How to Use Continue

Getting started with Continue

In this guide, you'll learn how to set up Continue as your AI coding assistant, enabling you to get code completions, engage in interactive chat, and customise your coding environment. You'll be ready to enhance your coding efficiency in under five minutes.

Step 1: Sign up and set up

1. Visit the Continue website.
2. Download the extension for your preferred IDE (VS Code or JetBrains).
3. Install the extension by following the on-screen instructions in your IDE.
4. After installation, open the settings:

- For VS Code, go to File > Preferences > Settings. - For JetBrains, go to File > Settings.

1. In the settings, search for “Continue” and enter your LLM API key or configure a local LLM model.

Step 2: Your first coding session

1. Open a new or existing project in your IDE.
2. Start typing a code snippet where you want assistance (e.g., function sum(a, b)).
3. Wait for Continue to suggest completions. You can press Tab to accept a suggestion.
4. To chat with the AI, open the Continue panel from the sidebar (look for the Continue icon) and type your question (e.g., "How do I sort an array?").

Step 3: Get better results

1. Customise the AI's behaviour by adjusting settings in the Continue options. For example, you can tweak the "Completion Length" to get shorter or longer suggestions.
2. Use comments in your code to provide context. For instance, typing // TODO: Write a function to calculate factorial can help the AI generate relevant code snippets.
3. Regularly check for updates to the extension to ensure you have the latest features and bug fixes.

Pro tip

Take advantage of the “prompt history” feature found in the Continue panel. This allows you to see previous interactions with the AI, making it easier to refine your questions or revisit useful code suggestions.

Common mistake to avoid

A common mistake is neglecting to enter your LLM API key or configure a local model. Without this, Continue won't function properly, and you won't receive any AI assistance. Make sure to double-check your settings after installation.