To start programming in any language, you need to have a code editor or Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Whether that be lightweight keyboard centric editors like Vim and Emacs, or industry standards like Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio. Code editors used to be lightweight and pretty barebones giving the user little help when programming, but code editors have evolved over time and that has long been a problem of the past. In editors like Visual Studio Code, it comes with a lot of useful features built in. As well as, it comes with a vast extension markup to download extensions useful for your use cases. In this blog post I’ll talk mostly about Visual Studio Code, a powerful and easy editor used by hobbyists and professionals, that can be extended with plugins.
What is Visual Studio Code?
If you’re just beginning your programming journey, or are a seasoned developer you’ve probably heard of Visual Studio Code. It’s popular and lots of programmers know it, but I still want to include some facts about Visual Studio Code that you might find interesting. To start, Microsoft developed Visual Studio Code during a time where they were struggling to stay in the tech industry. The project was started by a Microsoft software developer named Erich Gamma, who had the idea to create a lightweight web-based code editor originally called Monaco, later named Visual Studio Code. When Visual Studio Code released, it came with features that were never clearly seen before, such as: intellisense, built-in debugging, cross-platform use, and a broad extensions marketplace. Since its release, Visual Studio Code became the most popular code editor globally, and has continued to innovate and stay ahead of other competitors.
What Features Does Visual Studio Code Come With by Default?
One reason Visual Studio Code is so popular among programmers is the fact that it comes with many built in features besides the use of extensions. Some of these features include: Intellisense for smart code completion, Minimap for strong overview and navigation, Breadcrumbs to see your file path and quickly traverse through directories and files, Customization features such as custom color theming and importing your own fonts, and Command Palette the most powerful feature which gives you full access to all available functions in Visual Studio Code.
These are just a few of the many features that come with Visual Studio Code. However, with their ever-expanding extensions marketplace, you’re able to add useful “features” tailored to your needs. Let’s look at a couple extensions I use to adapt the editor to my needs.
My Top 5 Plugins I Can’t Go Without
Below I discuss 5 of my favorite extensions that I can’t go without, including extensions for general programming, web development, and increased user experience.
1. C# Dev Kit
The C# Dev Kit by Microsoft provides me the essentials I need to comfortably develop in C#. The most prominent being the .NET framework which is the open-source developer platform for running programs in multiple languages, including the most popular which is C#. More importantly, pertaining to C# is the Common Language Runtime (CLR). CLR handles running your code safely, and memory allocation/management.
2. Python
The Python extension also by Microsoft allows me to develop with Python. Under the Python extension it provides Pylance which is the language server, and Python Debugger to provide a simpler debugging experience
3. Live Server
Live Server by Ritwick Dey is vital when I’m developing websites. It allows me to launch a live development server with refresh capabilities for both static and dynamic pages.
4. axe Accessibility Linter
axe Accessibility Linter by Deque Systems provides accessibility checks for my HTML files, telling me where I might have forgotten accessibility compliances like alt text for images.
5. Indent Rainbow
Lastly, Indent Rainbow by oderwat is a simple plugin that makes indentation easier to read by colorizing it.
These 5 plugins I’ve mentioned above are useful and important in tailoring Visual Studio Code to my needs. If you haven’t heard about one of the extensions I mentioned then I recommend checking it out.
There are also extensions for custom color themes for your environment that you can install to go beyond just the few default color ways.
Concluding
In this article I’ve talked briefly about Visual Studio Code’s beginnings, and some of it’s many features that come built in. I also discussed how you can further tailor your development environment to your wants and needs. I hope this article has inspired you to look further into what more “features” you need when developing.