copilot instructions

Copilot Instructions - Hello World wiki

These instructions guide GitHub Copilot when working with wiki pages in this project. The guidelines are designed to be generic and reusable across project wikis.

File standards

All files in this wiki must follow these standards:

• Encoding: UTF-8 for all files
• Line endings: LF (\n) - never CRLF (configured in .vscode/settings.json and .editorconfig)
• Final newline: Always insert a final newline at end of file
• Trailing whitespace: Trim trailing whitespace (except in Markdown files where trailing spaces may be intentional)

Project structure

The wiki repository follows this structure:

 📂 hello-world.wiki/
  └─ 📁 .assets/                      # Images and media used in wiki pages
     📂 .github/
      ├─ 📁 instructions/             # GitHub Copilot custom instructions
      └─ 📄 copilot-instructions.md   # GitHub Copilot custom instructions
     📂 .vscode/
      └─ 📄 settings.json             # Workspace settings
     📄 .editorconfig                 # Editor configuration
     📄 .gitattributes                # Git attributes (line endings)
     📄 .gitignore                    # Git ignore rules
     📄 Home.md                       # Wiki home page - overview and navigation
     📄 *.md                          # Wiki pages (Markdown)

Wiki page conventions

Wiki pages follow these conventions:

• All wiki pages are Markdown files (.md) in the repository root
• The Home.md file serves as the wiki landing page and main navigation
• Page filenames use PascalCase (e.g., GettingStarted.md, ProjectNotes.md)
• GitHub Wiki uses the filename as the page title (rendered as the H1 heading) - do not add a # heading in the page content
• GitHub Wiki converts filenames to page titles, replacing hyphens with spaces
• Start each page with a brief introductory sentence or paragraph, then use ## for sections and ### for subsections
• Each page should end with a revision date: *Page revised: Month Day, Year*
• Cross-link between wiki pages using relative links: [Page Title](./PageName)
• Link to repository files using full GitHub URLs

Adding new wiki pages

When creating a new wiki page, follow these steps:

1. Create the Markdown file in the repository root with a PascalCase filename
2. Start the page with a brief introductory sentence or paragraph (the filename provides the page title)
3. Add content using ## for sections, following the writing style guidelines below
4. End the page with a horizontal rule and revision date
5. Update the wiki pages table in Home.md to include the new page

Writing style

Consistency is more important than strict rules - follow these guidelines to keep pages clear and professional.

Tone and voice

• Professional but approachable tone
• Use "I" for personal perspective
• Prefer active voice over passive voice
• Avoid jargon unless necessary; explain technical terms when used

Headings

• Use ## for sections and ### for subsections (the filename provides the page title as the H1 heading)
• Keep headings short and descriptive
• Use sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns), not title case
• The first sentence after a heading must restate or incorporate the heading's topic so the paragraph makes sense on its own. Readers often skip headings, so never open with a pronoun or phrase that only has meaning if the heading was read. For example, instead of writing "This is something I keep coming back to" after a heading like "Blog first or LinkedIn first?", write "Blog first or LinkedIn first is a question I keep coming back to."

Bullet points

• When a heading is followed directly by a bullet list, always include a short introductory sentence before the list. The sentence should restate the topic and set context so the list makes sense on its own.
• The same applies to code blocks, tables, and other structured content - never place them immediately after a heading without an introductory sentence.
• Use no punctuation if the bullet is a short phrase or fragment
  • Example:
    • Fast performance
    • Easy setup
• Use a period if the bullet is a full sentence
  • Example:
    • The system automatically updates every 24 hours.
    • Readers can subscribe to receive notifications.
• Never mix styles within the same list

Formatting

General formatting rules for wiki content:

• Use " - " (space-hyphen-space) for dashes, not em-dashes or other variants
• Use bold for emphasis, not italics (except for hook questions in post openings)
• Use tables for structured comparisons
• Limit blockquotes; prefer concise summaries
• Add practical step-by-step instructions with numbered lists
• Reference Microsoft Learn documentation with full URLs and titles, ensure to remove /en-us/ from links when possible for localization friendliness
• Update older docs.microsoft.com URLs to the current learn.microsoft.com domain when encountered

Code and commands

Inline code and code blocks follow these conventions:

• Wrap inline code in backticks: command
• Use fenced code blocks for multi-line examples with the appropriate language identifier for syntax highlighting
• Add a brief descriptive line before code blocks to provide context

Example - get processes with CPU usage greater than 100:

Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.CPU -gt 100 }

PowerShell code examples

PowerShell examples must include header comments with a description and elevation requirement:

# Description: Brief explanation of what the script does
# Elevation is required / is not required - Reason why this level is required

Example:

# Description: Retrieves the device serial number from WMI
# Elevation is not required - WMI query does not require elevated privileges

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_BIOS | Select-Object -ExpandProperty SerialNumber

Folder structures

Folder structures use a text code block with tree-style formatting and emoji icons:

 📂 .github/
  └─ 📄 copilot-instructions.md   # GitHub Copilot custom instructions
 📂 .vscode/
  ├─ 📄 extensions.json           # Recommended Visual Studio Code extensions
  ├─ 📄 settings.json             # Workspace settings
  └─ 📄 tasks.json                # Task definitions
 📂 src/
  └─ 📁 Scripts/                  # PowerShell scripts
 📁 tests/                        # Test files
 📄 readme.md                     # Project README file

Terminology

Consistent terminology must be used across all wiki pages:

• Use "PowerShell" (not "PS", "PoSH", or "Powershell")
• Use "Microsoft 365" (not "M365")
• Use "Microsoft Edge" (not "Edge" alone)
• Use "Microsoft Intune" (not "Intune" alone)
• Use "Microsoft Teams" (not "Teams" alone)
• Use "Windows Autopatch" (not "Autopatch" alone)
• Use "Windows Autopilot" (not "Autopilot" alone)
• Use "Windows Autopilot device preparation" (not "Autopilot device preparation" or "device preparation" alone)
• Use "Windows Sandbox" (not "Sandbox" alone)
• Use "Visual Studio Code" (not "VS Code")
• Use "Windows 365" (not "W365")
• Use "Vibe Coding" (not "vibe coding" or "Vibe coding")
• Use Microsoft Copilot product names in full on first reference (e.g., "GitHub Copilot", "Microsoft Copilot for Word")