Code editor is one of the most important tool for Software Development. There are hundreds of available code editors in the market, but one of the most popular code editors today is Visual Studio Code. It is fast, light weight, rich features and extensions, and very user friendly. There is no doubt that a lot of professional programmers out there are also using Visual Studio Code right now.
According to its official site, it supports hundreds of programming languages. Several ship in the box, for example, JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, and HTML but more rich language extensions can be found in the VS Code Marketplace. Even there are language specific documentations for C++ – C# – CSS – Dart – Dockerfile – F# – Go – HTML – Java – JavaScript – JSON – Julia – Less – Markdown – PHP – PowerShell – Python – R – Rust – SCSS – T-SQL – TypeScript.
Download and Install Visual Studio Code
To start using Visual Studio Code, download it from the official website of Visual Studio Code. After downloading, run the installation file to start the installation process until finished, then launch the application.
First Launch
- After first launching the Visual Studio Code Application, you will be served by a blank window like this.
- If you already have an ongoing project, you can immediately add a folder to the workspace from this menu :
File –> Add a Folder to Workspace.
- After adding a new folder in your workspace, you can click on the top left icon (Explorer).
Shortcuts
One of the most interesting and useful feature of Visual Studio Code is the shortcuts. There are several main shortcuts that you need to learn immediately, but there are also hundreds of advanced shortcuts that can make your life easier.
Here are some main useful shortcuts that you need to learn from the first time you are using Visual Studio Code.
- Command Pallette
Windows: CTRL+SHIFT+P
Mac: CMD+SHIFT+P
With this shortcut, you can access any available commands according to your needs, such as Git, Save As, Terminal, Go To, and other things by typing the command. - Quick Open
Windows: CTRL+P
Mac: CMD+P
With this shortcut, you can open any files very quickly by typing the first few letters of the filename. This works for all files available in the current workspace. - Function List
Windows: SHIFT+CTRL+O
Mac: SHIFT+CMD+O
This shortcut allows you to go to specific functions in a file very quickly. Just type the first few letters of the function name,, and you will see the list of corresponding functions. - Suggestion and Parameter Hints
Windows: Ctrl+Shift+Space
Mac: CMD+Shift+Space
This feature can make your programming life much easier because you don’t need to recheck parameters in the main function. Although his feature is quite common in other code editors, the shortcut is usually different between editors.
To check all available shortcuts, you can check key bindings section in the official website. You can also modify each shortcuts to match your own preferences.
Extensions
One of the best features of Visual Studio Code is there are hundreds of available extensions in it. Some examples include : Gitlens to manage your git repositories very easily, framework-related extensions like PHP Intellisense for Codeigniter, Powershell, Thunder Client to test APIs without switching to Postman, Colorize for CSS color guidance, and many other useful extensions.
Conclusion
There are a lot of code editors that you can choose according to your needs. But one of the best and most popular one today is Visual Studio Code. It is a very complete package, light weight, fast, and highly customizable. If you haven’t tried it, you should do it today.
