12 VS Code Extensions to INCREASE Productivity 2024
TLDRIn this video, the presenter shares their top Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extensions that enhance productivity and coding experience. They discuss the importance of a healthy coding environment and demonstrate how extensions like Code Runner, Tabnine, Live Server, Excel Viewer, Code Tour, To-Do Highlights, Material Icons, Draw IO, Polar Code, Code Spell Checker, Prettier, and Vibrancy can significantly improve efficiency and code quality. Each extension is briefly explained with practical examples, showcasing their features and benefits, making it an informative guide for both beginners and experienced programmers.
Takeaways
- 🚀 To optimize productivity and code quality, a healthy coding environment is essential.
- 💻 The video introduces VS Code as a preferred IDE for programming, with a link provided for downloading.
- 🔍 The 'Code Runner' extension is highlighted for its ability to streamline the process of running code snippets.
- 🌟 'Tab 9' is recommended for its AI coding assistance, autocompleting code suggestions, and an integrated chat feature.
- 🌐 'Live Server' is an essential extension for web developers, enabling real-time preview of web projects.
- 📊 'Excel Viewer' allows viewing and interacting with Excel spreadsheets directly within VS Code.
- 🎥 'Code Tour' helps in creating guided walkthroughs of code, useful for presentations and team collaborations.
- 📌 'To-Do Highlights' aids in identifying and prioritizing tasks that need future attention within the codebase.
- 🎨 'Material Icon Theme' enhances the aesthetics of VS Code by providing better-looking file icons.
- 📐 'Draw IO' is a UML diagram tool integrated into VS Code, useful for visualizing project structures.
- 🖼️ 'Polar Code' is a tool for presenting code snippets in a professional and visually appealing format.
- 🔧 'Code Spell Checker' helps identify and correct spelling errors in the code to prevent compilation errors.
Q & A
What is the main topic of the video?
-The main topic of the video is about the best Visual Studio Code (VS Code) extensions that the speaker uses in their day-to-day work as a full-time computer science student.
What are the three things needed to follow along with the video?
-To follow along with the video, one needs a computer or laptop that can turn on, an internet connection for browsing the web, and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) like VS Code.
What is the first VS Code extension the speaker recommends and why is it essential?
-The first VS Code extension the speaker recommends is 'Code Runner' because it streamlines the process of compiling and running code, making it easier to quickly check the program's output.
How does the 'Code Runner' extension automate the process of running a Java program?
-The 'Code Runner' extension automates the process by compiling the Java class files automatically when the run button is clicked, and then printing the output, eliminating the need to manually use the Javac and Java commands in the terminal.
What is 'Tab Nine' and how does it assist in coding?
-Tab Nine is an AI coding assistant that suggests code as it reads what the user is typing in real time. It can autocomplete suggestions by pressing the Tab key, making the coding process more efficient.
How does the 'Live Server' extension benefit web developers?
-The 'Live Server' extension allows web developers to simultaneously code and see the changes reflected in a web browser in real time, without having to manually save and refresh the browser page.
What is the 'Excel Viewer' extension useful for?
-The 'Excel Viewer' extension is useful for data scientists and analysts as it allows them to view Excel spreadsheets directly within VS Code, making it easier to visualize and work with data without switching between applications.
How does the 'Code Tour' extension help in presenting code?
-The 'Code Tour' extension helps in presenting code by allowing users to record a guided tour of their code with comments and steps. This feature is useful for walkthroughs or demonstrations of how the code works.
What is the purpose of the 'To-Do Highlights' extension?
-The 'To-Do Highlights' extension helps in highlighting comments marked with 'to-do' or 'fix me' keywords, making it easier to identify and address tasks that need to be done later in the code.
What is the 'Draw IO' extension used for?
-The 'Draw IO' extension is used for creating UML diagrams and other diagrams within VS Code, which is beneficial for visualizing the structure of a project before coding.
How does the 'Prettier' extension improve code quality?
-The 'Prettier' extension automatically formats and structures code, ensuring good readability and consistency, which is especially helpful when working on collaborative projects.
What is the 'Vibrancy' extension and how does it affect the appearance of VS Code?
