Visual Studio Code Gene

This geneset provides automated installation and configuration of Visual Studio Code with development extensions and optional Dev Drive integration for enhanced performance.

Features

• Automated Installation: VS Code system installer from Microsoft, installed for all users
• System-Wide Configuration: Settings and keybindings applied to all users
• Extensions per user: Installed for every user at their first logon (Active Setup), since VS Code installs extensions per user
• Dev Drive Integration: Automatic detection and configuration of Dev Drives for optimal development performance
• Reboot Handling: Automatic handling of installation reboots (exit code 1003)

Available Fodder

win-vscode

Installs Visual Studio Code with development extensions and configures it for optimal development workflow.

Variables

Default Extensions

• PowerShell (ms-vscode.powershell) - PowerShell language support
• Python (ms-python.python) - Python development support
• Docker (ms-azuretools.vscode-docker) - Docker container support

Default Settings

{
  "editor.fontSize": 14,
  "editor.tabSize": 2,
  "editor.wordWrap": "on",
  "terminal.integrated.fontSize": 13,
  "files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
  "files.autoSaveDelay": 1000,
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.minimap.enabled": false
}

Dev Drive Integration

When a Dev Drive is detected (automatically or via dev_drive_letter), the gene configures:

Dev Drive Detection

1. Explicit: Set dev_drive_letter variable (e.g., "E")
2. Automatic: Scans for:
   • Windows 11 Dev Drives (trusted developer volumes)
   • ReFS drives with "Dev" in the label
   • Skips system drives (C:, D:)

Dev Drive Configuration

• Default Git Location: {DevDrive}:\source\repos
• Terminal Working Directory: {DevDrive}:\source

Performance Benefits

• ~25% faster file operations and builds
• Reduced antivirus scanning overhead
• Optimized for development workloads

Usage Examples

EGS ships in every base catlet and SSH keys are auto-exchanged when you run egs-tool add-ssh-config <vmid>, so the examples below do not include gene:dbosoft/guest-services:win-install.

Basic Installation

name: my-dev-machine
parent: dbosoft/winsrv2022-standard/starter

fodder:
  - source: gene:dbosoft/vscode:win-vscode

Custom Extensions

name: python-dev-machine
parent: dbosoft/winsrv2022-standard/starter

fodder:
  - source: gene:dbosoft/vscode:win-vscode
    variables:
      - name: vscode_extensions
        value: "ms-python.python,ms-python.pylint,ms-python.black-formatter,ms-vscode.vscode-json"

With Dev Drive

name: devdrive-vscode-machine
parent: dbosoft/winsrv2022-standard/starter

drives:
  - name: sdb
    size: 100

fodder:
  - source: gene:dbosoft/windevdrive:configure
    variables:
      - name: devdrive_disk
        value: sdb
      - name: devdrive_letter
        value: E
      - name: devdrive_label
        value: DevDrive
  
  - source: gene:dbosoft/vscode:win-vscode
    variables:
      - name: dev_drive_letter
        value: "E"

Custom Settings

name: custom-vscode-machine
parent: dbosoft/winsrv2022-standard/starter

variables:
  - name: my_vscode_settings
    value: |
      {
        "editor.fontSize": 16,
        "editor.theme": "dark",
        "workbench.colorTheme": "Dark+ (default dark)",
        "terminal.integrated.shell.windows": "C:\\Windows\\System32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe"
      }

fodder:
  - source: gene:dbosoft/vscode:win-vscode
    variables:
      - name: vscode_settings_json
        value: '{{ my_vscode_settings }}'

Post-Installation

Extension Installation

The extensions are downloaded during provisioning to C:\Program Files\Microsoft VS Code\bootstrap\extensions. An Active Setup entry runs C:\ProgramData\eryph\vscode\install-user-extensions.ps1 once for every user at their first logon; it installs them in the background with code --install-extension and logs to %LOCALAPPDATA%\eryph-vscode-extensions.log.

Verification

To verify the installation:

# Check VS Code installation
code --version

# Check extensions (after first launch)
code --list-extensions

# Check Dev Drive configuration (if applicable)
fsutil devdrv query E:

Troubleshooting

Installation Issues

• Path Issues: VS Code is automatically added to system PATH

Dev Drive Issues

• Not Detected: Manually specify dev_drive_letter variable
• Wrong Drive: Check that the specified drive exists and is a fixed drive
• Performance: Ensure the drive is properly formatted as ReFS with Dev Drive flag

Extension Issues

• Download Failures: Extensions download from VS Code Marketplace during bootstrap
• Missing Extensions: Check internet connectivity during installation
• Manual Installation: Extensions can be installed manually via VS Code UI

Requirements

• Windows Server 2022 or Windows 10/11
• Internet Connection for downloading VS Code and extensions
• PowerShell 5.1 or later
• Optional: Dev Drive (Windows 11 22621+ for full Dev Drive support)

Related Genes

• dbosoft/windevdrive:configure - Create and configure Dev Drives
• dbosoft/guest-services:win-install - SSH access via Eryph Guest Services