Unlock the Power of PowerShell Development with Visual Studio Code

If you’re a PowerShell developer, Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is the ultimate tool to take your productivity to new heights. Developed by Microsoft, VS Code is a cross-platform, open-source code editor packed with features that make PowerShell script writing and debugging a breeze.

Get Started with VS Code and PowerShell

To get started, you’ll need to install both Visual Studio Code and the PowerShell extension. The PowerShell extension provides rich language support, including syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and debugging capabilities.

  1. Install Visual Studio Code: Head to the Visual Studio Code website and download the version for your operating system - Windows, macOS, or Linux. The installation process is quick and straightforward.

  2. Install the PowerShell Extension: Once you have VS Code installed, open the application and navigate to the Extensions view by pressing Ctrl+Shift+X (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+X (macOS). Search for ‘PowerShell’ and click the ‘Install’ button to add the extension to your VS Code instance.

After the installation is complete, you’re ready to start writing and debugging PowerShell scripts. You can create a new file by going to ‘File’ > ‘New’, or open an existing PowerShell script by using the ‘File’ > ‘Open File’ command.

Customize Your PowerShell Development Experience

VS Code allows you to fine-tune your PowerShell development experience through various configuration settings. To access these settings, go to ‘File’ > ‘Preferences’ > ‘Settings’ (or Ctrl+, on Windows/Linux, Cmd+, on macOS).

One useful setting is the ability to choose the version of PowerShell you want to use with the extension. This is especially helpful if you need to work with both PowerShell Core and Windows PowerShell. To select a specific PowerShell version, open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) and search for ‘PowerShell: Show Session Menu’. From the menu, choose the version of PowerShell you want to use.

You can also customize other settings, such as file encoding, whitespace rendering, and more. For example, to enable automatic trimming of trailing whitespace, add the following to your settings.json file:

{
    "files.trimTrailingWhitespace