Formatting and linting

Formatting rewrites code layout. Linting reports problems and may offer fixes. Each depends on your language tooling and project configuration.

Format a file or selection

1. Open the source file and confirm its detected language.
2. Install or enable the relevant language integration.
3. Run Format Document from the command palette (Shift+Alt+F in the default keymap).
4. For a smaller change, select code and run Format Selection.
5. Review the result and save the file.

A formatter may support whole documents without supporting selected ranges.

Format and lint on save

Enable Format on Save and Lint on Save in Settings. Choose the formatter your project expects when a choice is available. Keep the project's formatter configuration in version control so teammates and CI use the same rules.

If Auto Save is enabled, consider how often save-time tooling will run before turning on both.

Troubleshoot formatting

• Confirm the integration supplies a formatter for this language.
• Check the required executable or runtime is installed.
• Inspect project configuration for syntax errors or excluded paths.
• Try Format Document manually and read any error before relying on save-time formatting.
• Restart the language server if the tool's environment changed.

Use Diagnostics to inspect lint errors and quick fixes, and Diff Viewer to review formatting changes before committing.