How to Use Visual Studio Code for Beginners

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a popular source code editor developed by Microsoft. It's lightweight, free, and supports a variety of programming languages. This tutorial will guide you through the basics of using VS Code.

Prerequisites

1. A computer with Windows, Linux, or macOS operating system.
2. Basic knowledge of using a computer.
3. An internet connection to download VS Code.

Steps

Step 1: Download and Install Visual Studio Code

1. Visit the Visual Studio Code download page.
2. Choose the version that matches your operating system (Windows, Linux, or macOS).
3. Download and install the software by following the prompts.

Step 2: Launch Visual Studio Code

1. After installing, launch VS Code. You will see a welcome page.
2. Familiarize yourself with the user interface. It consists of an activity bar on the side, a sidebar, a status bar, and an editor area.

Step 3: Open a Folder

1. To start working on a project, you need to open a folder. Click on File > Open Folder... and select your project folder.

File > Open Folder...

Step 4: Create a New File

1. To create a new file, click on the new file icon in the explorer or use File > New File.

File > New File

Step 5: Write Some Code

1. Let's write a simple Python program. Type the following code into your new file.

print("Hello, World!")

Step 6: Save and Run Your Code

1. Save your file with a .py extension for Python. For example, hello.py.
2. To run your code, open the terminal by clicking on Terminal > New Terminal.
3. In the terminal, type python hello.py and press enter.

python hello.py

Expected output:

Hello, World!

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Not saving your file with the correct extension: The extension tells VS Code the type of file and the language used so it can provide appropriate features.
2. Not using the correct path in the terminal: When running your file from the terminal, ensure you're in the correct directory (folder). You can check your current directory using the pwd command in Linux/macOS or cd command in Windows.
3. Ignoring error messages: If your code doesn't run as expected, carefully read the error message. It usually provides hints about what's wrong.

Summary

In this tutorial, you learned how to download and install Visual Studio Code, create a new project, write a simple Python program, and run it from the terminal. Practice these steps with different programming languages and more complex projects to become comfortable using Visual Studio Code.