Foreword

"It's just a text file." Yet, this humble text file holds the potential to evolve into a website, a mobile application, a data pipeline, or even a machine learning model. When we embarked on our programming journey, our initial tools were "primitive" text editors like Notepad. However, even the smallest misplaced semicolon could lead to a frustratingly lengthy debugging session. The evolution of coding practices ushered in the era of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), which, despite occupying gigabytes of hard drive space and necessitating a separate one for each programming language, offered a rich array of features to aid in development: build status, auto-completion, syntax highlighting, and more.

In response, many looked to create text editors that were at once small, lightweight, and swift, yet boasted the advanced functionalities of an IDE. Over time, dozens of editors appeared, but then came Visual Studio Code. As the years passed, VS Code ascended to become the preferred text editor for a majority of developers, akin to how Git has become the standard for version control.

This book is crafted for both novices and seasoned programmers alike, offering an in-depth exploration of this editor's capabilities and providing insights to harness its full potential. While not exhaustive, our goal was to create a concise guide that could be read during a daily commute, delivering maximum benefit in minimal time. Regardless of your technology stack, VS Code is likely to offer the best setup for your needs.