Best Practices

This page outlines recommended habits, tools, and workflow patterns to help you work efficiently with Git, VS Code, WebStorm, Android Studio, and the command line. These practices ensure code quality, reduce errors, and support smooth collaboration across our practicum teams.

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1. Useful IDE Extensions & Plugins

Below are recommended extensions for all developers, followed by IDE-specific suggestions.
Click each section to expand.

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View Recommended for All Developers

• Prettier – Code Formatter
  Ensures consistent formatting across the entire team.

• ESLint
  Enforces coding standards and prevents common JavaScript/TypeScript errors.

• EditorConfig
  Ensures consistent spacing, indentation, and line endings across editors.

• GitLens
  Helpful Git history, blame, and diff enhancements inside your IDE.

• Markdown All-in-One
  Enhances README/wiki creation and formatting.

• Path Intellisense
  Auto-completes file paths inside your project.

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View VS Code–Specific

• Error Lens
  Shows errors/warnings directly inline instead of only in the Problems panel.

• Thunder Client
  Lightweight REST API client inside VS Code (great alternative to Postman).

• Bracket Pair Colorizer 2
  Colorizes matching brackets for better readability.

• Peacock
  Helps differentiate VS Code windows by color (useful for multiple repos).

• Docker (if applicable)
  Integrates Docker container management inside VS Code.

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View WebStorm–Specific

• GitToolBox
  Adds status indicators, inline blame, and enhanced Git UI support.

• CodeGlance
  Adds a minimap for navigating large files.

• Rainbow Brackets
  Colorizes nested bracket structures.

• JS Toolbox
  Additional code-quality helpers for JS/TS.

• Styled Components Plugin (if applicable)
  Enables syntax highlighting inside styled-components.

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View Android Studio–Specific

• Kotlin Plugin (built-in)
  Required for Android/Kotlin development.

• ADB Idea
  One-click options for common Android Debug Bridge commands.

• GitToolBox
  Enhances Git visibility and commit workflows.

• CodeGlance
  Adds a minimap for large files.

• JSON to Kotlin / JSON Converter
  Useful for Android API integration.

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2. Recommended Keyboard Shortcuts

Below are the most commonly used shortcuts across IDEs, organized into sections for clarity.

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Universal Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + P / Cmd + P	Quick file search
Ctrl + Shift + P / Cmd + Shift + P	Command palette
Ctrl + /	Toggle line comment
Ctrl + Shift + /	Block comment
Ctrl + B / Cmd + B	Go to definition
Ctrl + Shift + O	View symbols in file
Ctrl + Shift + F	Search entire project

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Git-Specific Shortcuts (IDE-based)

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl + Shift + G (VS Code)	Open Git panel
Alt + 9 (WebStorm)	Open Version Control
Ctrl + K / Cmd + K	Stage changes (IDE-dependent)
Ctrl + Enter	Commit changes
Ctrl + Shift + K / Cmd + Shift + K	Push commits

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Android Studio Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Shift + Shift	Search Everywhere
Ctrl + Alt + L	Reformat code
Ctrl + Alt + O	Optimize imports
Ctrl + B	Go to definition
Ctrl + E	Recent files
Alt + Enter	Quick fix suggestions

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3. Command Line Workflow Tips

These CLI best practices help you work safely and efficiently with Git, avoid merge conflicts, and maintain clean commit history.

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View Core Git Commands (You Should Know by Heart)

These are the essential daily-use Git commands:

git status
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git pull
git push

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View Safe & Clean Git Workflow Pattern

Recommended Daily Workflow

1. Always pull before working

   git pull

2. Create a branch for each task

   git checkout -b feature/your-task-name

3. Commit small, readable chunks

   git add .
   git commit -m "Implement API call for user data"

4. Push your branch often

   git push --set-upstream origin feature/your-task-name

5. Open a Draft PR early to track your work.

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View Helpful Quality-of-Life Commands

Check logs and recent changes

git log --oneline
git log --graph --decorate --all

Inspect changes

git diff
git diff --staged

See who changed a line

git blame <file>

Undo file changes (safe)

git restore <file>

Temporarily store work-in-progress

git stash
git stash pop

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View Fixing Common Git Issues

Abort a merge gone wrong

git merge --abort

Uncommit the latest commit (but keep changes)

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Reset a single file

git restore <file>

If your branch diverged

git pull --rebase

Inspect conflicts

git status
git diff

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4. Structuring Local Project Folders

A clean workspace prevents confusion, avoids duplicate clones, and makes navigating between practicum repos far easier. Below is a recommended folder organization that aligns with how most students work.

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View Recommended Folder Structure

A clean school-focused structure might look like:

E:/
  Academics/
    NSC_Dev_Repos/
      GeekGirlCon/
      NSC_Events/
      SeattleColleges_AD_Website/
    Mobile-App-Project/
    Web-Fundamentals/
    Data-Analysis-Labs/
    Cloud-Computing/
    NSC_Class_Notes/
    NSC_Archived/

Or, on macOS/Linux:

~/Documents/
  NSC_Dev_Repos/
    GeekGirlCon/
    NSC_Events/
    SeattleColleges_AD_Website/
    Mobile-App-Project/
    Web-Fundamentals/
    Data-Science-Labs/
    Cloud-Computing/
  NSC_Class_Notes/
  NSC_Archived/

Why this format works

• Groups all school-related repos together
• Keeps your workspace consistent across classes
• Makes it easy for instructors and TAs to follow your setup
• Prevents “where did I clone this?” issues
• Scales well as you take more classes

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View Best Practices for Folder Organization

Do:

• Keep ALL school repos inside one root folder (e.g., NSC_Dev_Repos)
• Use clear names for each repo or assignment
• Keep folder depth shallow
• Separate personal and school work
• Archive old quarters so your current quarter stays clean

Don’t:

• Scatter repos across Desktop, Downloads, and Documents
• Keep multiple clones of the same repo
• Rename a cloned repo folder manually (breaks Git remotes)
• Nest repos inside each other (causes Git to break)

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View Tips for Managing Multiple Repos

VS Code Workspaces

Create a workspace file to organize multiple class repos:

{
  "folders": [
    { "path": "GeekGirlCon" },
    { "path": "Mobile-App-Project" },
    { "path": "Web-Fundamentals" }
  ]
}

WebStorm

• Use the Projects panel to pin each repo
• Avoid opening the entire parent folder as a project
  (JetBrains tools don’t like nested .git directories)

Android Studio

• Each Android project should be in its own folder
• Avoid nested folder levels (Gradle performance suffers)

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View Folder Hygiene & Maintenance Tips

Weekly Cleanup Recommendations

• Delete unused clones
• Clear local branches you no longer need

  git branch -d <branch>

• Archive previous-quarter repos into an NSC_Archived folder

If switching machines:

• NEVER copy repo folders manually between computers
• ALWAYS re-clone from GitHub:

  git clone <repo-url>

Good Long-Term Habits

• Keep class repos and personal repos in separate top-level folders
• Give repos meaningful names that match the project
• Use cloud storage backups for your workspace folder (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.)