Tips and Tricks

General tips and tricks to make your life easier

This guide will provide some useful tips and tricks that have been useful for me while working on SplashKit.

Setting Git Bash terminal as default in VS Code

By setting the terminal to Git Bash in VS Code you can compile and run your code without having to open a new terminal and changing directory to your working directory.

To do this:

1. Open VS Code
2. Open a new terminal by pressing Ctrl + Shift + ` or Terminal tab -> new terminal
3. In the terminal, locate the small drop down arrow to the top right
4. In the drop down menu click “Select Default Profile”
5. You should see a drop down menu at the top of the window with a list of terminals where you can select Git Bash or your terminal of choice.
6. Select the terminal you would like as the default terminal within VS Code. I recommend Git Bash

By following these steps, VS Code will automatically open an embedded terminal in your working directory. No more alt-tabbing when building your SplashKit projects.

Setting up aliases in your Bash terminal

Constantly typing the same lengthy commands can become tedious so by setting up aliases you can save yourself a bunch of time. Whether it is shortened git commands or a compilation command for C++ aliases are a great time saver.

To create Aliases:

1. Open a new terminal

2. Enter the command nano ~/.bashrc

3. In the text editor create the alias you want to use as such:

   • alias name='command'

4. Once you have added the aliases you wish to use, to exit the nano editor and save changes press Ctrl + X

5. When prompted to save changes press Y and then enter. This should close the editor and take you back to the terminal

6. Now to apply the changes enter the command source ~/.bashrc or restart your terminal

Now when you enter your alias it should run the command you have set. Some Aliases I use are:

Aliases	Purpose
alias gc='git checkout'	allows gc branchname for easier branch switching
alias gcm='git checkout main'	quickly get to main branch
alias skcompile='skm clang++ \*.cpp -o a && ./a	quickly compiles and runs C++ SplashKit projects in one command

These are some example aliases but you can do pretty much anything. If there are any commands you find yourself typing and think “Man this is tedious” just make a new alias for it!

Useful VS Code Extensions

These are some helpful extensions that you can add to VS Code that may help with your workflow

Extension	Description
C/C++ and C#	Syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and debugging tools.
IntelliCode	Offers tools like line autocomplete and code suggestions
GitHub Pullrequests	Lets you work on existing pull requests in your local developer environment
GitLens	Better Git history and inline blame tools.
Prettier	Automatically Formats your code (doesn’t work on all languages)
Code Spell Checker	Spell checks your code

Enable format on save

Enabling format on save will allow your formatting extensions like Intellisense or prettier to format your code automatically when you save the document.

To enable this:

1. Go to File -> Preferences -> Settings or Ctrl + ,
2. In the search bar type “Format on save”
3. Enable the Format on save box

Common Git Commands

Command	Purpose
git pull upstream main	Pulls changes from the main branch of the upstream repo – great to run at the start of the day
git clean -df	Removes untracked files and directories - helpful if you forget a branch name
git branch	Lists all branches in your repo - good if you have forgotten the name of a branch
git stash	Temporarily stores uncommitted changes so you can switch branches or pull updates
git checkout -b <name>	Allows the creation and checkout of branch in 1 command
git add .	Stages all changed files in the current directory and below
git status	Shows staging area - Useful to see what will be committed
git commit -m "message	Commits and creates messages in 1 command
git reset --hard	Resets your working directory to last commit - Useful if you make some breaking changes and cannot fix. use with care