Mastering Visual Studio Code: Shortcuts, Best Plugins, and Cross-Platform Capabilities

Amaresh Pelleti

Introduction:
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) stands as a versatile and efficient code editor, catering to a wide array of developers across Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms. Unlocking its full potential involves understanding shortcuts, leveraging its features, and utilizing plugins for enhanced productivity and customization.

Platform-Specific Shortcuts:

  1. Windows Shortcuts:
  • To open the Command Palette: Ctrl + Shift + P
  • Toggle Sidebar visibility: Ctrl + B
  • Quick file navigation: Ctrl + P
  • Comment/Uncomment lines: Ctrl + /
  1. Linux Shortcuts:
  • Command Palette: Ctrl + Shift + P
  • Toggle Sidebar: Ctrl + B
  • File navigation: Ctrl + P
  • Comment/Uncomment: Ctrl + /
  1. Mac Shortcuts:
  • Command Palette: Cmd + Shift + P
  • Toggle Sidebar: Cmd + B
  • File navigation: Cmd + P
  • Comment/Uncomment: Cmd + /

Best Plugins for Enhanced Productivity:

  1. ESLint: Linting tool for identifying and fixing errors in JavaScript and TypeScript.
  1. GitLens: Provides advanced Git capabilities within VS Code.
  1. Bracket Pair Colorizer: Aids in distinguishing brackets visually, enhancing code readability.
  1. Live Server: Facilitates live server functionality for web development.
  1. Prettier: Code formatter supporting multiple languages for consistent code styling.

Conclusion:

Visual Studio Code offers a plethora of shortcuts and plugins, catering to diverse developers and enhancing productivity and ease of use. Mastering these shortcuts and leveraging these plugins can significantly improve the coding experience across Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms.