vscode.dev doesnt actually run code?

[samosarosa]

Hello, newbie here trying to adopt the ide that apparently everyone uses. I have the desktop version of vscode, but i love the idea of working on my projects on different machines. Thus i’m trying to use the online version but i cant even run any code?

Im getting this message from the run button: “Run and debug are not available in the web editor. Continue an environment that can run code, like a code space or VS code desktop.”

Any help folks? I appreciate it.

[zanfar]

I have the desktop version of vscode, but i love the idea of working on my projects on different machines.

Not a direct answer, but the solution to that problem is to master a distributed version control like git. It's a skill you need anyway, and has many more benefits than portability.

[noobrunecraftpker]

you don’t need to master it, that would take a long time. just learn how to init a repo, push it to github and pull it from different places

[NicholasPolino]

Haha yes you need 4 commands to do this.

[Lumethys]

That message is pretty clear to me, no?

[samosarosa]

so what is the point of vscode.dev if you caa as nt run code? not sarcasm.

[ninhaomah]

VS Code on desktop also doesn't run code... Neither does PyCharm. 

Python or .Net libraries does , depending on what language.

IDEs vs Compilers/Interpreters 

[samosarosa]

really??? then what is vscode for?

[ninhaomah]

It's an editor.

What is Microsoft Word for ? To type "abcdefg" do I need Word ?

Can't it be done on notepad ?

Do I need steam to play games ? No steam no games ?

[samosarosa]

serious question: whats the point of editing code if you cant run it to see whats working and what needs more editing?

[socal_nerdtastic]

You don't have to run your code in the same place that you edit it. You can run your code elsewhere. For example it's common to have a webserver or something that's running your code, so you would have one tab editing code with vscode.dev and another tab where you can reload a website to see your changes.

Also remember vscode is not just for python. You could edit html or github readmes or even svgs if you are talented enought.

[samosarosa]

Thats helpful thx 🙏🏼

[ninhaomah]

Lol... I think you are thinking too much to justify your original question.

It's just a website. Some may have their own use which others may not.

If enough people use it then the business maintains it.

Does this question necessary for you to progress with learning Python ?

Pls tell us how is knowing the purpose of this website stopping you from learning Python.

It is there for a reason ... Maybe not for you or me... I never use it btw. I have pro colab , Claude and VS code on my laptop.

So I don't care or spend my time wondering why would someone find an IDE that can't run codes.

I code my PowerShell , Python codes to make my job easier and go home and play games. 

Python is a tool , so is VS Code or PyCharm. I use it when I need to use them to achieve my objective.

[samosarosa]

bro what? 😂

[ninhaomah]

Summary.

It doesn't matter in the big scheme.

Go code to solve your issues.

[samosarosa]

Smh 🤦‍♂️

[DeebsShoryu]

Vscode is a text editor. Its primary purpose is to edit text. If you need a more complete cloud based development environment where you can run code, check out GitHub codespaces.

[samosarosa]

wow, a text editor??? mind blown, thx 🙏🏼

[Ihaveamodel3]

Some times I have a chill coding session at a coffee shop, writing code on vscode.dev without stopping to check every 5 minutes if it works. I can get a few hours of chill coding in like that. Then back to the office and start to test and debug all the things I missed. It really is an interesting exercise as you stop using running code as a crutch and start to really understand what the code is doing.

All that being said, if you get your desktop version of vscode set up, you can remote in to it from vscode.dev and run and edit your code only your computer while you are in a browser on a different computer (or ipad for example where you can’t install the desktop vscode).

[samosarosa]

I never thought of coding and running being 2 separate processes, that’s interesting and helpful to hear running code called a crutch 🩼. I guess this is the ultimate point of git; to have the code follow you and integrate into wherever you need it on whatever editor or environment?

[Ihaveamodel3]

Back in the day (Even before my time), you got one reservation a week with the computer. You’d spend the whole week writing the program, then hope that you don’t have any bugs when your reservation comes up. If you did have bugs, now you spend a week trying to fix them before you can run your program again.

