Iris in VS Code
Iris, the AI tutor of Artemis, has its own view in the extension: Iris Chat in the activity bar. It is the same tutor as in the browser and follows the same rules, and a conversation you start in VS Code can be continued in Artemis and the other way round. In the editor, Iris can also read code you have not submitted yet and offer help on its own while you work.
Asking Iris
Ask on the Ask Iris card of an exercise opens the chat with that exercise as its topic. If you open Iris Chat directly, the topic is the exercise whose repository is open in your workspace. Without one, the chat asks you to choose a course first.
Type your question and press Enter; Shift+Enter starts a new line. While Iris works, the chat lists what it is reading, such as your submission, its feedback or your code. The thumbs under each answer rate it as Helpful or Not helpful.
Your Uncommitted Code
Unlike in the browser, Iris in VS Code also sees the changes you have not submitted yet, so you can ask about the code as it is right now. After you send a message, the line above the message box says how many files were referenced. Expand it to see which files were sent and why others were left out, for example because they are too large or are not source files.
If you do not want this, turn off artemis.iris.sendUncommittedChanges; the configurable link under the message
box opens that setting. Iris then sees only what you have submitted.
Topics and Courses
The chip above the message box is the topic, either the exercise Iris answers about or the whole course. The + next to it picks another topic. Course chat is for general questions about the course; below it are the course's exercises, with the one open in your workspace marked Workspace.
To switch to another course, select the course name at the top of the chat.
Earlier Conversations
The clock icon at the top lists your earlier conversations, grouped by date and searchable. Select one to continue it. The plus icon next to it starts a new conversation. Start one when you move on to a different question, so the earlier discussion does not influence the answer.
When Iris Is Not Available
If Iris is switched off for a course, the chat says so and asks you to contact your instructor. A file named .noai
in your repository turns off Iris for that repository, including the chat. When you have used up the messages your
course allows, Iris tells you that you have reached your message limit.
Proactive Help
With proactive help, Iris offers a hint on its own when you seem stuck on a programming exercise. It is only available in VS Code from the Marketplace; the Open VSX version and EduIDE do not have it.
Turning It On
Proactive help needs your consent to let Iris read your code, and it stays off until you give it. Until then, the
Proactive help section on the Ask Iris card of an exercise says that consent is missing. Enable in Settings
opens the setting artemis.iris.proactiveCodeEgress; set it to enabled.
With your consent, the extension observes on your computer how you work on the exercise, for example how fast you
type and how long you pause. It sends your exercise code to Iris only when it concludes that you might be stuck. Setting artemis.iris.proactiveCodeEgress to disabled stops both at any time. Your instructor can
also switch proactive help off for a course; the card then says Proactive help is disabled for this course.
Off, Less and More
The three levels on the Ask Iris card set how much Iris steps in. The level applies to every exercise, including the ones where you did not set it.
Off means Iris only helps when you ask.
With More, Iris brings the hint to you. If the chat is closed, a banner at the bottom of the Artemis view asks whether you want a pointer. Show me opens the chat with the hint, Not now dismisses it, and after a few seconds it disappears on its own. The hint appears in the chat under Iris reached out, and the Iris Chat icon shows a badge until you open the chat.
When a hint is about a particular line, the editor shows it right after that line, and an entry in the status bar jumps there.
With Less, the hint waits until you look for it. There is no banner. Instead, Iris has a hint appears in the status bar, the Iris Chat icon shows a badge, and the Iris icon marks the line in the editor margin. Select the status bar entry to read the hint in the chat.
A hint stays in the chat as part of the conversation. Solved it closes it once you are past the problem, and Dismiss hides it. If you are still stuck later, Iris may offer another hint: at most once per problem with Less, and up to three times with More.