Extension for Visual Studio Code - Copy JSON, paste as Go, TypeScript, C#, C and more. Visual Studio 2019 Blog. The Visual Studio 2019 Blog is the official source of product insight from the Visual Studio Engineering Team. You can find in-depth information about the Visual Studio 2019 releases in the following posts: Visual Studio 2019 v16.10 Preview 2 Releases Today; Available Today! Visual Studio 2019 v16.9 and v16.10 Preview 1. Visual Studio Code lets you perform most tasks directly from the keyboard. This page lists out the default bindings (keyboard shortcuts) and describes how you can update them. Note: If you visit this page on a Mac, you will see the key bindings for the Mac.
- Json2csv A Visual Studio Code extension to convert the current editor selection from JSON to CSV, and vice versa. After installation, you'll find two new commands in the Command Palette (F1 by default): Convert JSON to CSV.
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A devcontainer.json file in your project tells Visual Studio Code how to access (or create) a development container with a well-defined tool and runtime stack. This container can be used to run an application or to sandbox tools, libraries, or runtimes needed for working with a codebase. It can be used with the Remote - Containers extension or GitHub Codespaces.
See Set up a folder to run in a container for more information on configuring a dev container or use the Remote-Containers: Add Development Container Configuration Files... or Codespaces: Add DevelopmentContainer Configuration Files... commands from the Command Pallette (F1) to add a wide variety of base configurations from the vscode-dev-containers repository.
devcontainer.json properties
While some devcontainer.json properties apply generally, others are only used in specific scenarios. The following table will outline the properties that apply in each situation.
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dockerfile or image | ||
image | string | Required when using an image. The name of an image in a container registry (DockerHub, Github Container Registry, Azure Container Registry) that VS Code should use to create the dev container. |
build.dockerfile / dockerFile | string | Required when using a Dockerfile. The location of a Dockerfile that defines the contents of the container. The path is relative to the devcontainer.json file. You can find a number of sample Dockerfiles for different runtimes in the vscode-dev-containers repository. |
build.context / context | string | Path that the Docker build should be run from relative to devcontainer.json. For example, a value of '..' would allow you to reference content in sibling directories. Defaults to '.'. |
build.args | Object | A set of name-value pairs containing Docker image build arguments that should be passed when building a Dockerfile. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the values. Defaults to not set. For example: 'build': { 'args': { 'MYARG': 'MYVALUE', 'MYARGFROMENVVAR': '${localEnv:VARIABLE_NAME}' } } |
build.target | string | A string that specifies a Docker image build target that should be passed when building a Dockerfile. Defaults to not set. For example: 'build': { 'target': 'development' } |
appPort | integer, string, array | In most cases, we recommend using the new forwardPorts property. This property accepts a port or array of ports that should be published locally when the container is running. Unlike forwardPorts, your application may need to listen on all interfaces (0.0.0.0) not just localhost for it to be available externally. Defaults to []. |
containerEnv | object | A set of name-value pairs that sets or overrides environment variables for the container. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the values. For example:'containerEnv': { 'MY_VARIABLE': '${localEnv:MY_VARIABLE}' }Requires the container be recreated / rebuilt to change. |
remoteEnv | object | A set of name-value pairs that sets or overrides environment variables for VS Code (or sub-processes like terminals) but not the container as a whole. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the values. Be sure Terminal > Integrated: Inherit Env is is checked in settings or the variables will not appear in the terminal. For example: 'remoteEnv': { 'PATH': '${containerEnv:PATH}:/some/other/path', 'MY_VARIABLE': '${localEnv:MY_VARIABLE}' }Updates are applied when VS Code is restarted (or the window is reloaded). |
containerUser | string | Overrides the user all operations run as inside the container. Defaults to either root or the last USER instruction in the related Dockerfile used to create the image.On Linux, the specified container user's UID/GID will be updated to match the local user's UID/GID to avoid permission problems with bind mounts (unless disabled using updateRemoteUserUID).Requires the container be recreated / rebuilt for updates to take effect. |
remoteUser | string | Overrides the user that VS Code runs as in the container (along with sub-processes like terminals, tasks, or debugging). Defaults to the containerUser.On Linux, the specified container user's UID/GID will be updated to match the local user's UID/GID to avoid permission problems with bind mounts (unless disabled using updateRemoteUserUID).Updates are applied when VS Code is restarted (or the window is reloaded), but UID/GID updates are only applied when the container is created and requires a rebuild to change. |
updateRemoteUserUID | boolean | On Linux, if containerUser or remoteUser is specified, the container user's UID/GID will be updated to match the local user's UID/GID to avoid permission problems with bind mounts. Defaults to true.Requires the container be recreated / rebuilt for updates to take effect. |
mounts | array | An array of additional mount points to add to the container when created. Each value is a string that accepts the same values as the Docker CLI --mount flag. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the value. For example:'mounts': ['source=${localWorkspaceFolder}/app-scripts,target=/usr/local/share/app-scripts,type=bind,consistency=cached']⚠️ Codespaces ignores 'bind' mounts with the exception of the Docker socket. |
workspaceMount | string | Overrides the default local mount point for the workspace when the container is created. Supports the same values as the Docker CLI --mount flag. Primarily useful for configuring remote containers or improving disk performance. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the value. For example: 'workspaceMount': 'source=${localWorkspaceFolder}/sub-folder,target=/workspace,type=bind,consistency=cached'⚠️ Not yet supported in Codespaces or when using Clone Repository in Container Volume. |
