Adding new functionalities to your email infrastructure in Halon Scripting Language (HSL) just got easier and faster with Halon Code Companion. This AI-powered co-pilot for HSL development enables developers to rapidly build, test, and deploy new features in Halon Engage and Halon Protect, accelerating time-to-market and reducing development effort.
Let’s go through how to get started, what you can do with Halon Code Companion, and why it is an essential tool for HSL developers looking to scale their infrastructure efficiently.
Getting started: Installing Halon Code Companion
Setting up Halon Code Companion in your VS Code environment is a simple process:
- Install VS Code- If you haven't already, download and install Visual Studio Code.
- Install Github Copilot: Open VS Code, navigate to the Extensions Marketplace (Ctrl+Shift+X), and search and install Github Copilot.
- Install Halon Code Companion extension: In the Extensions Marketplace, search and install Halon Code Companion.
- Enable the extension – Once installed, it is enabled and ready to assist you.
- Start coding with Code Companion – Open the Copilot chat window and type @halon to start interacting with the AI-powered assistant.
How to use Halon Code Companion
Halon Code Companion is designed to help you develop HSL scripts efficiently through an interactive chat-based interface. Here’s how you can leverage it:
1. Generate HSL Code for new functionalities
Simply ask Code Companion for a code snippet by describing the functionality you want to implement. For example:
@halon Write a function to handle bounces.
The assistant will generate a fully functional HSL script that can be integrated into your email infrastructure.
2. Debug and optimize code
Paste your existing HSL code into the chat and ask Code Companion for improvements:
@halon Optimize this function for better performance: [Insert your HSL code]
It will analyze and provide recommendations to enhance efficiency and reliability.
3. Learn HSL syntax and best practices
If you need guidance on HSL functions, simply ask:
@halon Explain how to use the `XXX` function in HSL.
Code Companion will provide explanations, examples, and best practices.
4. Paste generated code into your editor
Once you are satisfied with the generated code, you can copy and paste it directly into your editor for execution.
Key benefits of using Halon Code Companion
- Faster feature development
Instead of manually writing HSL scripts, developers can instantly generate functional code, significantly reducing the time needed to implement new features.
- Improved time to market
With Code Companion handling much of the development complexity, teams can ship email infrastructure updates and enhancements much faster, giving businesses a competitive edge.
- Reduced debugging effort
By analyzing your scripts and suggesting improvements, Code Companion minimizes debugging time, helping developers focus on building and deploying functionalities rather than troubleshooting errors.
- Learning and documentation support
Whether you're new to HSL or an experienced developer, Code Companion serves as an always available reference, making it easier to learn and apply best practices while coding.
Watch Halon's Code Companion in action below:
A caveat: No inline code completion (yet)
While Halon Code Companion is highly effective in assisting with HSL development, it does not work as an inline autocomplete tool in Copilot. Instead, it interprets HSL as PHP (since, both look syntactically similar), which means direct inline suggestions do not function as expected.
However, the chat-based interface remains a powerful alternative, allowing developers to quickly generate, refine, and test code snippets before integrating them into production environments.
For developers working with Halon Engage and Halon Protect, this tool is essential for scaling infrastructure efficiently and implementing new capabilities with minimal effort.
Start using Halon Code Companion today and take your HSL development to the next level.