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README.md

Using a code editor

This lesson covers the basics of using VSCode.dev a code editor for the web so that you can make changes to your code and contribute to a project without installing anything in your computer.

Learning objectives

In this lesson, you'll learn how to:

Use a code editor in a code project
Keep track of changes with version control
Customize the editor for development

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you'll need to create an account with GitHub. Navigate to GtiHub and create an account if you haven't already.

Introduction

A code editor is an essential tool for writing programs and collaborating with existing coding projects. Once you understand the basics of an editor and how to make use of its features, you'll be able to apply them when writing code.

Getting started with VSCode.dev

VSCode.dev is a code editor on the web. You don't need to install anything in order to use it, just like opening any other website. To get started with the editor, open the following link: https://vscode.dev. If you aren't signed in into GtiHub, follow the prompts to sign in or create a new account and then sign in.

Once it loads, it should look similar to this image:

There are three main sections, starting from the far left and moving to the right:

The activity bar which includes some icons, like the magnifying glass 🔎, the gear ⚙️ and a few others
The expanded acivity bar which defaults to the Explorer, called the side bar.
And finally, the code area to the right.

Click on each of the icons to display a different menu. Once done, click on the Explorer so you are back where you started.

When you start creating code or modifying existing code, it will happen in the biggest area to the right. You'll use this area to visualize existing code as well, which you'll do next.

Open a GitHub repository

The first thing you'll need is to open a GitHub repository. There are multiple ways of opening a repository. In this section you'll see two different ways you can open a repository so that you can start working on changes.

1. With the editor

Use the editor itself to open a remote repository. If you go to VSCode.dev you will see an "Open Remote Repository" button:

You can also use the command palette. The command palette is an input box where you can type any word that is part of a command or an action to find the right command to execute. Use the menu to the top-left, then select View, and then pick Command Palette, or using the following keyboard shortcut: Ctrl-Shift-P (on MacOS it would be Command-Shift-P).

Once the menu opens, type open remote repository, and then select the first option. Multiple repositories that you are part of or that you've opened recently will show up. You can also use a full GitHub URL to select one. Use the following URL and paste into the box:

https://github.com/microsoft/Web-Dev-For-Beginners

✅ If succesful, you'll see all files for this repository loaded in the text editor.

2. Using the URL

You can also use a url directly to load a repository. For example, the full URL for the current repo is https://github.com/microsoft/Web-Dev-For-Beginners, but you can swap the GitHub domain with VSCode.dev/github and load the repository directly. The resulting URL would be https://vscode.dev/github/microsoft/Web-Dev-For-Beginners.

Edit files

Once you have opened the repository on the browser/ vscode.dev, the next step would be to make updates or changes to the project.

1. Create a new file

You can either create a file inside an existing folder, or create it in the root directory/folder. To create a new file open a location/directory to which you want the file to be saved and select the 'New file ...' icon, give it a name and hit enter.

2. Edit and save a file on the repository

Using vscode.dev is helpful whenever you want to make quick updates to your project without having to load any software on your computer. To update your code, click the 'Explorer' icon to view files & folders in the repository. Select a file to open it on the screen and make your changes.

Once you are done updating your project, select the 'source control' icon which contains all the new changes you have made to your repository.

To view the changes you made to your project, select the file(s) in the 'Changes' folder. This will open a 'Working Tree' for you to visually see the changes you made to the file. Red shows an ommission to the project, while green signifies an addition.

If you are safisfied with the changes you made, hover on the 'Changes' folder and click the + button to stage the changes. Staging simply means preparing your changes to commit them to GitHub.

If however you are not comfortable with some changes and you want to discard them, hover on the 'Changes' folder and select the undo icon.

Then, type in a commit message (A description of the change you have made to the project) and commit your changes by clicking the 'tick'.

Once done working on your project, select the hamburger menu icon at the top left to return to the repository on GitHub.

Using extensions

Editing and updating

🚀 Challenge

Open a remote repository you have permissions to make changes and update some files. Next, try creating a new branch with your changes and make a Pull Request.

Review & Self Study

Read more about VSCode.dev and some of its other features.