- [Instructor] You can take this course
with the text editor of your choice.
Node.js simply runs JavaScript files, which are text.
So if you already have a favorite IDE for JavaScript,
feel free to use that.
If you want to follow along in the same IDE
that I'm using, you can download Visual Studio Code
from code.visualstudio.com.
This page will also automatically detect your platform
and select the appropriate installer.
So you can choose that installer
or choose from any of these installers
and simply run them.
Once you have VS Code installed,
you can open it.
It'll bring you to this nice little welcome tab.
And on the left here, you'll see a menu.
The first icon is for your files.
To select a working folder,
you can click on the Open Folder button.
And you can navigate to choose your folder.
I'm using the exercise files under chapter four,
chapter 04_03, I can select the start folder.
And then I will have access to all of these files
within our File menu.
So a couple other features of the VS Code editor
that we'll be using today is we'll be automatically hiding
and collapsing this File menu.
You can do so by clicking on the icon here
or selecting Control + B.
So Control + B also toggles that.
We're also going to be using the integrated terminal.
So you can, if you're following along with us,
choose to use the regular terminal,
but VS Code integrates the terminal right on the screen.
So I can access that simply by selecting Terminal,
and then saying New Terminal.
I can also close this terminal and kill the session
by clicking the trash can,
or keep the session open by clicking on the X.
I'm going to be using a shortcut key for that as well,
it is Control + backtick.
So Control + backtick will allow me
to toggle back and forth to my terminal.
If you want your screen to look exactly like mine,
I am using the View, Appearance, Zen Mode,
and View, Appearance, Zen Mode, Toggle Centered Layout.
You don't have to follow along with Zen Mode.
Zen Mode is just a little bit better for presentation
'cause it gives me the full screen.
So that's it, you can follow along
with your own text editor,
but if you choose to use VS Code
and the integrated terminal,
you can do that as well.