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Getting Started

Getting Started with Qoder CN IDE

This article helps you quickly master the core features of Qoder CN IDE, including user interface customization, code editing, running and debugging, and other basic operations, as well as intelligent coding with the Qoder CN coding assistant.

Open a Workspace

You can use Qoder CN IDE to quickly edit a single file, or open a workspace (folder) containing multiple files. First, create a folder and open it in Qoder CN IDE; the entire tutorial will use this folder.
  1. Open Qoder CN IDE. The first time you launch Qoder CN IDE, you will see the welcome page. The welcome page provides some getting-started operations.
  2. From the menu, choose File > Open Folder... to open the folder you want to use.
  3. Choose New Folder, create a new folder named "lingma demo", and then choose Select Folder (on macOS, Open).
  4. In the workspace trust dialog, choose Yes, I trust the authors.
Because you created this folder on your own computer, you can trust the code in this folder.

User Interface Navigation

The main parts of the Qoder CN IDE user interface:
  1. Toolbar: Located at the top of the interface, it contains buttons for common operations such as creating new projects, opening files, and saving files.
  2. File Explorer: Usually located on the left, it displays the files and folders in the current project. You can use it to navigate and manage project files.
  3. Editor Window: This is the main area where you write code. It usually occupies the main part of the interface and supports features such as syntax highlighting and syntax checking.
  4. Terminal Window: Usually located at the bottom, it allows you to run commands and view output and error messages.
  5. Left Sidebar: Can contain different panels, such as the Source Control Management panel which shows Git status, etc.
  6. Right Sidebar: Displays the conversation interface of the Qoder CN coding assistant. For specific features, see: Qoder CN Intelligent Coding Assistant.
  7. Status Bar: Located at the bottom of the interface, it displays the status of the current file, Git information, spell check, and more. Through these tools, you can efficiently write, debug, and manage code.

Switching Views with the Activity Bar

Use the Activity Bar to switch between different views.

Using the Editor to View and Edit Files

  1. Click Explorer in the left Activity Bar, then click the New File... button to create a new file in the workspace.
  2. Enter the file name (e.g., main.py) and press Enter to create it.
  3. Add more files to the workspace. You can open multiple editors and arrange them freely for easy viewing of file contents.

Terminal and Command Line

  1. Open the terminal: In the menu bar, click View, then select the Terminal option. Alternatively, press the shortcut Ctrl+` to quickly open the terminal.
  2. Enter a command to create a file. 
    echo "Hello lingma" > demo.txt
    The default working folder is the root directory of the current workspace. The Explorer view will automatically detect and display the new file.
  3. Multi-terminal management: Click the drop-down arrow in the top-right corner of the terminal, and choose a different shell environment from the pop-up menu.

Command Palette

  1. Open the Command Palette using the shortcut ⇧⌘P (macOS), Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows), or via View > Command Palette. In Qoder CN IDE, many commands can be accessed via the Command Palette. In addition, after installing extensions, those extensions will also add new commands to the Command Palette.
  2. The Command Palette supports different search operations:
  • After the > symbol, start typing to filter the command list. For example, type "move editor" to find commands that can be used to move the editor to a new window.
  • Remove the > symbol to search for files. You can also use the shortcut ⌘P (macOS) or Ctrl+P (Windows) to quickly open and search for files.
Qoder CN IDE uses fuzzy matching to find files or commands. For example, typing "odks" will return the "Open Default Keyboard Shortcuts" command.

Settings and Customization

In Qoder CN IDE, you can customize functionality through configuration settings. You can use the Settings editor to modify settings, or edit the settings.json file directly for advanced customization.
  1. Settings entry: In the top-right corner of Qoder CN IDE, click the user icon or use the keyboard shortcut (⌘ ⇧ , on macOS, or Ctrl+Shift+, on Windows), then select Personal Settings.
  2. Qoder CN IDE has auto-save turned off by default. It can be enabled from the Files: Auto Save drop-down menu. After the setting is changed, Qoder CN IDE will apply it automatically, and all subsequent code file edits will be saved automatically.
  3. Settings are divided into user level and workspace level, which can be switched via tabs. User settings apply to all your workspaces; workspace settings apply only to the current workspace. If a setting exists in both workspace settings and user settings, the workspace settings override the user settings.

