vscode.md

VisualStudio Code Recommendations

The following are heavily opinionated set of suggested packages, tutorials, etc. to use with vscode

General Packages and Setup

1. Install with vscode and accept defaults if possible

   • After installation of vscode, you should be able to click Install link on the webpage of any extensions

2. (Optional) some highly recommended packages

   • Github Support: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=GitHub.vscode-pull-request-github
   • Editing Markdown: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yzhang.markdown-all-in-one
   • Extra Git Tools: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=eamodio.gitlens
   • Spell Checking: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker
   • Markdown to PDF: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=yzane.markdown-pdf
   • Code Formatter: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=esbenp.prettier-vscode
   • YAML support: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=redhat.vscode-yaml

3. Go to settings with <Ctrl-Shift-P> and search for the following settings to change:

   • files.eol to \n
   • enablePreviewFromQuickOpen to turn it off
   • Tab Size to 4

A reminder that it is strongly recommended on Windows to run the following at the command-line (assuming you installed )

git config --global core.eol lf
git config --global core.autocrlf false

Latex

1. Setup latex with either TeXLive or MikTeX (on Windows)

   • In order for SyncTex to work properly on MikTex you may need to update to a more recent version using the miktex console

2. Install the extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=James-Yu.latex-workshop

3. Install spellchecker: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker

The easiest way to compile is to put magic comments at the top of documents (consistent across many editors). For example,

% !TEX program = pdflatex
% !BIB program = bibtex
% !TEX enableSynctex = true

or for a more modern latex compilation, you could try % !TEX program = lualatex or % !TEX program = xelatex

Julia

1. Install Julia or see https://julia.quantecon.org/getting_started_julia/getting_started.html for more advanced instructions
2. Install the Julia Extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=julialang.language-julia
3. (Optional) TOML: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=bungcip.better-toml
4. (Optional) Install Code Formatting
   • Start up a REPL and go (inside of your main julia environemnt, not a project): ] add JuliaFormatter
   • Install the https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=singularitti.vscode-julia-formatter extension

• then in your settings.json (acccessed with ctrl-shift-p and type Open Settings (JSON) add

  "[julia]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "singularitti.vscode-julia-formatter"
},

• Afterwards, in vscode if you then go ctrl-shift-p and type format (alternatively go to File -> Preferences -> Settings -> Default Formatter) you will be able to choose the singularitti one as your default julia formatter

Python

1. First install Python interpreter. Recommendation is https://www.anaconda.com/distribution/
2. Install the main extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-python.python
3. (Optional, but Recommended) Extensions
   1. Code Black Formatter. In console: pip install black
      • Go to settings with <Ctrl-Shift-P> and change Python> Formatting Provider to black
   2. Microsoft Intellicode AI: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=VisualStudioExptTeam.vscodeintellicode
      • Will need to accept using the preview version of the language server
   3. Generating Consistent Docstrings: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=njpwerner.autodocstring
4. See https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/python/jupyter-support for Jupyter support
   • If you installed conda for your python setup, things should work immediately.

Note: If it asks you to choose a python environment, choosing ("base": conda) is fine as the default.

Remote Editing, Collaboration, and Other Extensions

• Core Remote Extensions:
  • Install OpenSSH client if required:
    • https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/openssh/openssh_install_firstuse
  • Remote Extensions: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-vscode-remote.vscode-remote-extensionpack
• SFTP Support: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/iems?itemName=liximomo.sftp
• VS LiveShare: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=MS-vsliveshare.vsliveshare-pack

Better Terminal and Fonts

• VSCode and its emdedded terminal support modern fonts with ligatures, powerline, good unicode support, etc.
• Install https://github.com/cormullion/juliamono https://github.com/microsoft/cascadia-code or https://github.com/tonsky/FiraCode
  • If on Windows, you could use chocolatey with choco install cascadiafonts
• Windows Terminal was built with Cascadia and Powerline
  • See https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/tutorials/powerline-setup and https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/terminal/cascadia-code

Other Tutorials

• Remote Development Docs:
  • General: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/remote-overview
  • Remove SSH editing: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/ssh
  • WSL: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/remote/wsl
• https://medium.com/@christyjacob4/using-vscode-remotely-on-an-ec2-instance-7822c4032cff