Summary

This post will go through using Visual Studio Code (VS Code) as the “native” file editor for Linux by leveraging the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2). Cross-platform development between Windows and Linux has been made simpler over the years since the introduction of Windows Subsystem for Linux. Gone are the days of dual boots, hypervisor VMs, or multiple machines to get started in developing between Windows and Linux. However, until WSL2 I continued to use both Windows and Linux native editors for each environment. In Windows it is Visual Studio or VS Code and in Linux it is VIM or nano.

With WSL2 it is now possible to edit the direct Linux filesystem files from within VS Code in Windows which reduces the need for VIM/nano and provides IntelliSense for known file types. A very transparent editing experience with high productivity.

Prerequisites

• Windows 10 (version 2004 or higher)
• Visual Studio Code

Description

The intent of this post is not to compare VIM to VS Code or claim one is better than the other. Code/text editors strike passion in anyone who does any type of substantial editing, particularly if attempting to convince them there is a better one than what they are using. This passion is fully justified and what is the right editor for one may not be right for someone else. Regardless of editor; Notepad, Notepad++, Word, VS Code, Visual Studio, Eclipse, VI, VIM, nano, etc. if the one you are using makes you productive, then that is the right editor for you. After all, computing was intended to make our lives more productive, not less (a tidbit I sometimes find overlooked in the spirit of innovation).

The problem WSL2 and VS Code has solved, is if we are productive using VS Code based on its capabilities and extensions, such as IntelliSense, Source Code Management, etc., we want that productivity to carry across Windows and Linux filesystems.

WSL2 is a feature of Windows 10 that allows running a full Linux Kernel instance on the same machine utilizing its hypervisor technology, Hyper-V, effectively running a lightweight Linux VM on Windows. Yes, the summary is less than truthful by stating hypervisor VMs are gone. It is still there and the enabling technology for WSL2, however, we do not need to manage it ourselves, thus making us more productive. This virtualization technology enables us to view and edit the Linux filesystems from Windows using VS Code.

Next we will go through the steps of getting WSL2 installed and configured with VS Code integration to see this editing in practice. However, VS Code will not replace VIM, only make its use a little less (for my editing), and if we so choose we can even run VIM within VS Code as will be highlighted in the steps.

Steps

1. Install the Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) utilizing the Microsoft Installation Guide

2. Install the ‘Remote-WSL’ extension for VS Code

3. Open a Command Prompt and list installed WSL subsystems and their versions by typing:

C:\Users\Torben\wsl --list --verbose

4. Optional, I had WSL (v1) instances installed prior to running WSL2. One of these, Ubuntu, was configured for WSL2 by running the following command:

C:\Users\Torben\wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2

5. Using the WSL2 shell, in this case for Ubuntu, log in to the terminal.

6. Enter the following command to install the VS Code Server on Linux and launch VS Code in Windows from the current directory:

$code .

7. VS Code should launch into a WSL session showing the instance, Ubuntu, with a directory and file listing for the current directory.

8. Using VS Code, we can now open and edit the files directly, including a terminal window inside the editor for executing bash commands within Linux.

9. The Ubuntu WSL terminal can now be closed and all file editing and terminal commands can be executed directly within VS Code.

Goodbye VIM? Well, not really. I will continue to use VIM (and nano), particularly when working on systems with no WSL support or Windows. However, getting VS Code extensions and IntelliSense support for known file types while editing them directly on the Linux filesystem is a nice productivity boost.

Should the urge/need be there to continue editing with VIM, we can also perform that action while staying within VS Code using the terminal window. This gives us an editor-in-an-editor experience where changes in VIM shows up in VS Code (and vice versa). (Haven’t found a huge need for it, but pretty neat capability none the less :-))

10. Using the example from step 8, we keep the ‘hosts’ file open in the VS Code editor window and use the bash terminal to edit the same hosts file in VIM

11. Enter a new host entry, ‘piorange’ in VIM

12. Save the change and close VIM

13. Notice the VS Code editor version of the hosts file updates automatically to show the new change ‘piorange’

Enjoy!

Next Steps

• Will this work if Windows and Linux are on separate machines and not using WSL2?
  I don’t know but suspect the answer is no as of this writing, but perhaps someone can confirm. I could see it is a nice-to-have feature, but seems to stretch the intent behind WSL2 of being productive in a closed system loop between Windows and Linux.