Setting up the editor on a fresh machine
The first launch of a development editor can feel like being handed the controls of an aircraft. The trick is to ignore almost all of it and change only a few settings.
First run
When the editor opens for the first time it may spend several minutes preparing itself. Let it finish. If it offers to import settings from another tool, skip that step for now.
Settings worth changing on day one
- Turn on line numbers. They make error messages far easier to follow.
- Set your language. Choose C# as the default so new files are created correctly.
- Pick a comfortable theme and font size. You will read far more code than you write.
- Show the solution explorer. It is the map of every file in your project.
Make a first project to prove it works
Create a new web project from the templates, accept the default name, and press run. If a browser window appears with a simple page, your environment is working. Close it and save the project.
If it fails. Nine times out of ten the editor needs a component it did not install. Read the exact message, search for that sentence, and install what it names. Do not reinstall everything.
Keep the workspace tidy
Close the tool windows you are not using. A crowded screen makes small problems look large. The editor tour explains each panel, and bringing back a lost window covers the moment you close one by accident.