Top 5 Visual Studio Code Tips and Features

Microsoft Visual Studio Code has become one of the most used and loved Text Editors in recent years. Here are some statistics from the 2018 Stackoverflow Survey:- Most Popular Development Environments.

1. Visual Studio Code CLI

Similar to SublimeText with its subl command line, Visual Studio Code is equipped a CLI named code and it is easy to install.

In Windows, the CLI will have already been installed along with the app. The CLI is accessible through the Command Prompt. In OS X, it can be installed and uninstalled through the Command Palette.

You can use the CLI to open a particular directory to Visual Studio Code, or open your current project directory in Terminal or Command Prompt directly from the editor.

2. Intellisense

IntelliSense is code auto-complete meets artificial intelligence. This utility provides a list of suggestions along with a short hint or description as we are writing codes. These is derived from several contextual factors such as the programming language, the syntax, the variables, the functions as well as all the codes within the file.

IntelliSense supports a number of programming language out-of-the-box, including Sass, LESS, JavaScript, TypeScript, and PHP. Some extensions to include IntelliSense for other programming languages are also available. It is a great feature to improve productivity.

3.Built-in Git

Visual Studio Code has Git built right in the editor. On the left of the sidebar, you will find the Git icon where you can initialize Git as well as perform several Git commands such as commit, pull, push, rebase, publish, and look into the changes within the file.

4.Peek

While coding, you may often forget a particular function, where the function is initially defined, and what are the required parameters.

With Peek, you can select a function then hit Shift + F12. The selection expands into an inline window showing the complete definition of the function as well as where the function is defined. The feature currently works in C, C#, JavaScript, TypeScript, .NET, and a few other programming languages.

5. Task Runner

Last but not least, Visual Studio Code also has a built-in Task Runner, which provides some level of convenience.

To use this feature, we can either set a tasks.json file or through some popular Task configuration like Grunt, Gulp, or MSBuild if provided. Once the configuration is set, we can run the Task Runner through the Command Palette by typing Run Task. Typing Tasks will list all related commands.

Visual Studio Code is a source-code editor made by Microsoft for Windows, Linux and macOS. Features include support for debugging, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded Git.

One must try using VSC for everyday Coding tasks !

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