Best Visual Studio Code Crash Course for beginners in just 15 min

Visual Studio Code, or VS Code, is a powerful and versatile code editor that can revolutionize the way you write and manage your code. Whether you're a beginner diving into web development or an experienced coder, VS Code offers tools and extensions to supercharge your productivity.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of setting up VS Code, understanding its interface, and leveraging its key features.

👨‍💻 What You’ll Learn:

• How to download and install VS Code

• A complete walkthrough of the interface

• Setting up your coding environment

• Installing and using essential extensions

• Using Git and version control

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🕐 Timestamps:

00:08 - What is Visual Studio Code

00:42 - Download and Install Visual Studio Code

01:27 - Interface Overview of Visual Studio Code

01:51 - What is the Activity Bar

02:08 - What is the Sidebar

02:22 - The editing area

02:56 - How to open the command pallet

03:17 - How to open files and folders in Visual Studio Code

03:54 - How to create new files and folders in Visual Studio Code

04:43 - How to install Extensions in Visual Studio Code

06:30 - How to install and run Live Server to Visual Studio Code

09:37 - How to setup Visual Studio Code

10:46 - How to set autosave in visual studio code

11:32 - How to increase editor font size in visual studio code

12:19 - How intalicense works in visual studio code

13:06 - How to use comments in Visual Studio Code 1

3:55 - How to switch between tabs in Visual Studio Code

14:22 - How to open the terminal in visual studio code

15:19 - How to use search in Visual Studio Code

16:16 - How to use Source control Git and GitHub in VS Code

17:37 - How to change Themes in Visual Studio Code

18:37 - How to use Keyboard shortcuts in Visual Studio Code

19:04 - Productivity tips for Visual Studio Code

20:21 - How to open and arrange multiple tabs in Visual Studio Code

20:54 - Outro

🔗 Resources:

• Download VS Code:

https://code.visualstudio.com

• Prettier Extension: Prettier

• Live Server Extension: Live Server

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In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the basics of setting up VS Code. You will understand its interface. We will also show you how to leverage its key features.

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Step 1: Download and Install Visual Studio Code

1. Head over to the official VS Code website.

2. Click the download button for your operating system (Windows, macOS, or Linux).

3. Follow the straightforward installation process and open VS Code once installed.

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Step 2: Explore the Interface

Here’s what you’ll see when you open VS Code:

• Activity Bar (Left): Features like Explore, Search, Source Control, Debugging, and Extensions.

• Sidebar: Displays project folders and files.

• Editor Area (Middle): Where you’ll write and edit your code.

• Status Bar (Bottom): Shows key project information like active programming language and servers.

• Command Palette: Accessed with Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS), this lets you perform quick actions.

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Step 3: Setting Up Your Workspace

1. Create a project folder on your desktop (e.g., "Code").

2. Open this folder in VS Code using File > Open Folder or drag it into the editor.

3. Inside this folder, create the files you need:

   • index.html (HTML file)

   • style.css (CSS file)

   • script.js (JavaScript file)

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Step 4: Install Must-Have Extensions

VS Code’s real power lies in its extensions. Two essential ones for web development are:

• Prettier: Automatically formats your code for better readability.

• Live Server: Runs a local development server and refreshes the browser automatically when you save changes.

To install these:

1. Click the Extensions icon in the Activity Bar.

2. Search for "Prettier" and "Live Server."

3. Click Install for each.

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Step 5: Writing Your First Code

Open index.html and write this basic structure:

htmlCopyEdit<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
  <title>My First Web Page</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Hello, World!</h1>
</body>
</html>

Right-click on the file and choose Open with Live Server to see your webpage in action. Now, every time you make changes and save the file, the browser will auto-refresh.

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Step 6: Key Features of VS Code

1. Command Palette: Use Ctrl+Shift+P (or Cmd+Shift+P) to access commands like changing settings or running tasks.

2. Integrated Terminal: Open the terminal with Ctrl+ (or Cmd+). Use it for running commands like npm install.

3. Split Editor: Work on multiple files side-by-side by dragging tabs or using Ctrl+\.

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Step 7: Customizing Your Setup

1. Themes: Change the editor’s appearance by going to File > Preferences > Color Theme.

2. Keyboard Shortcuts: Customize shortcuts under File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts.

3. Autosave: Enable autosave in File > Preferences > Settings > Autosave.

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Step 8: Mastering Git Integration

VS Code has built-in Git support for version control.

1. Go to the Source Control tab.

2. Initialize a Git repository for your project.

3. Connect to GitHub to share or back up your code.

If you're unfamiliar with Git or GitHub, check out our GitHub Crash Course.

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Conclusion

By now, you should have a solid understanding of Visual Studio Code's interface, setup, and essential features. Keep practicing and exploring to make VS Code your ultimate coding companion.

Remember: The more you use it, the more you’ll uncover its hidden gems!