run javascript in vs code

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a streamlined code editor with support for development operations like debugging, task running, and version control. It aims to provide just the tools a developer needs for a quick code-build-debug cycle, and in this article, we’ll learn how to run JavaScript in VS Code.

Setting up your workspace

Before you can run JavaScript in VS Code, make sure you have Node.js installed on your computer. Node.js is an open-source server framework that supports JavaScript. Install it from https://nodejs.org/. Once installed, follow these steps:

1. Launch VS Code.
2. Open the directory where you store your JavaScript files using “File > Open Folder.”

Running JavaScript in VS Code

After setting up the workspace, you can now proceed to run the JavaScript code.

1. Create a new file with .js extension (e.g., index.js) and write your JavaScript code into this file.
2. Open the terminal in VS Code by choosing “View > Terminal.”
3. In the terminal, type node filename.js, replacing ‘filename’ with the name of your file. For our example, we’d type node index.js.
4. Hit enter to run the JavaScript code. Any output from your code will appear in the terminal beneath where you typed the command.

Code snippet

var message = "Hello, World!";
console.log(message);

In the terminal, type node index.js and hit enter. The output will be Hello, World!.

Code Explanation

1. var message = "Hello, World!";: This line of code declares a variable named ‘message’ with the value “Hello, World!“.
2. console.log(message);: This line uses the console.log() function to print the value of the ‘message’ variable.

By following these steps, you can run JavaScript code on VS Code. Practice creating and running different JavaScript scripts to familiarize yourself with the process. VS Code’s robust features and flexibility make running your code and managing your workspace a breeze. Happy coding!