VS Code is a free, cross-platform visual development environment. Using extensions in VS Code is a very helpful way to quickly create a document, check it for errors and add more lines of code. HTML and CSS developers might need these VS Code extensions for the complex work they do.
In this article, we'll take a look at VS Code extensions that can make your life easier as an HTML and CSS developer.
Better Comments
Comments are a good way to help other developers know what your code is doing. You could write out what you meant, but many developers leave comments instead. The Better Comments extension will help you create better comments in your code. This extension will make it easy for both the author and their reader to read their code.
Link to install the Better Comments Extension
GitLens
GitLens is a highly customizable extension focused on Git-related tasks that embraces Visual Studio Code. With GitLens, you can no longer forget a file change or add/commit under certain assumptions based on the lack of any visual indication. GitLens overlays in tooltips pull-down menus GitHub activity, color-coded commits and diffs, upstream changes when clicking selections, and status indicators.
Link to install the GitLens Extension
Auto Rename Tag
Auto Rename Tag is a VS Code extension that automatically renames your tags when you change them. Its one of the most used VS Code extensions out there because it makes working on websites easier and keeps you from having to keep manually updating all instances of the HTML or CSS. Auto Rename Tag saves you time because it automatically changes the tag name to what you have just renamed.
Link to install the Auto Rename Tag Extension
CSS Peek
If you work with a markup language that doesn't offer support for CSS text-properties, then the CSS Peek extension can come in handy! This is an invaluable tool that helps you understand how properties interact. For example, this tool will highlight which parts of a paragraph has borders applied to it.
Link to install the CSS Peek Extension
Semantic Syntax Colorizer
Semantic syntax colorizer is an incredibly useful tool for HTML and CSS developers. It colors CSS and HTML in a way that the developer can easily see what part of the code they are editing. If they want to change something, they don't need to remove their changes and lose their work, because semantic syntax authorizes them to edit any parts of a CSS or an HTML source code whenever they please. Furthermore, it’s free!
Link to install the Semantic Syntax Colorizer
Live Server
With that being said, it has some pretty cool extensions like Live Server, which can spin up a local web server for you so you can test your site without having to set up a physical server in your home or office. Live Server Extensions are the best kind of VS Code extension if you want to quickly connect with your database or a terminal window. It's also a great way for going live with your website and publishing changes instantly.
Link to install the Liver Server Extension
Auto Close Tag
This extension automatically closes HTML and CSS tags when you move to other lines of the code. This is especially helpful when you have a lot of code and find it difficult to figure out where you are in it. When working with HTML and CSS, you may forget to close tags on certain elements. You can add an extension to fix tags after the fact. An extension called Auto Close Tag will automagically close all open tags for your currently selected element.
Link to install the Auto Close Tag Extension
Takeaway
VS Code is a code editor for programmers. The best way to learn about how it works was checking what extensions are available and how to use them. As web developers, we need to be able to calculate dimensions of a website to work on the layouts. Furthermore, different units are represented in HTML and CSS by different code sets.