run javascript code in visual studio code

Visual Studio Code is a powerful coding editor that is widely used by developers all over the world. This article will guide you through the process of running JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code.

Setting up Your Environment

Javascript is a text-based programming language, so to run Javascript code, we must start out by setting up our environment.

First, you need to install Node.js. Go to the official Node.js website and download the latest stable version. Node.js is an open-source platform which is used to run JavaScript on a server.

Next, install Visual Studio Code (VS Code). You can find it on the official VS Code website and follow the installation instructions.

Code snippet for setting up the JavaScript File:

// This is a simple JavaScript code
console.log("Hello, World!");

Code Explanation for Setting up Your Environment

After setting up your environment, it’s time to create a new JavaScript file. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open VS Code.
2. Click on ‘File’, then ‘New File’.
3. Go to ‘File’ again, then click on ‘Save As’.
4. Type in your desired file name followed by the .js extension, for example, ‘helloWorld.js’.
5. Paste the provided code snippet into your new file and save it.

The console.log() function is a simple JavaScript function that writes a message to the console. In this case, it will log the message “Hello, World!“.

Running the JavaScript Code

With our JavaScript file ready, it’s time to run it.

To run a JavaScript file:

1. Open the terminal in VS Code by going to ‘View’, then ‘Terminal’.
2. In the terminal, type node fileName.js, replacing ‘fileName’ with the name of your file. In our example, you would type node helloWorld.js.
3. Press ‘Enter’.

You should now see “Hello, World!” displayed in your terminal, which means you have successfully run your JavaScript code in VS Code.

Code snippet for running the JavaScript code:

node helloWorld.js

Code Explanation for Running the JavaScript Code

Node.js is used to interpret and execute your JavaScript code outside a web browser. By typing node fileName.js in the terminal, you’re instructing Node.js to run the JavaScript file named ‘fileName.js’. The console will then display whatever is written in the console.log() function.

Using our example, node helloWorld.js runs the ‘helloWorld.js’ file, and the message “Hello, World!” would subsequently display in the terminal.

Congratulations! You can now write and run JavaScript code in Visual Studio Code. Keep going and explore the many possibilities JavaScript has to offer!