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Microsoft Visual Studio Code

Information Technology > Development environment

Description

Microsoft Visual Studio Code is a powerful, free, and open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. It supports multiple programming languages and platforms, making it a versatile tool for developers. Its features include syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, code refactoring, and embedded Git. Users can also customize the interface, add extensions, and debug their code directly in the editor. Advanced users can even automate tasks and create their own extensions. Despite its extensive capabilities, Visual Studio Code maintains a user-friendly interface that's easy to navigate, making it an excellent choice for both novice and experienced programmers.

Stack

Microsoft Cloud

Expected Behaviors

LEVEL 1

Fundamental Awareness

At this level, users are expected to understand the basic purpose of Visual Studio Code and be able to recognize its interface. They should know how to open and close the application but may not yet be comfortable with more complex tasks.

🌱
LEVEL 2

Novice

Novice users can perform basic operations such as creating and saving files or projects. They can use simple code editing features like cut, copy, paste, undo, and redo. They also know how to navigate through the code using keyboard shortcuts and use the basic search functionality.

🌍
LEVEL 3

Intermediate

Intermediate users are comfortable with advanced code editing features like multi-cursor editing, find and replace, and code folding. They can configure user and workspace settings, install and manage extensions, use the integrated terminal, debug code within Visual Studio Code, and work with Git and other version control systems.

LEVEL 4

Advanced

Advanced users can customize the Visual Studio Code interface with themes and icon packs, create and manage tasks, use snippets for faster coding, set up and manage multiple workspaces, configure and use built-in linters and formatters, and understand and use the command palette.

🏆
LEVEL 5

Expert

Expert users can create custom snippets and publish their own extensions. They can configure advanced debugging scenarios, automate repetitive tasks with macros, optimize Visual Studio Code performance, and troubleshoot and resolve issues with the application.

Micro Skills

LEVEL 1

Fundamental Awareness

Recognizing Visual Studio Code as a source code editor
Identifying the different programming languages supported by Visual Studio Code
Understanding the concept of extensions in Visual Studio Code
Identifying the activity bar
Recognizing the sidebar
Locating the status bar
Understanding the layout of the editor window
Recognizing the panel and its components
Opening Visual Studio Code from the start menu or application list
Closing Visual Studio Code using the 'X' button or through the file menu
Understanding the difference between closing a file, closing an editor, and closing the program
🌱
LEVEL 2

Novice

Understanding the difference between files and projects
Using the 'New File' command
Using the 'New Project' command
Choosing the correct project type
Using the 'Save' command
Using the 'Save As' command
Understanding the difference between 'Save' and 'Save As'
Knowing where your files and projects are saved
Selecting text to cut or copy
Using the 'Cut' command
Using the 'Copy' command
Using the 'Paste' command
Using the 'Undo' command
Using the 'Redo' command
Moving the cursor with arrow keys
Jumping to the start or end of a line
Jumping to the start or end of a file
Jumping to a specific line number
Opening the search panel
Entering a search query
Navigating through search results
Replacing text using the search panel
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LEVEL 3

Intermediate

Selecting multiple instances of a word or phrase
Replacing one word or phrase with another throughout the document
Folding and unfolding sections of code
Changing the theme of Visual Studio Code
Adjusting the font size and line height
Setting tab width and indentation preferences
Enabling or disabling line numbers
Searching for and installing extensions from the Visual Studio Code marketplace
Updating installed extensions
Disabling or uninstalling unwanted extensions
Opening and closing the integrated terminal
Running commands in the integrated terminal
Navigating the file system using the integrated terminal
Setting and removing breakpoints
Stepping through code
Inspecting variables and expressions
Viewing the call stack
Cloning a repository
Committing changes
Pushing and pulling changes
Resolving merge conflicts
LEVEL 4

Advanced

Understanding how to change the color theme
Knowing how to install new themes from the marketplace
Understanding how to change the file icon theme
Knowing how to create and apply a custom theme
Understanding how to create a task
Knowing how to run a task
Understanding how to configure automatic task running
Knowing how to manage multiple tasks
Understanding what snippets are and how they work
Knowing how to use built-in snippets
Understanding how to install and use snippets from the marketplace
Knowing how to create your own custom snippets
Understanding what workspaces are and how they work
Knowing how to create a new workspace
Understanding how to add and remove folders from a workspace
Knowing how to switch between different workspaces
Understanding what linters and formatters are and how they work
Knowing how to enable and disable the built-in linters and formatters
Understanding how to configure the settings of the built-in linters and formatters
Knowing how to install and use third-party linters and formatters
Understanding what the command palette is and how it works
Knowing how to open the command palette
Understanding how to execute commands from the command palette
Knowing how to search for and run recently used commands
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LEVEL 5

Expert

Understanding the syntax for defining snippets
Creating a new snippet file
Defining a snippet with placeholders and variables
Testing and debugging a custom snippet
Setting up the development environment for creating extensions
Understanding the extension API
Creating a new extension project
Implementing functionality in an extension
Testing and debugging an extension
Packaging an extension for distribution
Publishing an extension to the Visual Studio Code marketplace
Understanding the .vscode/launch.json configuration file
Configuring multiple launch configurations
Using conditional breakpoints
Debugging multi-threaded applications
Debugging remote applications
Debugging with live share
Installing and configuring a macro extension
Recording a macro
Editing a recorded macro
Assigning a keyboard shortcut to a macro
Running a macro
Monitoring Visual Studio Code's memory and CPU usage
Identifying and disabling performance-impacting extensions
Adjusting settings for optimal performance
Keeping Visual Studio Code up-to-date
Reading and understanding error messages
Using the developer tools for troubleshooting
Reporting bugs to the Visual Studio Code team
Contributing fixes to the Visual Studio Code codebase

Skill Overview

  • Expert2 years experience
  • Micro-skills108
  • Roles requiring skill6

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