-The 'Vibrancy' extension is a decorative add-on that applies a glass morphism design to VS Code, making it look more aesthetically pleasing and transparent, purely for visual enhancement.
Outlines
💻 Optimizing Your Coding Environment with VS Code Extensions
This paragraph introduces the importance of a healthy coding environment for productivity and work quality. It discusses the use of Visual Studio Code (VS Code) and highlights three essential extensions: Code Runner, Tabnine, and Live Server. Code Runner automates the process of compiling and running code, Tabnine offers AI-based code suggestions, and Live Server allows for real-time web page previews. The paragraph emphasizes the efficiency and ease of use these extensions provide for developers.
🤖 AI-Assisted Coding with Tabnine and Excel Viewer
This section delves into the capabilities of the Tabnine extension, which provides AI coding assistance and can generate code snippets based on user input. It also introduces the Excel Viewer extension, which allows users to view and interact with Excel spreadsheets directly within VS Code. The benefits of these extensions for web developers and data analysts are emphasized, showcasing their potential to streamline the coding process and enhance data visualization.
🎥 Code Tour and to-Do Highlights for Efficient Code Presentation
The paragraph discusses the Code Tour extension, which enables users to create guided tours of their code for presentations or walkthroughs. It also covers the to-Do Highlights extension, which helps users identify and prioritize tasks within their code by highlighting comments with specific keywords. The paragraph highlights the usefulness of these tools for code demonstration and task management, improving both the presentation and organization of code work.
🎨 Enhancing Aesthetics with Material Icons and Draw IO
This part of the script focuses on the Material Icons extension, which refreshes the appearance of file icons in VS Code for a more aesthetically pleasing environment. It also introduces Draw IO, an extension that facilitates the creation of UML diagrams directly within VS Code. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of a visually appealing workspace and the practicality of having diagramming tools integrated into the development environment.
🖌️ Presenting Code Snippets with Polar Code and Spell Checking
The paragraph introduces two extensions: Polar Code, which creates visually appealing code snippets for presentation, and Code Spell Checker, which identifies and corrects spelling mistakes in the code. The paragraph discusses the advantages of these extensions for professional code presentation and error prevention, highlighting their role in enhancing the overall development experience.
🌟 Final Touches with Prettier and Vibrancy for an Immaculate VS Code
The final paragraph discusses the Prettier extension, an automatic code formatter that ensures clean and consistent code structure, and Vibrancy, an extension that applies a glass-morphism design to VS Code for a sleek appearance. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of a well-organized and visually appealing development environment, and how these extensions contribute to achieving that while also improving code quality and readability.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡VS Code
💡Extensions
💡Productivity
💡Code Quality
💡Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
💡Code Runner
💡Tab 9
💡Live Server
💡Excel Viewer
💡Code Tour
💡To-Do Highlights
💡Material Icon Theme
💡Draw IO
Highlights
The importance of a healthy coding environment for optimizing productivity and work quality.
Introduction to the best VS Code extensions used by a full-time computer science student.
The necessity of three things for the video: a computer, internet connection, and an IDE (VS Code).
The process of downloading and installing VS Code, and navigating to the extension section.
Installing the Code Runner extension for efficient running and compiling of Java programs.
Demonstration of the Code Runner extension's ability to streamline the coding process.
The installation and setup of the Tab 9 AI coding assistant for real-time code suggestions.
Using Tab 9 to generate and insert code snippets, such as a Hello World program.
Explanation of the Live Server extension for real-time web development and preview.
The Excel Viewer extension for viewing and working with Excel spreadsheets within VS Code.
The Code Tour extension for creating guided walkthroughs of code projects.
The To-Do Highlights extension for marking and highlighting pending tasks or fixes in the code.
The Material Icon extension for enhancing the aesthetics of VS Code with better file icons.
The Draw IO extension for creating UML diagrams within VS Code for project planning.
The Polar Code extension for presenting code snippets in a professional format.
The Code Spell Checker extension for identifying and correcting spelling errors in the code.
The Prettier extension for automatic code formatting and structuring.
The Vibrancy extension for enhancing the visual aesthetics of VS Code with a glass morphism design.
Conclusion and summary of the VS Code extensions discussed, emphasizing their impact on a computer science student's daily workflow.