and settings of the Continue extension.

Figure 2: Accessing the Continue extension menu from the sidebar.
Configure Continue to Use Codestral:
- Open the Continue extension menu by clicking the button in the sidebar.
- Navigate to the configuration settings within the Continue menu.
- Edit the Continue Config JSON file to integrate with Codestral. You need to add two entries: one for the model and another for tab autocomplete. Both require your Codestral API key for authentication. Ensure the API key is correctly set in both sections to enable coding assistance and autocomplete functionality.
Figure 3: Example configuration for integrating Continue with Codestral.

💡 Pro Tip: Ensure your Codestral API key is securely stored to prevent unauthorized access.

Practical Cases: Unlocking the Potential of AI-Assisted Coding

In this section, we’ll explore real-world use cases using a basic Python script. The script checks if post files in English have corresponding translation files in specific language folders. If a translation file is missing, it prints the filename. This script demonstrates how Continue with Codestral can enhance development.

A sample Python script for demonstrating Continue’s capabilities.

Figure 4: A sample Python script for demonstrating Continue’s capabilities.

Simplify Documentation: Generate Docstrings Effortlessly

💡 Pro Tip: Use this feature on complex functions to improve code readability and collaboration!

Below are the screenshots illustrating this process:

Selecting the function and opening the Continue menu to generate the docstring:

Figure 5: Generating a docstring for the selected function.
Reviewing the generated docstring:

Figure 6: Reviewing the docstring generated by Continue.
Accepting and applying the generated docstring:

Figure 7: Applying the accepted docstring to the function.

Understand Code Instantly: Use Continue Chat

In this scenario, we’ll use Continue's chat feature to extract and analyze a code snippet. Codestral provides insights into the code’s functionality, making it easier to understand complex sections or onboard new team members.

Highlight the code snippet you want to analyze.
Use the Continue chat feature to ask, “What does this code do?”
Review the detailed explanation provided.

Highlighting the code snippet:

Figure 8: Highlighting the code snippet for analysis.
Using Continue to ask about the highlighted code:

Figure 9: Using the Continue chat feature to understand code functionality.
Reviewing the detailed explanation provided by Continue:

Figure 10: Reviewing the insights provided by Continue’s chat feature.

Automate Repetitive Tasks: Edit Code with Ease

In this example, we’ll edit a line of code to enhance functionality, such as printing both the filename and its directory. Continue makes this process simple and intuitive.

Highlight the line of code to modify.
Use the Continue edit feature to propose a change.
Accept the suggested edit.

Highlighting the code and accessing the Continue edit feature:

Figure 11: Highlighting code to modify using the Continue edit feature.
Reviewing the proposed code edit:

Figure 12: Reviewing the proposed changes by Continue.
Accepting the proposed edit and applying the changes:

Figure 13: Applying the changes proposed by Continue.

Speed Up Coding: Use Autocomplete with Continue

This practical case showcases how Continue's autocomplete feature speeds up coding. It suggests arguments for method calls, helping you write code faster and with fewer errors.

Start typing a function or method.
Use autocomplete to complete the statement.
Validate the suggested code snippet.

Starting to type a method call to trigger autocomplete suggestions:

Figure 14: Triggering autocomplete by typing a method call.
Reviewing and accepting the autocomplete suggestion:

Figure 15: Reviewing and accepting the autocomplete suggestion.

Conclusion

Using Continue with Codestral in Visual Studio Code offers numerous benefits:

Easy Setup: The installation and configuration process is straightforward, making it accessible to developers of all skill levels.
Boosted Productivity: Automate repetitive tasks, generate insights, and streamline debugging.
Improved Code Quality: Leverage docstrings, intelligent edits, and autocomplete to maintain high coding standards.
Cost Awareness: Balance the benefits of AI-powered coding with API costs.

While Continue and Codestral offer remarkable capabilities, it’s important to note that results can sometimes be inconsistent or not fully deterministic due to the inherent limitations of Large Language Models (LLMs). Understanding these limitations allows you to effectively validate and refine AI-generated outputs, ensuring accuracy and relevance in your projects.

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