In this article, I will share my thoughts about the coding process and tools to simplify it.
First, stop thinking about the coding process as challenging and untrivial. In the modern world, software engineers should spend time on product problems and design solutions. Therefore, we should consider coding an intuitive skill. We can compare it to driving a car. When you drive, you don’t think about the process; you think about higher-level issues.
The first and most important thing that helps us code faster is touch typing. It is an essential skill, and you can’t code fast if you don’t understand how to use your main instrument — the keyboard. There are many different web sites where you can obtain and improve this skill; just Google it. One more critical benefit of this skill is preventing tunnel syndrome. It’s unpleasant and is a well-known disease in software engineering.
Let’s move to the tools.
- Vim — The first and essential tool I use is Vim. I tried different variations of this editor: Vim, Neovim, Macvim, JetBrains, and VS Code. All of them are powerful but, of course, have advantages and disadvantages. For me, the best choice is JetBrains integration. It combines the power of IDE with the usability of Vim. If you want to configure it, review the plugin documentation and read about the Vim configuration.
- AceJump — I want to discuss AceJump, a plugin that implements one of the most popular Vim plugins, Easy Motion, for JetBrains IDEs. I will not describe this plugin in detail, but the main feature is quickly moving through visible text using key combinations.
- Key Promoter X — This plugin aims to help you learn hotkeys in JetBrains IDEs. Doing something using a mouse will show you the message with the hotkey you can use for this action. Hotkeys are a powerful feature in IDEs and are more convenient than switching to a mouse.
- Bookmarks — It’s not a plugin but a native feature for all modern IDEs, and developers underestimate it. It’s useful when working on a big file, and you don’t want to spend time navigating between methods or classes where you’ve made changes.
- Copilot — Some time ago, I underestimated the importance of this tool for development. Currently, I use it daily, saving time, especially when completing code and analyzing context. If you don’t know about Copilot, it’s better to read the docs.
