how to use visual studio code javascript

Other browser instances can prevent the browser from opening with debugging enabled. Prepare the browser for debuggingįor this scenario, use either Microsoft Edge (Chromium) or Chrome.Ĭlose all windows for the target browser. Use Chrome Developer Tools or F12 Tools for Microsoft Edge for complex debugging scenarios.įor help with generating source maps, see Generate source maps for debugging. For example, in a Vue.js app, the minified script gets passed as a string to an eval statement, and there's no way to step through this code effectively using the Visual Studio debugger unless you use source maps.

However, you may only be able to set and hit breakpoints in the minified or transpiled file, not in the source file. You can even attach the debugger to a running client-side script without the source maps. If your source is minified or created by a transpiler like a TypeScript or Babel, use source maps for the best debugging experience. JavaScript code must be in separate files to enable debugging.įor applications other than ASP.NET, follow the steps described here. For debugging TypeScript in ASP.NET Core, see Create an ASP.NET Core app with TypeScript.įor ASP.NET and ASP.NET Core, debugging embedded scripts in. For debugging client-side script in ASP.NET apps, see the blog post Debug JavaScript in Microsoft Edge and this post for Google Chrome. In some scenarios, the debugger automatically hits breakpoints in JavaScript and TypeScript codes and embedded scripts on HTML files. Visual Studio provides client-side debugging support only for Chrome and Microsoft Edge (Chromium). Using these tools, you can examine the DOM or interact with the app using the JavaScript Console. If you want to use the Chrome Developer Tools, press F12 in the Chrome browser. Now, you can inspect your app state by hovering over variables currently in scope, using debugger windows like the Locals and Watch windows. The debugger pauses at the breakpoint you set (IDE highlights the statement in the yellow background). To run your app, press F5 ( Debug > Start Debugging). A breakpoint indicates where Visual Studio should suspend your running code, so you can look at the values of variables or the behavior of memory, or whether or not a branch of code is getting run. With your project open in Visual Studio, open a server-side JavaScript file (such as server.js), click in the gutter to set a breakpoint:īreakpoints are the most basic and essential feature of reliable debugging.

Depending on the type of app development you're doing, you may need to install the Node.js development workload with Visual Studio. If you haven't already installed Visual Studio, go to the Visual Studio downloads page to install it for free.

How to use visual studio code javascript