Visual Studio Code provides more help in resolving Git merge conflicts
Microsoft has published the June 2022 release of the source code editor Visual Studio Code. Numerous updates have been incorporated into version 1.69, which affect the configuration options, the command center and the 3-way merge editor, among other things. The VS Code development team also provides an outlook on the VS Code Server, which will also be available as an independent instance for remote development in the future.
New UI and more features in Command Center
According to the VS Code development team, the Command Center has been revamped and given it a new graphical interface. As part of the workbench, it can be used with window.commandCenter activate and replaces the previous title bar, which can be used to search projects, execute commands and navigate through the cursor history. The Quick Open drop-down menu grants access to search and lists recently used files.
According to the announcement, the 3-way merge editor, which developers currently have to activate themselves, has also been expanded git.mergeEditor on true put. By clicking on a conflicting file in the source control view, the editor starts and compares the different versions as “Theirs” and “Yours”. The changes can be accepted and merged using a checkbox. The editor provides all language features including diagnostics, breakpoints and tests so that any problems are immediately visible in the merged results. However, conflicts can still be resolved manually at any time. In future releases, the merge editor should be enabled by default.
Other new features in the workbench include easier switching between light and dark mode and a do not disturb mode. Developers who want less distraction while working can hide all notification pop-ups that are not related to error messages. However, all “missed” notifications can still be tracked in the notification center.
In the video, the Microsoft team presents the most important innovations in VS Code 1.69.
Use VS Code for desktop and web instances
In addition to the GitHub Codespaces, developers have long had the option of working directly from the editor in the Windows Subsystem for Linux or accessing remote systems and dev containers via SSH via the extensions to VS Code Remote Development. The VS Code Server on which the extensions are based should also be available as an independent instance in the future and offer extended functionality. Microsoft promises an interactive command line and the ability to establish secure connections to vscode.dev without having to set up SSH. The VS Code Server is initially available as part of a private preview. If you want to take advantage of the offer, you can register for it. Interested parties can find further information in a separate blog post.
Python and Jupyter extension in July release
As usual, Microsoft also presented the Python and Jupyter extensions for Visual Studio Code at the same time as updating its source code editor – but their update is already called July 2022.
This release features new inlay type hints that provide information to make variables and functions easier to understand in the event that explicit annotations are missing. Two new inlay hints are available when using Pylance: for variable and return types.
