Visual Studio Code on Groundhog Learning

C# Dev Kit

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

C# Dev Kit is a Visual Studio Code extension made by Microsoft that adds full C# support to the editor. Without it, VS Code has no understanding of C#. With it, you get the tools you need to write, run, and debug C# programs.

Installing C# Dev Kit gives VS Code three things it doesn’t have by default for C#:

Intelligent autocomplete: As you type, VS Code suggests completions based on the C# language and the code in the project. It shows available methods, properties, and variables so you don’t have to remember everything.
Real-time error detection: Mistakes are underlined as you type, before you run anything. A red underline means a compile error. A yellow underline means a warning. Catching these early saves a lot of time.
Solution Explorer: A panel that shows the project structure in terms of solutions and projects, matching how .NET organises code. It sits alongside the regular file Explorer and gives a cleaner view of larger projects.

⚠️ Mistakes

Thinking C# Dev Kit is C#

C# Dev Kit is a tool that helps you write C#. It is not the language itself. The actual C# compiler and runtime come from the .NET SDK, which is a separate install. If the .NET SDK isn’t installed, C# Dev Kit will report errors and the programs won’t run, no matter how correctly they are written.

Install the C# Dev Kit Extension

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This procedure walks you through installing the C# Dev Kit extension in Visual Studio Code.

🧰 Prerequisites

Visual Studio Code installed

📋 Steps

Open Visual Studio Code.
Open the Extensions panel by clicking the extensions icon in the left sidebar. It looks like four squares.
In the search box, type C# Dev Kit.
Find the extension named C# Dev Kit published by Microsoft, and click Install.

Install the Python Extension

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This page explains how to install the Python extension. For an overview of what it is and what it adds, see the Python extension concept page.

This procedure walks you through installing the Python extension in Visual Studio Code.

🧰 Prerequisites

Install both before continuing. The steps below assume they are already set up.

Python installed
Visual Studio Code installed

📋 Steps

Open Visual Studio Code.

Install Visual Studio Code

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This procedure walks you through downloading and installing Visual Studio Code on the machine.

🧰 Prerequisites

None.

📋 Steps

Windows

Open the browser.
Go to code.visualstudio.com↗ (external link).
Download the installer for Windows.
Run the installer.
Accept the agreement and press Next.
Follow all the steps. The default options are fine.
Finish the installation and Visual Studio Code will open automatically.

Open a Project Folder

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

This procedure walks you through opening a project folder in Visual Studio Code.

🧰 Prerequisites

Visual Studio Code installed

📋 Steps

Windows

Open Visual Studio Code.
Open the Explorer Tab.
Click Open Folder.

Create new or select existing folder.

Visual Studio Code will show the opened folder in the Explorer tab.

The first time you open a folder, Visual Studio Code may ask whether you trust the authors of the files in it. This is your folder, so you can trust it.

🎯 Expected Outcome

Visual Studio Code shows the selected folder in the file explorer on the left.

Python Extension

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Python extension is a Visual Studio Code extension made by Microsoft that adds full Python support to the editor. Without it, VS Code has no understanding of Python. With it, you get the tools you need to write, run, and debug Python programs.

What it adds#

Installing the Python extension gives VS Code three things it doesn’t have by default for Python:

Intelligent autocomplete: As you type, VS Code suggests completions based on the Python language and the code in the project. It shows available functions, methods, and variables so you don’t have to remember everything.
Real-time error detection: Mistakes are underlined as you type, before you run anything. A red underline means an error. A yellow underline means a warning. Catching these early saves a lot of time.
Run and debug support: The extension adds a way to run Python files directly from the editor and to pause a program mid-run to inspect what it’s doing. This makes finding and fixing problems far easier than running blind.

The Python extension is not Python

The Python extension is a tool that helps you write Python. It is not the language itself. The Python interpreter, which actually runs the code, comes from a separate install at python.org↗ (external link). If Python isn’t installed, the extension can’t run anything, no matter how correctly the code is written.