A completely custom and private Copilot that MUST have code completions that include C++
Creating a completely custom and private code completion tool similar to Copilot, specifically focusing on C++, involves several components. Below are steps to consider when developing such a tool:
### Steps to Create a Custom C++ Code Completion Tool
#### 1. Define Requirements
- **Language Support**: Ensure support for C++ and any specific standards (e.g., C++11, C++14, C++17, etc.).
- **Integration with IDEs**: Decide which IDEs you want to support (e.g., Visual Studio, CLion, or a custom IDE).
- **Privacy**: Ensure no code samples are sent to external servers.
#### 2. Choose a Model
- **Language Models**: You can use open-source models like GPT-Neo, GPT-J, or fine-tune a transformer model on C++ code.
- **Training Data**: Use datasets containing C++ code such as repositories from GitHub, open-source projects, and public C++ codebases.
#### 3. Data Preparation
- **Scraping**: Collect C++ code examples. You can use GitHub’s API to scrape code from public repositories while ensuring compliance with their usage policy.
- **Cleaning Data**: Remove irrelevant parts of the code, such as comments that don't contribute to code understanding, or non-standard code styles.
#### 4. Model Training/Fine-tuning
- **Fine-tuning**: Utilize your dataset to fine-tune the chosen language model. You can use frameworks like Hugging Face’s Transformers or PyTorch for model integration.
- **Performance Optimization**: Optimize the model by reducing size and ensuring it can run efficiently in the environment you choose.
#### 5. Setup Local Environment
- Run the model locally to maintain privacy. Set up your machine with enough GPU/CPU power depending on the model size.
- Create a REST API or similar interface to communicate between the IDE and the model.
#### 6. Integrate with IDE
- **IDE Plugins**: Develop plugins for the chosen IDEs. You will need to interact with the IDE’s API to provide code suggestions.
- **Key Bindings**: Implement key bindings for invoking code completions.
#### 7. Implement Features
- **Context-Aware Suggestions**: Ensure that your tool provides suggestions based on the context of the code being written.
- **Documentation Integration**: Optionally, integrate documentation lookups into the suggestions, providing users with references to function definitions, libraries, etc.
#### 8. Testing
- Perform thorough testing with diverse C++ codebases to ensure it provides useful and relevant completions.
- Gather feedback from users to improve the model and suggestions.
#### 9. Continuous Improvement
- Regularly update the model with new data to keep it relevant and improve performance.
- Allow users to provide feedback directly through the IDE, adjusting the model based on common usage scenarios.
#### 10. Deployment
- Ensure that your tool can be easily installed and used by other developers. Consider providing a GUI for configuration if necessary.
### Tools & Technologies
- **Machine Learning Frameworks**: TensorFlow, PyTorch
- **IDE Integration**: Language Server Protocol (LSP) for broader compatibility
- **Version Control**: Git for managing your codebase
- **Containerization**: Docker to package your development environment
### Additional Considerations
- **Privacy and Security**: Make sure that any data processed is kept secure and private. Avoid sending any sensitive information.
- **User Interface**: Consider designing a simple user interface for easier interaction with your tool.
- **Documentation**: Provide a user manual that explains how to install and use the tool, including troubleshooting steps.
Creating a private code completion tool is a challenging but rewarding project that can significantly enhance your programming workflow in C++.


