As developers, we spend countless hours heads-down writing code. So when we discover capabilities that meaningfully accelerate coding and reduce repetitive tasks, it feels like winning the lottery.
Auto-formatting is one of those magical productivity enhancers.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn how to configure the popular Visual Studio Code editor to handle formatting automatically. We‘ll explore everything from getting set up with the versatile Prettier formatter, to customizing formatting behavior via config files, to following best practices for leveraging auto-formatting day to day.
If you take just one thing away, it‘s this: auto-formatting eliminates huge swathes of manual formatting work, freeing you up for actual programming while keeping code clean and consistent.
Let‘s dive in!
What Is Auto-Formatting and Why Does it Matter?
When coding, developers generally follow certain stylistic conventions around layout – spacing, indentation, brace position and so on. Manually dealing with these nitpicky formatting details clutters cognitive load. It also bogs down productivity.
Auto-formatting offloads handling these minutiae to tools specialized for the task.
Enabled auto-formatters in code editors monitor files, then instantly re-shape code to comply with configurable formatting standards on save. This means cleaner, more professional looking code with zero effort from you.
According to Stack Overflow research, developers spend over 5 hours per week manually formatting code. With auto-formatting, all that wasted time gets reinvested into substantive coding.
Beyond the efficiency gain, auto-formatting also encourages use of industry best practices for layout. The end result – code that‘s more readable, maintainable and aligns with quality standards.
In short, integrating auto-formatting meaningfully moves the needle on developer productivity and code quality.
Step-by-Step Guide to Enabling Auto-Format in VS Code
VS Code supports a myriad of auto-formatter extensions for languages like JavaScript, TypeScript, Python and more. For this guide, we‘ll use one of the most popular and capable formatters available – Prettier.
Here‘s how to get Prettier enabled for supercharged formatting productivity:
Install the Prettier Extension
Like most VS Code capabilities, auto-formatting requires an extension to power it.
- Open the Extensions view (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X)
- Search for "Prettier – Code Formatter"
- Install the first extension that appears – published by Prettier itself
This makes the Prettier formatting functionality available to VS Code.
Set Prettier as the Default Formatter
Next, we need to set Prettier as the default formatting provider. This instructs VS Code to leverage Prettier (rather than any other extension) for auto-format actions.
- Open User Settings (Ctrl/Cmd + ,)
- Search for "default formatter"
- Select Prettier as the default
And Prettier is now ready to format away!
Enable Format on Save
The last step is to enable auto-formatting on save – this makes Prettier flawlessly format code each time we save a file:
- In User Settings, search for "format on save"
- Check the box for "Format on Save"
That‘s it! Prettier will now format supported files automatically whenever we save in VS Code. Almost too easy.
Before and After: Auto-Formatting in Action
To see Prettier magic in action, let‘s walk through an example.
Say we start with the following JavaScript module. It works fine, but the inconsistent spacing/bracing doesn‘t exactly spark joy:
exportdefault function TransformationEngine() {
consttransform = (requests) => {
const transforms = requests.map(request => {
return request.transformations;
});
return transforms.flat();
}
}
Now we save the file with Format on Save enabled. Prettier works its wizardry, and we‘re left with beautiful code:
export default function TransformationEngine() {
const transform = (requests) => {
const transforms = requests.map((request) => {
return request.transformations;
});
return transforms.flat();
};
}
Like magic, the code formatting aligns perfectly with Prettier standards – improving readability while reducing inconsistencies. Multiply this across hundreds of files in actual projects, and you can imagine the value.
Customizing Auto-Formatting Behavior
Prettier‘s default formatting behavior works nicely, but we can customize rules to our preference via:
User Settings
VS Code User Settings contain various Prettier options we can tune like print width, tab width, use of semicolons and more:
Tweak these to tailor default formatting behavior to your liking.
Prettier Configuration File
For additional customization beyond User Settings, a .prettierrc file lets us specify formatting behavior at the project level:
{
"trailingComma": "es5",
"tabWidth": 4,
"semi": false,
"singleQuote": true
}
This dials in Prettier format rules around commas, spacing, quotes and other granular preferences for the project.
Between Settings tweaks and the .prettierrc config file, we can really fine tune auto-formatting to handle code exactly how we want.
Prettier Integration Best Practices
To make the most of our newly turbocharged Prettier capabilities within VS Code, some key tips:
Use Prettier for Supported Languages Only
While versatile, Prettier isn‘t ideal for 100% of languages – so be judicious based on its language/tooling support. For other stacks, explore options purpose-built for that tech.
Combine Prettier with Linters for Well-Rounded Quality
Linters like ESLint or Stylelint catch whole classes of errors beyond just formatting. Use both linters and auto-formatting to cover all code quality angles.
Add Snippets for Quick Formatting Triggers
Keyboard shortcuts can trigger formatting, but snippets are often quicker. I suggest mapping snippets like prettier to instantly format entire files.
Always Review Code Pre-Commit
Auto-formatting handles most issues, but should never fully replace human review. So verify changes before committing especially for mission critical chunks.
Tweak Configs Gradually Over Time
Resist over-configuring up front. Iteratively tweak auto-formatting settings as new needs emerge across projects. This keeps configuration complexity manageable long-term.
Fixing Common Auto-Formatting Problems
While Prettier + VS Code auto-formatting generally "just works", occasionally issues crop up. Here are some troubleshooting tips for common scenarios:
Prettier not formatting properly? First, ensure no conflicting extensions are installed that could disrupt operation. Next, try clearing extension cache via the Command Palette in case of corruption.
Experiencing performance lags? The initial indexing performed by extensions like Prettier can sometimes lead to delays, especially for larger projects. Check activity bar to confirm indexing/installation status.
Sections of code not formatting correctly? Prettier skips formatting code it can‘t safely parse. Triple check for syntax errors that could confuse the parser. Alternatively, the section may rely on custom parser supporting plugins not currently installed.
Formatting changes keep getting rejected by source control? Auto-formatting can update huge numbers of files at once. To avoid stalling pull requests, set up partial commits by change scope (file type, project subsections etc). Review overall changes before pushing to confirm reasonableness.
Formatting style not quite dialed in? Start small by progressively expanding .prettierrc config rules related to the style facets needing adjustment like quotes, parenthesis spacing etc. Rinse and repeat until code aesthetics align with team standards.
Supercharging Productivity via Auto-Formatting
Writing flawless, human-quality code involves enough intrinsic difficulty without basic formatting concerns wasting mental bandwidth.
By automating this grunt work and eliminating whole swathes of manual style adjustments, auto-formatters like Prettier enable developers to redirect energy towards substantive coding challenges.
The boost in velocity, reduction of mistakes from rote work and promotion of industry best practices ultimately translates into happier, more productive engineering teams.
Now that you‘re set up with seamless auto-formatting integration in VS Code, here‘s wishing you increased focus, tighter feedback loops and newfound joy reconquering those hard programming problems! The computers can handle the busy work – leave the thinking to you.