Programming Practice

Qoder CN IDE natively supports JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, and more. You can add support for Python through extension packs. Edit the code based on the main.py created earlier.

Using Source Control Management

Qoder CN IDE has integrated Source Control Management (SCM) and supports Git out of the box. Let's use the built-in Git support to commit the changes you made previously.
  1. Select the Source Control view on the left.
  2. Choose Initialize Repository to create a new Git repository in your workspace. After initializing the repository, the changes you made in the workspace will be displayed in the view.
  3. You can hover over a file and select the + next to the file to stage a single change.
  4. After entering a commit message (such as Add hello function), click the Commit button to complete the operation.

Installing Language Extensions

Qoder CN IDE has a rich extension ecosystem. During installation, you can add languages, debuggers, and tools to support specific development workflows.
  1. Open the Extensions view.
  2. Enter the keyword python in the search bar to search. In the search results, install the Python Extension Pack to enable Python syntax highlighting, IntelliSense, and other features. After the extension is installed, you must sign in to your Qoder CN account to receive code-writing suggestions.
Some plugins are currently not supported for installation. You can download and install them from the VS Code Extension Marketplace.

Running and Debugging Programs

Qoder CN IDE has built-in running and debugging capabilities. In this section, you will use the Python extension installed in the previous step to debug a Python program.
  1. First, make sure Python 3 is installed. If no Python interpreter is installed locally, you will see a notification in the lower-left corner of the window: select Select Interpreter to open the Command Palette. You can choose one or install one.
  2. Press F9 on the print line in the main.py file to set a breakpoint. A red dot appears on the left side of the editor, indicating that a breakpoint has been set. The breakpoint feature allows you to pause execution at specific lines of code in the program.
  3. Press F5 to select the Python debugger, and execution pauses at the breakpoint.
  4. Select Python Debugger: Python Debugger
  5. Select the debug configuration: Python File — Debug the currently running Python file.
  6. The program runs to the previously set breakpoint:
While execution is paused, inspect a variable's value by hovering over it in the editor. You can view the values of variables at any time in the Variables view of the Run and Debug view.
  1. Click the button in the debug toolbar (or press F5) to continue running.

Intelligent Coding

The Qoder CN intelligent coding assistant provides capabilities such as intelligent code generation, Intelligent Q&A, multi-file editing, and coding agents, delivering an efficient and smooth coding experience for developers and further improving R&D efficiency.

Code Completion

At the end of the main.py file, enter the function header: 
def add(a, b):
Qoder CN will automatically suggest the rest of the function. Press the Tab key to accept the code suggestion:

Smart Fix

When calling a method, an error occurs because the variables num1 and num2 are undefined. You can click the icon to automatically fix the code issue: In the example, Qoder CN automatically fixes the above issue: For more intelligent coding, see: Operation Guide.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Qoder CN IDE comes with a default set of keyboard shortcuts. You can view the default shortcuts in either of the following ways:
  • Open the Keyboard Shortcuts editor: In Personal Settings, open General > Preferences > Keyboard Shortcuts.
  • Open via the shortcut ⌘K -> ⌘S (macOS) or Ctrl+K -> Ctrl+S (Windows).
For more shortcut operations, see Qoder CN IDE Keyboard Shortcuts.

Setting the Chinese Interface

  1. Open the Command Palette using the shortcut ⇧⌘P (macOS), Ctrl+Shift+P (Windows), or via View > Command Palette.
  2. Enter Configure Display Language and press Enter.
  3. Click Chinese (Simplified) (zh-cn), then click Restart.
  4. After restarting, the interface will be displayed in Chinese.
Overview
Getting Started