Visual Studio Code, or VS Code for short, has become one of the most popular code editors for developers around the world. It offers an array of features, including Git source control, which allows you to track changes to your code and collaborate with other developers on a project. In this article, we will take a closer look at how you can use Git source control within VS Code.
Before you start using Git in VS Code, you need to install the Git extension. To do this, click on the Extensions icon on the left-hand side of the VS Code window and search for "Git". Install the Git extension and reload the editor.
Once you have installed the Git extension, you need to initialize a Git repository. A repository is a container that holds all the files and versions of those files that make up a project. To initialize a repository in VS Code, open the Command Palette by pressing Ctrl + Shift + P or Cmd + Shift + P on Mac, and type "Git: Init".
Once you have initialized a Git repository, you can start tracking changes to your code. To track changes in VS Code, you need to stage changes and then commit those changes to the repository.
Staging changes involves selecting the changes you want to track and marking them for commit. To stage changes in VS Code, open the Source Control panel by clicking on the Source Control icon on the left-hand side of the window. From here, you can select the changes you want to stage and click the "+" icon next to the change.
After you have staged your changes, you can commit those changes to the repository by clicking the checkmark icon in the Source Control panel. This will open a dialog where you can enter a commit message, which is a brief description of the changes you are committing.
One of the key benefits of using Git source control is the ability to work on multiple branches of your code at the same time. Branches allow you to work on different features or fixes without affecting the main branch of your code.
To create a new branch in VS Code, right-click on the repository in the Source Control panel and select "Branch". From here, you can enter a name for the new branch and create it.
Once you have created a new branch, you can switch between branches by right-clicking on the repository in the Source Control panel and selecting the branch you want to switch to.
When you are ready to merge your changes back into the main branch, you can use the Merge feature in VS Code. To do this, switch to the main branch and right-click on the repository in the Source Control panel. Select "Merge" and choose the branch you want to merge into the main branch.
In conclusion, using Git source control in Visual Studio Code is a powerful tool that allows you to track changes to your code, collaborate with other developers, and manage multiple branches of your code. By following these simple steps, you can take advantage of Git source control to streamline your development workflow and keep your code organized and under version control.