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Quiz

A short quiz on VS Code features the average developer uses 20% of. Each answer points at the shortcut, command palette entry, or setting that turns the corresponding workflow into a single keypress.

Eight VS Code questions with answers

EXAMPLE
# ============================================================
# Q1) You opened the same file ten times today by clicking the explorer.
# What is faster?
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: Ctrl+P (Quick Open). Type a few characters of the filename.
# Use Ctrl+Tab to cycle recently opened files. Stop reaching for the mouse.

# ============================================================
# Q2) You want to refactor a name across the whole project.
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: F2 (Rename Symbol). Works across files for languages with a language
# server. Beats Find+Replace because it skips strings, comments, and unrelated
# symbols with the same name.

# ============================================================
# Q3) You want every save to format + organise imports.
# ============================================================
# settings.json:
# {
#   "editor.formatOnSave": true,
#   "editor.codeActionsOnSave": { "source.organizeImports": "explicit" }
# }
# Per-language:
# "[python]": { "editor.defaultFormatter": "ms-python.black-formatter" }

# ============================================================
# Q4) You want a column of cursors to bulk-edit lines.
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: Alt+Shift+Drag for column selection.
# OR Ctrl+Alt+Up/Down to add cursors above/below.
# OR Ctrl+D to add the next occurrence of the current selection.
# OR Ctrl+Shift+L to select ALL occurrences in the file.

# ============================================================
# Q5) You want git diffs inline on commit lines.
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: install GitLens, then 'GitLens: Toggle Line Blame' from the palette.
# Hover blames show commit / author / message. Click 'Open Changes' for the diff.

# ============================================================
# Q6) Markdown preview is in a separate tab. Update it as you type.
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: Ctrl+K V opens preview to the SIDE; it updates live.
# (Ctrl+Shift+V is preview in current pane.)

# ============================================================
# Q7) Code Lens shows references count. How do you jump to them?
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: Shift+F12 (Find All References).
# OR Alt+F12 (Peek References) — inline panel; no tab switch.

# ============================================================
# Q8) A workspace folder must use different settings.
# ============================================================
# ANSWER: per-folder .vscode/settings.json wins over user settings for that folder.
# In multi-root workspaces, the .code-workspace file has 'settings' that win
# over per-folder settings and lose to user-level workspace overrides.

# ============================================================
# Bonus — name three things 'Command Palette + first few characters' opens.
# ============================================================
# 'format'   -> Format Document
# 'sort'     -> Sort Lines Ascending
# 'organize' -> Organize Imports
# 'fold'     -> Fold / Unfold All Regions
# 'rename'   -> Rename Symbol
# 'json'     -> JSON: Format Selection
# 'preview'  -> Markdown Preview
# 'live'     -> Live Share / Live Server commands

# ============================================================
# Scoring
# ============================================================
# 8 / 8 -> consider mentoring teammates on VS Code productivity
# 6 / 8 -> ready for daily work; bookmark the cheatsheet
# < 6   -> spend 30 minutes in the keybindings JSON, you will save hours weekly

Why it matters

VS Code rewards keyboard fluency more than configuration. The shortcuts in this quiz cover the day-to-day operations that consume minutes — multi-cursor edits, jump-to-symbol, rename, command palette discovery — and turning them into reflexes adds up to noticeably faster work without changing what your code looks like.

Tip: Tweak the snippet with Try it Yourself », then sit the quiz at the bottom of the page.

Example

Example
// 3 questions per lesson.
Try it Yourself »

Discussion

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