workspaceFolder | string | Sets the default path that VS Code should open when connecting to the container. Typically used in conjunction with workspaceMount. Defaults to the automatic source code mount location.⚠️ Only supported for Docker Compose in Codespaces and when using Clone Repository in Container Volume. |
runArgs | array | An array of Docker CLI arguments that should be used when running the container. Defaults to []. For example, this allows ptrace based debuggers like C++ to work in the container:'runArgs': [ '--cap-add=SYS_PTRACE', '--security-opt', 'seccomp=unconfined' ] . |
overrideCommand | boolean | Tells VS Code whether it should run /bin/sh -c 'while sleep 1000; do :; done' when starting the container instead of the container's default command. Defaults to true since the container can shut down if the default command fails. Set to false if the default command must run for the container to function properly. |
shutdownAction | enum | Indicates whether VS Code should stop the container when the VS Code window is closed / shut down. Values are none and stopContainer (default). ⚠️ Does not apply to Codespaces. |
| Docker Compose | ||
dockerComposeFile | string, array | Required. Path or an ordered list of paths to Docker Compose files relative to the devcontainer.json file. Using an array is useful when extending your Docker Compose configuration. The order of the array matters since the contents of later files can override values set in previous ones.The default .env file is picked up from the root of the project, but you can use env_file in your Docker Compose file to specify an alternate location. |
service | string | Required. The name of the service VS Code should connect to once running. |
runServices | array | An array of services in your Docker Compose configuration that should be started by VS Code. These will also be stopped when you disconnect unless 'shutdownAction' is 'none'. Defaults to all services. |
workspaceFolder | string | Sets the default path that VS Code should open when connecting to the container (which is often the path to a volume mount where the source code can be found in the container). Defaults to '/'. |
remoteEnv | object | A set of name-value pairs that sets or overrides environment variables for VS Code (or sub-processes like terminals) but not the container as a whole. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the values. Be sure Terminal > Integrated: Inherit Env is is checked in settings or the variables will not appear in the terminal. For example: 'remoteEnv': { 'PATH': '${containerEnv:PATH}:/some/other/path', 'MY_VARIABLE': '${localEnv:MY_VARIABLE}' }Updates are applied when VS Code is restarted (or the window is reloaded) |
remoteUser | string | Overrides the user that VS Code runs as in the container (along with sub-processes like terminals, tasks, or debugging). Does not change the user the container as a whole runs as (which can be set in your Docker Compose file). Defaults to the user the container as a whole is running as (often root).Updates are applied when VS Code is restarted (or the window is reloaded). |
shutdownAction | enum | Indicates whether VS Code should stop the containers when the VS Code window is closed / shut down. Values are none and stopCompose (default).⚠️ Does not apply to Codespaces. |
| General | ||
name | string | A display name for the container. |
extensions | array | An array of extension IDs that specify the extensions that should be installed inside the container when it is created. Defaults to []. |
settings | object | Adds default settings.json values into a container/machine specific settings file. |
forwardPorts | array | An array of ports that should be forwarded from inside the container to the local machine. |
portsAttributes | object | Sets default properties for specific forwarded ports. Can use a port number, range, or a regular expression. |
otherPortsAttributes | object | Configure the behavior of any ports that aren't configured using portsAttributes. |
postCreateCommand | string, array | A command string or list of command arguments to run inside the container after is created. The commands execute from the workspaceFolder in the container. Use && in a string to execute multiple commands. For example, 'yarn install' or 'apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl'. The array syntax ['yarn', 'install'] will invoke the command (in this case yarn) directly without using a shell. It fires after your source code has been mounted, so you can also run shell scripts from your source tree. For example: bash scripts/install-dev-tools.sh. Not set by default. |
postStartCommand | string, array | A command string or list of command arguments to run when the container starts (in all cases). The parameters behave exactly like postCreateCommand, but the commands execute on start rather than create. Not set by default. |
postAttachCommand | string, array | A command string or list of command arguments to run after VS Code has attached to a running container (in all cases). The parameters behave exactly like postCreateCommand, but the commands execute on attach rather than create. Not set by default. |
initializeCommand | string, array | A command string or list of command arguments to run on the host machine before the container is created. The command executes from the workspaceFolder locally. The array syntax ['yarn', 'install'] will invoke the command (in this case yarn) directly without using a shell, but supports Windows/macOS/Linux path translation. The string syntax ('yarn install') is better for simple commands.⚠️ The command is run wherever the source code is located on the host. For Codespaces, this is in the cloud. |
userEnvProbe | enum | Indicates the type of shell VS Code should use to 'probe' for user environment variables to use by default while debugging or running a task: none (default), interactiveShell, loginShell, or loginInteractiveShell. Interactive shells will typically include variables set in /etc/bash.bashrc and .bashrc while login shells usually include variables from these 'rc' files, /etc/profile, and .profile. The default is none, since the other modes can slow startup. |
devPort | integer | Allows you to force a specific port that the VS Code Server should use in the container. Defaults to a random, available port. |
Visual Studio Json File
If you've already built the container and connected to it, be sure to run Remote-Containers: Rebuild Container or Codespaces: Rebuild Container from the Command Palette (F1) to pick up the change.
