So you want to amp up your VS Code game? Dude, I've totally got your back. Been wanting to write about this for a while now because, honestly, it took me months to figure out what works well. 😅
When I first tried customizing VS Code, I made this stupid mistake of adding way too many extensions. Spoiler: it took me 3 hours to debug what was a typo, thanks to the clutter. But hey, you live and learn, right?
1. Prettier
If you're like me, you've probably wondered how to keep your code looking clean without fuss. Prettier is like having that friend who nags you for a good reason. It formats your code consistently across your projects. Trust me, copy-paste this and breathe easy:
{
"editor.formatOnSave": true
}This little snippet saved my project, hope it helps you too!
2. Live Server
Pro tip from someone who's been there: stop hitting refresh every time you change code. Live Server launches a local development server with a live reload feature. In my latest project, I used this to preview the changes in real-time. It was a game-changer!
Btw, I wrote about project setups last week - check it out!
3. ESLint
Oh man, when I first set up ESLint, it was like taming a wild beast. But after tons of trial and error, here's what worked: defining a set of rules that made sense for my workflow. I personally prefer:
{
"extends": "eslint:recommended",
"env": {
"browser": true,
"node": true
}
}Feel free to tweak it, though. It's based on my personal experience, not official docs. 😉
4. GitLens
Been meaning to mention GitLens because it shows who changed what and why. If you're collaborating, this is golden! One more thing before I forget, check out my version control tips to streamline your workflow.
5. Bracket Pair Colorizer
Honestly, this is for those who hate losing track of brackets. It color codes them, making them super easy to follow. This actually helped in a production issue last month!
Part of my productivity hacks series, see more here
Wrapping Up
I'm not an expert, but these extensions worked wonders for me. There might be better ways, but this is what I use. Try this out and let me know how it goes! 😊 Drop a comment if you get stuck anywhere, and I'll update this post if I find something even better.
