Customization and Tips

Last updated on 2026-08-24 | Edit this page

Estimated time: 15 minutes

Overview

Questions

  • How do I customize VS Code’s appearance and keyboard shortcuts?
  • What workspace settings help HPC development?
  • How do I sync settings across machines?

Objectives

  • Customize color themes, icons, and keyboard shortcuts
  • Create workspace settings for HPC projects
  • Use Settings Sync to keep configurations consistent
  • Apply recommended settings for productive HPC work

Color Themes

  1. Press Ctrl+K Ctrl+T (or File > Preferences > Color Theme)
  2. Preview themes by arrowing through the list
  3. Press Enter to select

Popular themes for long coding sessions: Dark Modern (default), Dracula, Nord, One Dark Pro.

Install additional themes from the Extensions marketplace by searching “theme.”

File Icon Themes

File > Preferences > File Icon Theme. Icons help identify file types at a glance in the Explorer sidebar.

Keyboard Shortcuts

View and customize shortcuts at Ctrl+K Ctrl+S (or File > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts).

To change a shortcut:

  1. Search for the command
  2. Click the pencil icon
  3. Press your desired key combination
  4. VS Code saves it immediately

Workspace Settings

Create project-specific settings that override global defaults:

  1. In your project folder, create .vscode/settings.json
  2. Add settings:

JSON 

{
    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
    "editor.autoSave": "afterDelay",
    "editor.autoSaveDelay": 2000,
    "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
    "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
    "[python]": {
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "ms-python.python",
        "editor.formatOnSave": true
    },
    "terminal.integrated.scrollback": 5000
}

These settings apply only in this workspace and can be version-controlled with your project.

Settings Sync

Sync your VS Code configuration across multiple computers:

  1. Click the account icon in the bottom-left
  2. Sign in with Microsoft or GitHub account
  3. VS Code syncs extensions, settings, keybindings, and themes
Callout

Optimized Configuration for HPC Development

JSON 

{
    "editor.fontSize": 13,
    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
    "files.trimTrailingWhitespace": true,
    "files.insertFinalNewline": true,
    "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 12,
    "terminal.integrated.scrollback": 5000,
    "remote.SSH.showLoginTerminal": true
}

Productivity Tips

  1. Keep the terminal visible: Resize editor so the terminal always shows
  2. Use descriptive job names: #SBATCH --job-name=analysis_v2
  3. Redirect output: 2>&1 | tee output.log saves and displays output
  4. Check resources: Run sinfo to see available nodes and partitions
  5. Use file watchers carefully: Large remote directories can slow VS Code; exclude node_modules, .git, and large data directories in settings

Additional Extensions Worth Exploring

  • Better Comments: Highlight TODO, HACK, BUG comments in code
  • Bracket Pair Colorizer: Color-code nested brackets
  • Path Intellisense: Auto-complete file paths
  • Live Share: Collaborative real-time coding
Challenge

Challenge: Personalize Your VS Code

  1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and type “Color Theme”
  2. Try three themes and pick your favorite
  3. Open Keyboard Shortcuts (Ctrl+K Ctrl+S)
  4. Search “Go to Line” and note (or customize) its shortcut
  5. Create .vscode/settings.json in your project folder with at least formatOnSave and trimTrailingWhitespace enabled

After selecting a theme via Ctrl+Shift+P > “Color Theme,” the change takes effect immediately. “Go to Line” defaults to Ctrl+G. Creating .vscode/settings.json with "editor.formatOnSave": true means your code auto-formats on every save. Changes take effect immediately without restart.

If Settings Sync is enabled, these preferences carry to other machines automatically.

Key Points
  • Customize themes with Ctrl+K Ctrl+T; customize shortcuts with Ctrl+K Ctrl+S
  • Workspace settings in .vscode/settings.json apply per-project and can be version-controlled
  • Settings Sync keeps your VS Code identical across multiple machines
  • Recommended HPC settings include format-on-save, trailing whitespace trimming, and increased terminal scrollback