FRC VS Code Configuration
Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free, lightweight source-code editor developed by Microsoft. WPILib includes a customized version of VS Code for FRC programming.
Layout
When you open VS Code, you'll land on the Welcome tab.
Key areas
- Activity Bar (far left column of icons) — switch between Explorer, Search, Source Control, Run/Debug, Extensions, and Accounts/Settings at the bottom.
- Side Bar — expands from whichever Activity Bar icon is selected (file tree, search results, Git changes, etc.).
- Editor — main pane where files open; supports split view for side-by-side editing.
- Panel (bottom) — Terminal, Problems, Output, Debug Console.
- Status Bar (bottom strip) — branch name, line/column position, language mode, errors/warnings count.
- Recent (Welcome tab, left) — quick links to recently opened folders. After you open the team repository, it will appear here.
- Walkthroughs (Welcome tab, right) — optional guided tutorials for VS Code basics or language-specific setup (Python, C++, etc.).
Hotkeys
| Action | Key |
|---|---|
| Command Palette (search any action) | Ctrl+Shift+P |
| Quick Open (jump to file) | Ctrl+P |
| Toggle Sidebar | Ctrl+B |
| Toggle Terminal | Ctrl+` |
| Split Editor | Ctrl+\ |
| Go to Definition | F12 |
| Go to Line | Ctrl+G |
| Find / Replace | Ctrl+F / Ctrl+H |
| Find in Files (project-wide) | Ctrl+Shift+F |
| Rename Symbol | F2 |
| Format Document | Shift+Alt+F |
| Comment/uncomment line | Ctrl+/ |
| Open Settings | Ctrl+, |
Tip: If you forget a shortcut, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and type what you want to do. It lists the matching commands and their keyboard shortcuts.
Terminal
Press Ctrl+` to open a terminal. You will mainly use it to run Git commands. Git is a version-control tool that lets multiple people work on the same project, while platforms such as GitHub host Git repositories online.
Extensions
Extensions add functionality to VS Code, including language support, linters, formatters, Git tools, and themes. For FRC programming, we will use the Extension Pack for Java.
Click Extensions in the Activity Bar.
In the search bar, type Extension Pack for Java.
Select the extension and click Install.
After the installation is finished, you should be able to find the extension in the Extensions section.