How to Use VS Code Like A Pro [For Mac Users]

Or How Not to Annoy Your Pair Programming Partner

Every time you copy and paste using the toolbar I die a little bit inside

Ever pair with a developer who has no knowledge of the code editor they are using? No? Well, my friend you may be that developer.

I certainly was.

I had been using Visual Studio Code (no, not VSCode 😉) for a couple years and had recently switched to a startup where most of the devs were using VSCode.

I was pairing with a super-senior engineer on the team on my first day. Things were going… not well.

He was visibly frustrated and after about an hour of pairing he cut our session short.

“Hey, I’m going to send you a set of commands I use for VS Code and I want you to get familiar with them” he said, matter of factly.

“Uhhh. Ok.”

Years later, I now feel his pain. So much of writing code for larger applications is being efficient in finding code, moving blocks of text around and leveraging the tools to do repetitive tasks.

Struggling to find files or wasting time with the intricacies of your editor wastes time and makes the experience of pairing feel tedious or at worst, painful.

Behold! The shortcuts you NEED to be using in VSCode