Basic VS Code Extensions for Coding Your First Site

+ Skiing or snowboarding? Most people have a preference, choosing one but not both. I feel the same could be said for text editors, everyone seems to have their #1 go-to, and I'm a big fan of VS Code. 

+ As a beginner developer, I can't fully appreciate all the features and tools of a text editor, and that's my #1 appeal of VS Code. Even just using a handful of basics is a great experience: the software is intuitive, informative, and runs great on a 2010 MacBook Pro.

+ I recently performed a clean install after updating to macOS Mojave and decided to set up VS Code with just the basics for a website redesign. If you're beginning web dev and new to VS Code, here are some basic extensions I installed and recommend.

+ Functionality

1. Live Server by Ritwick Dey - Install this extension, open your directory, click "Go Live" in the status bar, and that's all you need for a live, auto-reload preview of your website in the browser of your choice. 
2. Bracket Pair Colorizer 2 - () {()(){()()}} can get confusing when they're all the same color. This extensions colorizes and coordinates your brackets.
3. Polacode - Once you customize your editor with themes and fonts, keeping your code stylish when sharing is important! This extension can make handy code snippet screenshots. 

+ Theme

1. Andromeda Theme - There are so many good themes and I frequently switch, but this is my current daily driver, driven by its description: "Dark theme with a taste of the universe."
2. Simple Icons - Changing icons makes navigating the file explorer a bit easier. This set also includes a monochrome version. 

+ And that's it! VS Code is frequently updated with new out-of-the-box features and continues to surprise me with things I didn't even know I wanted (like MDN reference links!) [link to tweet]. If you use or start using VS Code, be sure to share your favorite extensions!