VS Code Formatting Video Tutorials

Introduction

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when it comes to code formatting, an animated GIF might be worth a thousand lines of code. In this visual guide, we'll show you the dramatic impact that proper code formatting can have on real-world codebases.

We've collected examples from various programming languages and formatting tools to demonstrate the transformation from messy, inconsistent code to clean, readable, and maintainable code. Each example includes:

• The before state (unformatted code)
• The formatting process in action
• The after state (properly formatted code)
• The specific formatter and settings used

JavaScript Formatting

JavaScript's flexible syntax can lead to wildly different coding styles. Here's how Prettier transforms messy JavaScript code:

JavaScript Before & After (Prettier)

Notice how Prettier:

• Applies consistent indentation (2 spaces)
• Adds semicolons where needed
• Formats object literals consistently
• Wraps long lines at appropriate points
• Standardizes quote usage (double quotes)

{
  "semi": true,
  "singleQuote": false,
  "tabWidth": 2,
  "trailingComma": "es5",
  "printWidth": 80
}

CSS Formatting

CSS can quickly become unwieldy without proper formatting. Here's how Stylelint transforms messy CSS:

CSS Before & After (Stylelint)

Stylelint makes these improvements:

• Organizes properties in a logical order
• Standardizes indentation
• Adds spaces after colons
• Ensures consistent use of units
• Removes unnecessary vendor prefixes

HTML Formatting

HTML formatting improves both readability and maintainability. Here's how Prettier transforms HTML:

HTML Before & After (Prettier)

The HTML formatter:

• Properly nests and indents elements
• Formats attributes consistently
• Ensures proper closing of tags
• Standardizes self-closing tags
• Preserves meaningful whitespace

Python Formatting

Python's readability benefits greatly from consistent formatting. Here's how Black transforms Python code:

Python Before & After (Black)

Black makes these improvements:

• Standardizes indentation (4 spaces)
• Normalizes string quotes
• Adds proper spacing around operators
• Formats multi-line function calls consistently
• Ensures PEP 8 compliance

Java Formatting

Java's verbose syntax benefits from careful formatting. Here's how Google Java Format transforms Java code:

Java Before & After (Google Java Format)

Google Java Format makes these improvements:

• Standardizes brace placement (Google style)
• Applies consistent indentation (2 spaces)
• Formats method chains properly
• Aligns parameters in method declarations
• Ensures consistent line wrapping for long statements

React/JSX Formatting

JSX in React components requires special formatting considerations. Here's how Prettier handles JSX:

React/JSX Before & After (Prettier)

For React components, Prettier:

• Properly indents nested JSX elements
• Formats props consistently (one per line when many)
• Handles self-closing tags appropriately
• Maintains consistent spacing in expressions
• Wraps long JSX lines intelligently

JSON Formatting

Even data formats like JSON benefit from proper formatting. Here's how Prettier transforms JSON:

JSON Before & After (Prettier)

For JSON files, formatting:

• Applies consistent indentation
• Ensures proper comma placement
• Standardizes quote usage (double quotes only)
• Organizes nested objects clearly
• Makes large data structures readable

Recommended Formatting Tools

Based on the examples above, here are our recommended formatting tools for different languages:

Conclusion

As these visual examples demonstrate, code formatting tools can dramatically improve the readability and maintainability of your code. The transformation from messy, inconsistent code to clean, well-structured code is not just visually satisfying—it has real benefits for development teams:

• Reduced cognitive load when reading code
• Fewer merge conflicts and easier code reviews
• More consistent codebase across team members
• Easier onboarding for new developers
• Fewer bugs caused by formatting inconsistencies

We recommend integrating these formatting tools into your development workflow through:

• Editor plugins for real-time formatting
• Pre-commit hooks to ensure all committed code is formatted
• CI/CD pipelines to verify formatting in pull requests

By making code formatting automatic and consistent, you can focus on what really matters: writing great code that solves real problems.