The latest articles on DEV Community by Phillip Anerine (@peeleebee). https://dev.to/peeleebee https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F850257%2F0c1f1b9a-794d-493b-b1b2-227c725ddd2b.jpg https://dev.to/peeleebee en Phillip Anerine Tue, 26 Apr 2022 18:50:38 +0000 https://dev.to/peeleebee/colored-brackets-have-been-a-game-changer-2abh https://dev.to/peeleebee/colored-brackets-have-been-a-game-changer-2abh <p>I've worked in a few different IDEs along my path of programming, usually to the whim of different professors. However, once I started working in VSCode, I've loved it and stuck with it for its lightweight nature and customizability. I'm not sure how I didn't discover it earlier, but my friend suggested I get a color bracket extension, and it has been a game changer. </p> <p>Unfortunately, I am sometimes mess with spacing when it comes to my code, Going back after a compilation error counting the amount of parentheses gets annoying with a mix of nested brackets, autocomplete brackets, and my fat finger on the shift, 8, and 9 key. Hence, colored brackets! <br> <a href="https://media.dev.to/cdn-cgi/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Foikcxev3rgpy587sf2ee.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media.dev.to/cdn-cgi/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Foikcxev3rgpy587sf2ee.png" alt="Image description" width="800" height="295"></a><br> All this does is match the color of brackets, parentheses, etc. which makes it much easier at a glance to see what goes where. Another nice feature of it, is if there is an unmatched or extra bracket, it will let you know by coloring it a bright red that screams ERROR. <br> <a href="https://media.dev.to/cdn-cgi/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Feuzfch5a9gbma0dmu29f.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media.dev.to/cdn-cgi/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Feuzfch5a9gbma0dmu29f.png" alt="Image description" width="619" height="29"></a><br> Even with this somewhat dense line of code, I'm sure you could spot it out right away. And I sure do whenever I'm coding. </p> <p>This is the one I use, which I like for its bright colors, but there are other more customizable ones out there if you so please.<br> <a href="https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=2gua.rainbow-brackets" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=2gua.rainbow-brackets</a></p> <p>Are there any other extensions or conveniences you use for productivity?</p> discuss tooling vscode productivity