bf-workflows

Visual Studio Code (VS Code)

What is Visual Studio Code?

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a powerful, open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. It is designed to be lightweight, yet feature-rich, making it an ideal tool for building and debugging modern web and cloud applications. VS Code supports a wide range of programming languages and offers a variety of tools and extensions to enhance your development workflow.

Visual Studio Code

For more information, visit the official VS Code website.

Key Features

1. Cross-Platform

VS Code is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring a consistent development experience across different operating systems.

2. Integrated Git Control

VS Code comes with built-in Git support, allowing you to manage your version control directly from the editor.

Git Commands:
- Stage Changes: Ctrl+Shift+G (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+G (macOS)
- Commit Changes: Enter commit message and click the checkmark icon.
- Push Changes: Ctrl+Shift+P and type Git: Push

3. Debugging Support

VS Code offers a robust debugging environment with support for breakpoints, watch expressions, and more.

Start Debugging:
- Run: F5
- Debug Console: Ctrl+Shift+Y (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+Y (macOS)
Configure Debugging:
- Create a launch.json file to set up your debugging configuration.

4. Extensions Marketplace

VS Code has a rich ecosystem of extensions available through the Extensions Marketplace.

Popular Extensions:
- Prettier: Code formatter
- ESLint: Linting for JavaScript and TypeScript
- Live Server: Launch a local development server
- Debugger for Chrome: Debug your JavaScript code in the Chrome browser
Install Extensions:
```
Ctrl+Shift+X
```

5. Integrated Terminal

VS Code features an integrated terminal for running shell commands.

Open Terminal:
- Windows/Linux: Ctrl+`
- macOS: Cmd+`

6. Code Editing Features

VS Code offers various features to enhance your coding experience:

Syntax Highlighting: Supports a wide range of programming languages.
Code Snippets: Predefined templates for common code structures.
IntelliSense: Code completion suggestions and parameter info.

VS Code provides tools for easy navigation within your codebase.

Go to Definition: F12
Find References: Shift+F12
Peek Definition: Alt+F12

8. Code Refactoring

Refactor your code with built-in tools.

Rename Symbol: F2
Extract Method: Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+R (macOS)

9. Themes and Customization

VS Code allows you to customize the editor’s appearance.

Change Theme:
- Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) and type Color Theme.
Popular Themes:
- One Dark Pro
- Material Theme
- Dracula Official

10. Workspace Management

Manage different projects and their configurations with workspaces.

Open a Workspace:
- Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) and type Open Workspace.
Save Workspace:
- File Menu: File > Save Workspace As...

Basic Commands

Here are some common commands and their shortcuts:

Command	Windows/Linux	macOS
Open Command Palette	`Ctrl+Shift+P`	`Cmd+Shift+P`
Open File	`Ctrl+O`	`Cmd+O`
Save File	`Ctrl+S`	`Cmd+S`
Close File	`Ctrl+W`	`Cmd+W`
Split Editor	`Ctrl+\`	`Cmd+\`
Search	`Ctrl+Shift+F`	`Cmd+Shift+F`
Find	`Ctrl+F`	`Cmd+F`
Replace	`Ctrl+H`	`Cmd+H`
Show Explorer	`Ctrl+Shift+E`	`Cmd+Shift+E`
Show Extensions	`Ctrl+Shift+X`	`Cmd+Shift+X`
Open Settings	`Ctrl+,`	`Cmd+,`

Advanced Features

1. Remote Development

VS Code supports remote development through extensions like:

Remote - SSH: Connect to remote machines.
Remote - Containers: Work inside a Docker container.
Remote - WSL: Develop in the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

2. Settings and Configurations

Customize VS Code settings through the settings.json file.

Open Settings:
- File Menu: File > Preferences > Settings
- Command Palette: Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+P (macOS) and type Preferences: Open Settings (JSON)

3. User and Workspace Settings

User Settings: Apply settings globally.
Workspace Settings: Apply settings specific to a workspace.

4. Debugging Configuration

Create or modify the launch.json file for advanced debugging configurations.

Example launch.json:

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "node",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Launch Program",
      "program": "${workspaceFolder}/app.js"
    }
  ]
}

Extensions

Here are some recommended extensions for different tasks:

Extension	Description
Prettier	Code formatter for various languages.
ESLint	Linting for JavaScript and TypeScript.
Live Server	Launch a local development server.
Debugger for Chrome	Debug JavaScript code in the Chrome browser.
Bracket Pair Colorizer	Colorize matching brackets.
GitLens	Enhance Git capabilities in VS Code.

Resources

This site is open source. Improve this page.