Visual Studio Json Free
Formatting string vs. array properties
The format of certain properties will vary depending on the involvement of a shell.
postCreateCommand, postStartCommand, postAttachCommand, and initializeCommand all have an array and a string type, while runArgs only has the array type. An array is passed to the OS for execution without going through a shell, whereas a string goes through a shell (it needs to be parsed into command and arguments).
Using runArgs via a typical command line, you'll need single quotes if the shell runs into parameters with spaces. However, these single quotes aren't passed on to the executable. Thus, in your devcontainer.json, you'd follow the array format and leave out the single quotes:
Rather than:
We can compare the string and the array versions of postAttachCommand as well. You can use the following string format, which will remove the single quotes as part of the shell's parsing:
By contrast, the array format will keep the single quotes and write them to standard out (you can see the output in the dev container log):
Variables in devcontainer.json
Variables can be referenced in certain string values in devcontainer.json in the following format: ${variableName}. The following is a list of available variables you can use.
| Variable | Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
${localEnv:VARIABLE_NAME} | Any | Value of an environment variable on the host machine (in this case, called VARIABLE_NAME). Unset variables are left blank. To for example, this would set a variable to your local home folder on Linux / macOS or the user folder on Windows:'remoteEnv': { 'LOCAL_USER_PATH': '${localEnv:HOME}${localEnv:USERPROFILE}' }⚠️ For Codespaces, the host is in the cloud rather than your local machine. |
${containerEnv:VARIABLE_NAME} | remoteEnv | Value of an existing environment variable inside the container once it is up and running (in this case, called VARIABLE_NAME). For example:'remoteEnv': { 'PATH': '${containerEnv:PATH}:/some/other/path' } |
${localWorkspaceFolder} | Any | Path of the local folder that was opened in VS Code (that contains .devcontainer/devcontainer.json).⚠️ Not yet supported when using Clone Repository in Container Volume. |
${containerWorkspaceFolder} | Any | The path that the workspaces files can be found in the container. |
${localWorkspaceFolderBasename} | Any | Name of the local folder that was opened in VS Code (that contains .devcontainer/devcontainer.json).⚠️ Not yet supported when using Clone Repository in Container Volume. |
${containerWorkspaceFolderBasename} | Any | Name of the folder where the workspace files can be found in the container. |
Attached container configuration reference
Attached container configuration files are similar to devcontainer.json and supports a subset of its properties.
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
workspaceFolder | string | Sets the default path that VS Code should open when connecting to the container (which is often the path to a volume mount where the source code can be found in the container). Not set by default (an empty window is opened). |
extensions | array | An array of extension IDs that specify the extensions that should be installed inside the container when it is created. Defaults to []. |
settings | object | Adds default settings.json values into a container/machine specific settings file. |
forwardPorts | array | A list of ports that should be forwarded from inside the container to the local machine. |
remoteEnv | object | A set of name-value pairs that sets or overrides environment variables for VS Code (or sub-processes like terminals) but not the container as a whole. Environment and pre-defined variables may be referenced in the values. For example: 'remoteEnv': { 'PATH': '${containerEnv:PATH}:/some/other/path' } |
remoteUser | string | Overrides the user that VS Code runs as in the container (along with sub-processes like terminals, tasks, or debugging). Defaults to the user the container as a whole is running as (often root). |
postAttachCommand | string, array | A command string or list of command arguments to run after VS Code attaches to the container. Use && in a string to execute multiple commands. For example, 'yarn install' or 'apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl'. The array syntax ['yarn', 'install'] will invoke the command (in this case yarn) directly without using a shell. Not set by default. |
Visual Studio Json Plugin
Variables in attached container configuration files
Visual Studio Json
Variables can be referenced in certain string values in attached configuration files in the following format: ${variableName}. The following is a list of available variables you can use.
Visual Studio Json Schema
| Variable | Properties | Description |
|---|---|---|
${containerEnv:VAR_NAME} | remoteEnv | Value of an existing environment variable inside the container (in this case, VAR_NAME) once it is up and running. For example: 'remoteEnv': { 'PATH': '${containerEnv:PATH}:/some/other/path' } |