The June 2016 update of Visual Studio Code version 1.3, has been released, closing the loop on one of the most requested features since its inception.
Developers have long clamored for tabs in Microsoft's cross-platform code editor. On UserVoice, the feature request garnered over 9,000 votes.
Tabs are enabled by default, but they can be disabled by changing the workbench.editor.showTabs setting. Hitting Ctrl+Tab provides quick access to the new OPEN EDITORS view, which replaces the previous WORKING FILES view. This is the same panel that sits at the top of the Explore pane and makes it easier to understand what editors are open. Saving or closing all editors is possible with a single click.
The far-left gutter hosts a fifth button that displays the new Extensions View. This new panel makes searching for, installing, updating, and enabling extensions easy. The search box has a simple, visual way to view popular, recommended, and outdated extensions. This was possible in prior versions, but it had to be accessed by a series of key commands.
Global search was already available, but it now includes the ability to replace text in multiple files. Developers have a new way of debugging a Node.js project by attaching to an existing process. Previously, the only way to debug a Node.js app was to run it from the Debug menu.
The team also extracted the Monaco code editor and released it as a standalone package. Developers can install it from npm and embed the code editor in their own projects, taking advantage of the editor's IntelliSense, colorization, and validation across a number of popular languages.
The community response to the new release and VS Code in general has been remarkably positive. Josh Girvin comments that the editor is his daily driver:
It's amazing to see how fast VS: Code is picking up extensions with full autocomplete, go-to definition, and other IDE-styled features. Atom's equivalents are rarely as nice, unless you're using Nuclide because they wrote their own damned framework inside the editor to achieve those features! I think it's because VS: Code's APIs are built around exposing those sorts of features nicely and simply. I'm still annoyed at small UI parts of VS: Code, but honestly the functionality and speed make it second to none in my opinion.
The sheer number of features and bug fixes makes version 1.3 one of the biggest releases to date. For a full rundown on what's new, check out the release notes.