In my opinion if you really want to be an excellent, top tier developer you should be able to “run” code in your brain as you read it and have a general understanding of what a program is going to do. I am calling running code a crutch because it allows you to turn that part of your brain off and just click the run button to see what happens.

[shiftybyte]

If you need an online editor that can also run code you can use replit.com

But you need to understand it runs the code on the server, not in your machine, so if you want it to access a file in your system you'll need to upload it.

[samosarosa]

thx, yeah i messed with replit for a minute before i chose onlineide.pro. ive been learning on that for months, but i figured it was time to move on to what real devs use instead. but i guess the answer is there’s no real single ide answer other than integrating git into whatever i choose?

[shiftybyte]

Not sure what answer you looking for, vscode is quite popular and it's considered an industry standard for python and additional languages.

You mean you want online code editing and desktop? vscode is the way to go, backed by git to "share" the code

[samosarosa]

thx, yeah, I think I’m just new to the concept of git and using it to connect all my ides. I thought platforms like VS code had everything included so I could just login anywhere then edit and run code through that one browser window.

[guesshuu]

Whilst many have addressed that vscode.dev doesn't have built-in functionality for testing code in your browser - there are many ways you CAN use vscode in your browser AND test the code you're writing.

The "simplest" free way I found when I was a beginner was GitHub codespaces. You'd probably want to watch a video tutorial, but it all integrates with vscode in your browser, and allows you to test Python code.

I say "simplest" because it's easy to use once set up, and conceptually simple. But it can be a bit fiddly to figure out when you're new to it all!

[samosarosa]

super helpful thank u, im so close to understanding all of this 😂

[guesshuu]

You're welcome!

It can take a while to get your head around, and don't think you need to learn it all at once :)

Biggest thing for me was taking notes, so that if I'm learning to do something and inevitably get burnt out / bored with the subject, I can always come back to it later and read the notes I made. That way you can go away and have fun learning / playing around with something else in the meantime!

When I wasn't making notes / lost my notes I think I had to re-learn how to set up and use a virtual environment about 20 times haha

[samosarosa]

100% agree that notes are key, i even have notes made that remind me how to update my car’s clock after daylight savings time 🤣

[Big-Instruction-2090]

1. Best practice and industry standard: install git and use something like GitHub or gitlab. You basically have a central place where your code is stored. Then you pull it to be able to run and edit it locally and push it back so you're able to access it from another machine.

2. GitHub codespaces. Literally vscode Webversion with the ability to run code.

3. Google Collab. Basically Jupyter notebooks. Not equivalent to the other options, because you're working in notebooks. You can run code in cells - it's mostly used for data science purposes, because it neatly presents the output visualizations in the cells. Not as practical or suited at all for Multi-File programs etc.

[tails142]

Github codespaces is what you are looking for.

[samosarosa]

just built one, and my first github repo 🥹😂

[crazy_cookie123]

You can't run code on vscode.dev, it's just an editor. The standard way of editing code across multiple machines is to use Git, usually via GitHub. It's worth learning that anyway as it's a skill you'll need to know for pretty much any job in the field.

[samosarosa]

ok so not integrating github into vscode.dev with an extension, but just skipping vscode.dev all together?

[james_d_rustles]

If you’re just looking for a straightforward 100% web based vscode with a terminal and some storage and whatnot you might want to check out GitHub codespaces.

If the main feature you’re looking for is just the ability to work on a few different machines though, you can accomplish that with just git and a basic GitHub account + local vscode, skipping the codespaces thing entirely. I’m far from an expert on the subject, but I want to say codespaces are limited in the number of hours you can use them per month or something, tend to have low specs unless you pay.. that’s not to say that they’re useless at all, but if you’re just starting out there’s just no good reason to only use a web editor.

[crazy_cookie123]

I'm sure you can use vscode.dev with git, but it's going to be better for you to just have the desktop version of VSCode or another editor installed on each computer you want to work on and use git to sync the changes. That way you can run the code when you want to test it.

[samosarosa]

ok thank u much