How To Run JavaScript In Visual Studio Code: A Complete Guide

Want to run JavaScript in Visual Studio Code? This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know, from to working with libraries, so you can write and debug code with ease.

Setting Up Visual Studio Code for JavaScript

Visual Studio Code is a popular text editor for JavaScript development. It provides robust features, including intelligent code completion, , and support for various extensions. In this section, we will guide you through the process of setting up Visual Studio Code for JavaScript development.

Installing Visual Studio Code

Before we get started, you need to download and install Visual Studio Code. You can download it from the official website, and it is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Once you have downloaded the installer, follow the instructions to install Visual Studio Code on your computer.

Installing Node.js and NPM

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. It allows developers to run JavaScript code outside of a browser, making it ideal for server-side development. NPM, on the other hand, is a package manager for Node.js that helps you manage your project’s dependencies.

To install Node.js and NPM, follow these steps:

Go to the official Node.js website and download the installer for your operating system.
Run the installer and follow the instructions.
Once the is complete, open a terminal or command prompt and type node -v and npm -v to verify that Node.js and NPM are installed correctly.

Installing Extensions for JavaScript

Visual Studio Code has a vast collection of extensions that can enhance your JavaScript development experience. Here are some of the popular extensions for JavaScript development:

ESLint: A linter for JavaScript that helps you identify and fix common errors in your code.
Prettier: A code formatter that helps you format your code according to best practices.
Debugger for Chrome: A debugger that allows you to debug your JavaScript code running in the Google Chrome browser.
Live Server: A development server that allows you to see live changes in your code as you make them.

To install an extension, follow these steps:

Open Visual Studio Code and click on the Extensions icon on the left-hand side.
Search for the extension you want to install and click the Install button.
Once the extension is installed, you may need to reload Visual Studio Code for the changes to take effect.

Creating a JavaScript File in Visual Studio Code

Are you new to JavaScript development and looking to create your first JavaScript file in Visual Studio Code? Look no further! In this section, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started, including opening a new JavaScript file, saving it, and following naming conventions.

Opening a New JavaScript File

To open a new JavaScript file in Visual Studio Code, simply click on the “File” menu and select “New File”. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut “Ctrl+N” or “Cmd+N” on Mac. Once you have a new file open, you can select the language mode by clicking on the language mode dropdown in the bottom right corner and selecting “JavaScript”.

Saving a JavaScript File

It’s important to save your JavaScript file as you work on it to ensure that you don’t lose any progress. To save your file, click on the “File” menu and select “Save”. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut “Ctrl+S” or “Cmd+S” on Mac. When saving your file, be sure to give it a descriptive name that follows JavaScript naming conventions.

Naming Conventions for JavaScript Files

Naming conventions are important in JavaScript development to ensure that your code is easy to read and maintain. When naming your JavaScript files, use lowercase letters and separate words with hyphens. For example, “my–file.js”. Additionally, make sure that your file name is descriptive and reflects the purpose of the code contained within.

To summarize, opening a new JavaScript file in Visual Studio Code is easy. Once you have a new file open, remember to save it regularly and follow JavaScript naming conventions. By doing so, you’ll be on your way to creating well-organized and maintainable JavaScript code.

Running JavaScript Code in Visual Studio Code

Running JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code is easy and straightforward. There are various ways you can run your code, and each method has its advantages and disadvantages. In this section, we will explore the three primary ways to run JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code.

Running Code in the Integrated Terminal

The integrated terminal is a powerful tool that comes with Visual Studio Code. It enables you to run commands, including running JavaScript code. To run JavaScript code in the integrated terminal, follow the steps below:

Open your JavaScript file in Visual Studio Code
Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + or Cmd +
Navigate to the directory where your JavaScript file is located using the cd command
Type node filename.js and press enter to run your code

Running your code in the integrated terminal is ideal for quick tests and because it allows you to see the output of your code in real-time.

Using the Debug View to Run Code

The Debug View is another powerful tool that comes with Visual Studio Code. It enables you to run and debug your code interactively. To use the Debug View, follow the steps below:

Open your JavaScript file in Visual Studio Code
Click on the Debug View icon in the Activity Bar
Click on the create a launch.json file button
Select the Node.js environment
Update the program attribute with the path to your JavaScript file
Press F5 or click on the Start Debugging button to run your code

Running your code in the Debug View is ideal for complex applications because it allows you to set breakpoints, inspect variables, and step through your code line by line.

Running JavaScript Code with Node.js

Node.js is a popular JavaScript runtime that you can use to run your JavaScript code outside of a browser environment. To run JavaScript code with Node.js, follow the steps below:

Install Node.js on your computer
Open your JavaScript file in Visual Studio Code
Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl + or Cmd +
Navigate to the directory where your JavaScript file is located using the cd command
Type node filename.js and press enter to run your code

Running your code with Node.js is ideal for server-side applications, command-line tools, and automation scripts.

Debugging JavaScript Code in Visual Studio Code

Debugging is an essential part of software development, and Visual Studio Code offers a variety of tools to make your JavaScript code effortless and efficient. In this section, we’ll explore how to use breakpoints, the debug console, and Node.js to debug your JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code.

Setting Breakpoints in Code

Breakpoints are a powerful tool for your code. They allow you to pause the execution of your code at a specific line, so you can examine the state of your program at that point. To set a breakpoint in Visual Studio Code, simply click on the line number where you want to pause execution. A red dot will appear, indicating that a breakpoint has been set.

Once you’ve set a breakpoint, you can run your code in debug mode by pressing F5 or by clicking on the Run and Debug icon in the sidebar. When your code reaches the breakpoint, it will pause execution, and you can use the debug console to examine the state of your program.

