code

Visual Studio Code editor launcher

TLDR

Open VS Code in the current directory

$ code .

Open a specific file in VS Code

$ code [path/to/file]

Open a file at a specific line and column

$ code -g [file.txt]:[line]:[column]

Open a new window

$ code -n

Open a file in an existing window

$ code -r [path/to/file]

Compare two files in diff mode

$ code -d [file1] [file2]

Install an extension

$ code --install-extension [publisher.extension]

List installed extensions

$ code --list-extensions

code is the command-line interface for Visual Studio Code, Microsoft's popular source code editor. It allows launching the editor, opening files and folders, managing extensions, and integrating VS Code into command-line workflows.The CLI supports opening files at specific positions, which is useful for jumping to error locations from build tools or linters. The diff mode provides visual comparison between files. The --wait flag enables using VS Code as a Git editor or for other tools that need to wait for file editing completion.Extension management through the CLI enables scripting VS Code setup and synchronizing development environments. Combined with the Settings Sync feature, this allows reproducible editor configurations across machines.

PARAMETERS

-n, --new-window

Open a new VS Code window.

-r, --reuse-window

Open files in the last active window.

-g, --goto

Open file at specific line and column (file:line:column).

-d, --diff

Compare two files in diff mode.

-w, --wait

Wait for files to be closed before returning.

--locale LOCALE

Set the display language (e.g., en-US, zh-CN).

--install-extension EXT

Install a VS Code extension by ID.

--uninstall-extension EXT

Uninstall a VS Code extension.

--list-extensions

List all installed extensions.

--disable-extensions

Disable all installed extensions for this session.

--user-data-dir DIR

Specify the directory for user data.

-v, --version

Display version information.

-h, --help

Display help information.

INSTALL

sudo pacman -S code

nix profile install nixpkgs#code

CAVEATS

The code command must be added to PATH, which can be done via the "Install 'code' command in PATH" option from VS Code's Command Palette. On some systems, the command may be code-insiders for the Insiders build. Remote development sessions use code-server for browser-based access.

HISTORY

Visual Studio Code was released by Microsoft in April 2015 as a free, open-source editor built on Electron. It rapidly grew to become one of the most popular development environments. The CLI has been part of VS Code since its early releases, enabling terminal-based workflows.

RESOURCES

Source code · Documentation