Visual Studio Code 1.56, the latest version of Microsoft’s popular open source code editor, was published May 5, bringing improvements in hover feedback, debugging, and Docker support.
Also known as the April 2021 release, Visual Studio Code 1.56 changes the mouse hover feedback for all clickable actions around the workbench to offer a better user experience. A new debugger extension API enables language extensions to provide correct inline value support, with improved inline values enabled by default. The Debugger for Java extension and the Inline Values support for PowerShell extension both take advantage of the API.
Work continues on the Remote Development extensions that allow a developer to use a Docker container, a remote machine, or Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) as a full-featured development environment. Highlights in the 1.56 release include a new volume view when developers use the “Clone Repository in Container Volume” command, a local terminal warning when connected to a remote environment, and a prompt to install Docker Desktop when starting with the Remote – Containers extension.
Visual Studio Code 1.56 follows last month’s release of Visual Studio Code 1.55, which featured breakpoints improvements. Other capabilities in Visual Studio Code 1.56 include a new terminal picker, tabs in the terminal (a preview feature), and profile improvements for the terminal. In addition, the introductory videos for Visual Studio Code have been updated.
Visual Studio Code, which was built on the Electron framework for cross-platform desktop development, can be downloaded for Windows, Linux, or Mac from visualstudio.com. It’s also available via Windows Package Manager.