How Difficult is it to Learn Code Editors?

Are you curious about learning code editors but worried that it might be too hard? Of course, the difficulty that comes with learning a new skill is somewhat subjective. The challenges of learning code editors depend on factors like your understanding of coding concepts, your previous experience with coding, and your comfort level with using new software to facilitate a constructive process. No matter your current schedule or degree of familiarity with code editors, there are plenty of tools available to help make learning easier than you might think.

What are Code Editors?

A code editor is a type of developer tool, widely used by programmers to facilitate their writing process. It’s a standalone program that developers will write their code in before entering it where it will ultimately be executed. Code editors provide features that make coding more efficient and give the programmer more clarity about how their code functions. Code editors have been in use since 1985, when IBM developed the first one. 

Prior to the invention of code editors, coders generally wrote in a word processing program before transferring their code to be executed. The importance of code editors is that they are specifically designed for writing programs efficiently. Unlike a word processing program, the creators of a code editor build all of its features with this purpose in mind. Standard features of a code editor include live parsing, syntax highlighting, automatic indentation, auto-completion, and expandable code snippets.

One of a code editor’s most important features is color-coded syntax highlighting. The code editor parses the code in real-time to identify its key elements—such as variables, commands, and functions—and highlights them in different colors to help the programmer see the code’s structure more clearly. Another aspect of code editors that clarifies structure is the automatic indentation of code that runs inside functions or loops, so the coder can see that this code is subordinate to the larger structure of the program.

Code editors typically include built-in error-checking, which allows coders to avoid tedious debugging by hand. Like search engines, code editors also have an auto-complete feature, which saves time by anticipating and suggesting what you might want to write next. Another time-saving element of most code editors is the ability to use built-in code snippets to execute the same code repeatedly. Some editors let you create custom code snippets for your specific projects. Many of them can also work with plug-ins that increase their functionality. 

On a higher level, code editors make it easier for a Developer to navigate code files and resources as they work. Today, almost every Developer uses a code editor. For beginners, the most popular code editor is Visual Studio Code. Other beginner-friendly code editors include Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime.

Read more about what code editors are and why you should learn them.

What Can You Do with Code Editors?

Code editors allow a Developer to write error-free code more efficiently. They come equipped with features that facilitate the coding process. These features include syntax highlighting, automatic indentation, error-checking, autocomplete, and code snippets. That’s why their use is practically universal among developers today.

Color-coded syntax highlighting allows the coder to see the structure of their code. The code editor identifies in real-time what type of coding element the programmer is using, and uses color highlighting to mark variables, commands, and functions in the code. The live parsing that makes syntax highlighting possible also allows code editors to provide automatic indentation. Sections of code that are subordinate to the overall program, like those within functions or loops, are indented to show the relationship they bear to the rest of the code.

Another aspect of code editors that increases developer efficiency is the error-checking function, which allows the coder to avoid hours of tedious debugging. Many code editors have an autocomplete function, just as search engines do. This saves you time by anticipating and suggesting what you may want to write next. Code snippets also speed up your process by allowing you to avoid typing the same lengthy bit of code over and over again.

What Are the Most Challenging Parts of Learning Code Editors?

Provided you are using a beginner-friendly code editor like Visual Studio Code, the most difficult parts of learning to use a code editor are more about learning to code than using the code editor itself. You’ll likely be learning to code at the same time as you’re learning to use code editors, so the two processes will be intertwined. Before a code editor can be of much use to you, you’ll need to master basic coding concepts. To master these concepts and learn how to use them, you’ll need to get plenty of practice. Practicing coding itself will also involve practicing with the code editor, so you’ll get better at using its functions at the same time.

How Does Learning Code Editors Compare to Other Skills?

A code editor is one of several tools that developers find useful in creating code. Other developer tools you might learn include Git for version control, Emmet for high-speed coding using expandable snippets, or coding libraries and frameworks like React, Node.js, or Django. Fortunately, all of the tools listed here are free and open-source.

Knowing how to use Git is an industry-standard expectation for developers. This open-source version control tool allows a coder or team of coders to save their work in multiple versions. Using this tool, developers can track the changes to their code over time and revert to older versions if need be. Using Git is fairly intuitive unless you choose to dig into its more complex documentation tools. However, only advanced developers typically use these. 

Emmet can also help your coding process become more efficient. Its function is to expand brief snippets of code into longer modules in order to save time while coding. In addition to the built-in ones, you can also create custom snippets if you need to repeat a particular module of code several times. Emmet’s designers intentionally crafted it to be easy to use, so you likely won’t have trouble picking it up.

Developers also benefit significantly from knowing how to use relevant coding frameworks and libraries. Among the most important of these are React, Node.js, and Django. React and Node.js are for JavaScript, while Django is for Python. As long as you are well-versed in the relevant language, these tools should be fairly easy to learn.

Coding Concepts and Code Editors

From the dawn of the code editor, its most critical feature has been the live parsing that makes syntax highlighting and automatic indentation possible. For this feature to be useful, however, you’ll need to understand basic concepts. If you don’t know what variables, commands, or functions are, the color-coded syntax highlighting will not make sense to you. Once you know these concepts, you’ll build on them by learning about loops, which the automatic indentation will help you visualize. The more you learn about code and its vital concepts, the better use you can make of a code editor.

Why It’s Worth Learning Code Editors

Code editors have become industry-standard because they significantly enhance coding efficiency. If you want to become a developer, you’ll be expected to be fluent in the use of code editors. And it’s not only the external expectation that makes learning a code editor worthwhile. You’ll find that its features save you time and frustration, especially the error-checking, auto-complete, and code snippet features most code editors offer. Learning coding will be significantly harder without the help of a code editor, which is why coding classes generally offer training in both at the same time.

Learn Coding with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

When you study coding at Noble Desktop, the expert instructors and small class sizes will expedite and enhance your learning process. Noble’s varied training formats allow you to choose the type of training that will work best for you, whether that’s in-person or live online. Once you’ve finished a Noble course, you can retake that class for free, which can be helpful if you’d like to learn even more about coding. Coding courses at Noble include the use of code editors and other vital developer tools.

Noble has several certificate programs in coding. Your choice of program will depend on why you want to learn the skill. If you’re interested in becoming a Web Developer, you might want to enroll in a certificate in full stack development, unless you’re exclusively interested in front end work. In that case, the front end web development certificate program might be for you. Noble’s certificate in JavaScript development is also a good option for aspiring Web Developers. Students looking to become Data Scientists may want to check out the Python Developer certificate program.

If you’d prefer to start with an individual class before leaping into a certificate program, you can study coding in-person or take live online coding classes.