CSE 325 | Setup: Course Software

Setup: Development Environment

Overview

This setup activity will prepare you with the development tools, extensions, and services necessary to complete the assigned activities and projects in the course.

All of these tools and services are free to use for the duration of the course. You do NOT need to purchase any software or services nor provide a credit card to complete this course.

Instructions

Integrated Development Environment

This course will uses Visual Studio Code versus Visual Studio "Full". The full version Visual Studio IDE is a full-featured development tool for Windows that is used by many professional developers. However, it is a large download and more restrictive platform given its power. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight IDE that is easy to use and has a large community of developers that have created extensions to add functionality to the IDE. It is also cross-platform, meaning that it can be used on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.

Visual Studio Code – Verify that you have an up-to-date, working instance of VS Code running and install or update as needed.
- To check for updates in VS Code, click on Help -> Check for Updates...
Reference: 📑 VS Code Documentation.
Add the C# extension to VS Code.
Add the C# Dev Kit extension to VS Code.
"C# Dev Kit is an extension created to enhance your C# development experience in Visual Studio Code. It aims to bring a more expansive, productive, and reliable C# experience to VS Code. The Dev Kit does not replace the existing C# extension but adds on top of the great language service features it provides. Developers can choose to continue using the updated version of the existing C# extension or enhance their experience by adding the C# Dev Kit." – code.visualstudio.com/docs

Note that you may need to restart VS Code in order for the C# Dev Kit extension to be recognized.

Later, in the course, you will be asked to install the .NET MAUI extension which will automatically check for and install the C# and C# Dev Kit extensions as dependencies as needed. We will begin the course with the C# and C# Dev Kit extensions only.

Git

Verify that you have Git installed by opening a terminal (Mac) or CMD prompt/PowerShell (Windows) and typing git --version. If you get an error, you need to install or update Git.

Repo Hosting and Project Management: Azure DevOps

Sign in to Azure DevOps using a Microsoft account. Azure Devops – aex.dev.azure.com
- Create a new Azure Devops organization.
  - When you have signed into your "organization" (dev.azure.com/{yourorganization}), go to ⚙️Organization settings. Select Policies, and then turn On the Allow public projects.
    
    Reference: Enable Public Projects
- Create a project named "CSE 325". Set it to Public Access under ⚙️Project settings – Overview - Visibility = Public and then click Save
- Access your account anytime using https://aex.dev.azure.com/.
- Azure Boards and Azure Repos will be enabled.
"Azure Repos have unlimited private Git repository hosting that scales for any size project that supports any IDE, editor, or Git client. You can connect using SSH or HTTPS. Azure Repos includes pull requests, file management, and a wiki for documentation. Azure Boards is a work tracking system with Kanban boards, backlogs, team dashboards, and custom reporting. Azure Boards work items can be linked to code to track work. Azure Boards includes customizable scrum and agile dashboards so your team can track work across your software projects."

Server Environment / Manager

.NET - Verify and install/update the latest Long Term Support version of .NET. This is the version that can be used in the online, Microsoft tutorials. Follow the instructions for your operating system.