Using the Debug Console

The debug console is a powerful tool for examining the state of your program while it’s running in debug mode. To open the debug console, click on the Debug Console icon in the sidebar. You can use the console to execute JavaScript code, examine variables and objects, and even modify the state of your program.

To examine a variable or object, simply type its name into the console and press Enter. The console will display the current value of the variable or object. You can also modify the value of a variable or object by typing a new value into the console and pressing Enter.

Debugging with Node.js

Node.js is a powerful tool for your JavaScript code, especially when working with server-side code. To debug your code with Node.js, you’ll need to install the Node.js Debugger extension for Visual Studio Code.

Once you’ve installed the Node.js Debugger extension, you can start your code by clicking on the Run and Debug icon in the sidebar and selecting Node.js from the list of available debuggers. You can then set breakpoints, examine variables and objects, and use the debug console to debug your code.

Testing JavaScript Code in Visual Studio Code

Testing is an essential part of software development, and JavaScript is no exception. In Visual Studio Code, you can easily test your JavaScript code with the help of frameworks. In this section, we’ll cover the steps involved in JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code.

Installing Testing Frameworks

To get started with JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code, you need to install a framework. Some popular testing frameworks for JavaScript include Mocha, Jasmine, and Jest.

To install a testing framework, you need to use Node.js and NPM. If you haven’t installed Node.js and NPM yet, refer to the “Installing Node.js and NPM” section in the previous group of headings.

Once you have Node.js and NPM installed, you can install a framework using the following command in the terminal:

npm install –save-dev mocha

This command installs the Mocha framework as a development dependency for your project. You can replace “mocha” with the name of another testing framework if you prefer to use a different one.

Writing Unit Tests for JavaScript Code

After installing a testing framework, you can start writing unit tests for your JavaScript code. Unit tests are small tests that verify the behavior of individual components of your code.

To write a unit test, you need to create a new file and write test cases using the framework’s API. Here’s an example of a simple unit test for a function that adds two numbers:

const assert = require('assert');
const add = require('./add');
describe('add', function() {
it('should add two numbers', function() {
assert.equal(add(2, 3), 5);
});
});

In this example, we’re using the Mocha testing framework and the Node.js “assert” module to write a test for the “add” function. The “describe” function groups together multiple test cases, and the “it” function defines a single test case.

The “assert.equal” function checks that the result of calling the “add” function with arguments 2 and 3 is equal to 5. If the result is not equal to 5, the test will fail.

Running Tests with Visual Studio Code

Once you’ve written some unit tests, you can run them in Visual Studio Code using the testing framework’s command-line interface. To run tests with Mocha, for example, you can use the following command in the terminal:

npm test

This command runs all the tests in the “test” folder of your project. If you want to run a specific test file or test case, you can use the “–grep” option:

npm test — –grep “should add two numbers”

This command runs only the test case with the name “should add two numbers”.

You can also run tests from within Visual Studio Code using the integrated terminal. Open the terminal by pressing Ctrl+` (backtick), and then run the “npm test” command as usual.

In addition to running tests from the terminal, you can also use Visual Studio Code’s built-in test runner. To do this, you need to install an extension for your framework. For example, the “Mocha Test Explorer” extension allows you to run Mocha tests directly from the Visual Studio Code user interface.

Conclusion

In this section, we’ve covered the basics of JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code. We’ve looked at how to install frameworks, write unit tests, and run tests from the terminal or the Visual Studio Code user interface.

By testing your JavaScript code, you can ensure that it works as expected and catch bugs before they cause problems for your users. With Visual Studio Code, testing your code is easy and straightforward.

Working with JavaScript Libraries in Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is an excellent tool for working with JavaScript . In this section, we will explore how to install, use, and manage JavaScript with NPM and Visual Studio Code.

Installing JavaScript Libraries with NPM

NPM (Node Package Manager) is a package manager for JavaScript that comes with Node.js. It allows you to easily install and manage third-party for your projects.

To install a JavaScript library using NPM, you need to open the integrated terminal in Visual Studio Code and navigate to your project directory. Then you can use the following command to install the library:

npm install &lt;library-name&gt;

For example, if you want to install the popular jQuery library, you can run the following command:

npm install jquery

Once the is complete, you can use the library in your code by importing it using the require statement:

const $ = require('jquery');

Using JavaScript Libraries in Code

Now that you have installed a JavaScript library using NPM, you can start using it in your code. Let’s take the example of the jQuery library and see how we can use it to select HTML elements and manipulate them.

const $ = require('jquery');
$('button').click(function() {
$('p').toggle();
});

In the above code, we are using the $ variable to select all the button elements on the page and attach a click event listener to them. When the button is clicked, we use the $ variable again to select all the p elements on the page and toggle their visibility.

Managing Packages with Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code has built-in support for managing NPM packages. You can use the npm command in the integrated terminal to install, update, and remove packages.

In addition, Visual Studio Code also provides a graphical user interface for managing packages. You can open the Extensions panel from the left sidebar and search for the package you want to install. Once you find the package, you can click the Install button to install it.

You can also manage your installed packages by clicking the Installed tab in the Extensions panel. From there, you can see a list of all the packages you have installed and manage them as needed.

Overall, working with JavaScript libraries in Visual Studio Code is a breeze thanks to its excellent support for NPM and built-in package management features. By following the steps outlined in this section, you can easily install, use, and manage third-party for your projects.

Thomas

Thomas Bustamante is a passionate programmer and technology enthusiast. With seven years of experience in the field, Thomas has dedicated their career to exploring the ever-evolving world of coding and sharing valuable insights with fellow developers and coding enthusiasts.