Visual Studio Code Distilled - Evolved Code Editing for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Use Visual Studio Code to write and debug code quickly and efficiently on any platform, for any device, using any programming language, and on the operating system of your choice. Visual Studio Code is an open source and cross-platform development tool that focuses on code editing across a variety of development scenarios, including web, mobile, and cloud development. Visual Studio Code Distilled teaches you how to be immediately productive with Visual Studio Code, from the basics to some of the more complex topics. You will learn how to work on individual code files, complete projects, and come away with an understanding of advanced code-editing features that will help you focus on productivity, and source code collaboration with Git. What You'll Learn Comprehend Visual Studio Code in a way that is not just theory or a list of features, but an approach driven by developer tasks and needs Understand integrated support for team collaboration with Git for executing and debugging code, and the many ways you can extend and customize VS Code Debug code on multiple platforms though real-world guidance, such as working under corporate networks Expand your coding intelligence from web to mobile to the cloud, and even artificial intelligence Acquire valuable tips, tricks, and suggestions from hard-earned, real-world experience to be more productive Who This Book Is For All developers (including JavaScript, Java, NodeJS), not just those with a Microsoft background, who will benefit from learning and using VS code as a cross-platform and cross-language tool. Table of Contents About the Author Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Introducing Visual Studio Code Introducing Visual Studio Code When and Why Visual Studio Code Installing and Configuring Visual Studio Code Installing Visual Studio Code on Windows Installing Visual Studio Code on macOS Installing Visual Studio Code on Linux Localization Support Updating Visual Studio Code Previewing Features with Insiders Builds Summary Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Environment The Welcome Page The Code Editor Reordering, Resizing, and Zooming Editor Windows The Status Bar The Activity Bar The Side Bar The Explorer Bar The Outline View The Search Tool The Git Bar The Debug Bar The Extensions Bar The Settings Button Navigating Between Files The Command Palette The Panels Area The Problems Panel The Output Panel The Debug Console Panel Working with the Terminal Summary Chapter 3: Language Support and Code Editing Features Language Support Working with C# and C++ Basic Code Editing Features Working with Text Syntax Colorization Delimiter Matching and Text Selection Code Block Folding Multicursors Reusable Code Snippets Word Completion Minimap Mode Whitespace Rendering and Breadcrumbs Markdown Preview Evolved Code Editing Working with IntelliSense Parameter Hints Inline Documentation with Tooltips Go To Definition Find All References Peek Definition Renaming Symbols and Identifiers Live Code Analysis Summary Chapter 4: Working with Files and Folders Visual Studio Code and Project Systems Working with Individual Files Creating Files File Encoding, Line Terminators, and Line Browsing Working with Folders and Projects Opening a Folder Opening .NET Core Solutions Opening JavaScript and TypeScript Projects Opening Loose Folders Working with Workspaces Creating Workspaces Opening Existing Workspaces Workspace Structure Summary Chapter 5: Customizing Visual Studio Code Customizations and Extensions Explained Customizing Visual Studio Code Theme Selection Customizing the Environment Understanding User Settings Behind the Scenes: The settings.json File A Real-World Example: Working with Proxies Understanding Workspace Settings Customizing Key Bindings Summary Chapter 6: Installing and Managing Extensions Installing Extensions Extension Recommendations Useful Extensions Managing Extensions Configuring Extensions Hints About Extension Authoring Summary Chapter 7: Source Control with Git Source Control in Visual Studio Code Downloading Other Source Control Providers Managing Repositories Initializing a Local Git Repository Creating a Remote Repository Handling File Changes Staging Changes Managing Commits Working with the Git Command Line Interface Creating and Managing Branches Switching to a Different Branch Merging from a Branch Deleting Branches Adding Power to the Git Tooling with Extensions Git History GitLens GitHub Pull Requests Working with Azure DevOps and Team Foundation Server Summary Chapter 8: Automating Tasks Understanding Tasks Tasks Types Running and Managing Tasks The Default Build Task Auto-Detected Tasks Configuring Tasks First Example: Compiling Pascal Source Code Multiple Tasks and Default Build Tasks Understanding tasks.json Properties and Substitution Variables Operating System-Specific Properties Reusing Existing Task Templates Second Example: Building a MSBuild Solution (Windows Only) Understanding Problem Matchers Running Files with a Default Program Summary Chapter 9: Running and Debugging Code Creating Applications Creating .NET Core Projects Creating Projects on Other Platforms Debugging Your Code Configuring the Debugger Managing Breakpoints Debugging an Application Evaluating Expressions The Call Stack The Debug Console Panel Supporting Azure, Docker, and Artificial Intelligence Summary Index Use Visual Studio Code to write and debug code quickly and efficiently on any platform, for any device, using any programming language, and on the operating system of your choice. Visual Studio Code is an open source and cross-platform development tool that focuses on code editing across a variety of development scenarios, including web, mobile, and cloud development. Visual Studio Code Distilled teaches you how to be immediately productive with Visual Studio Code, from the basics to some of the more complex topics. You will learn how to work on individual code files, complete projects, and come away with an understanding of advanced code-editing features that will help you focus on productivity, and source code collaboration with Git. What You'll Learn: Comprehend Visual Studio Code in a way that is not just theory or a list of features, but an approach driven by developer tasks and needs Understand integrated support for team collaboration with Git for executing and debugging code, and the many ways you can extend and customize VS Code Debug code on multiple platforms though real-world guidance, such as working under corporate networks Expand your coding intelligence from web to mobile to the cloud, and even artificial intelligence Acquire valuable tips, tricks, and suggestions from hard-earned, real-world experience to be more productive This book is for all developers (including JavaScript, Java, NodeJS), not just those with a Microsoft background, who will benefit from learning and using VS Code as a cross-platform and cross-language tool. Alessandro Del Sole is Senior Software Engineer for a healthcare company, building mobile apps for doctors and dialysis patients. He has been in the software industry for almost 20 years, focusing on Microsoft technologies such as .NET, C#, Visual Studio, and Xamarin. He has been a trainer, consultant, and a Microsoft MVP since 2008 and is the author of many technical books. He is a Xamarin Certified Mobile Developer, Microsoft Certified Professional, and a Microsoft Programming Specialist in C#