Install recommended VS Code extensions

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We recommend the following VS Code extensions for writing and reviewing documents:

  • Grammarly: Checks grammar, spelling, and punctuation in real-time as you write.
  • Vale: Customizable linter that checks for style and grammar issues in Markdown and other supported files.
  • Markdown Shortcuts: Provides shortcuts for formatting Markdown text.

Install extensions

  1. In the side pane, click the Extensions icon. Alternatively, you can use the shortcut Ctrl+Shift+X on Windows or Cmd+Shift+X on Mac.
  2. In the search line of the EXTENSIONS menu, enter the name of the extension you want to install.
  3. Find the extension in the search results list and click Install.

Some extensions, like Vale, need additional configuration. For Vale installation instructions, see the following sections.

Vale overview

Vale works by analyzing the text of a file and comparing it to a set of customizable rules, which are located in the vale/styles folder. Vale uses the rules to check for issues such as spelling, grammar, and stylistic errors.

The vale/styles/Vocab/Base folder holds the accept.txt and reject.txt files. These files contain custom words and phrases that must always be accepted or rejected, respectively, during the Vale review process.

When Vale identifies an issue, it highlights the relevant text and displays an inline message that describes the issue and suggests a solution. These messages can include links to external resources or documentation for more information. Additionally, Vale displays feedback in the VS Code PROBLEMS pane, which provides a list of all the issues found in the file. To navigate directly to the relevant line of code in the file and make corrections, you need to click an issue in the PROBLEMS pane.

For more information about Vale, see Vale’s official documentation.

Install Vale

To use Vale in VS Code, you need to install it on your computer. For installation instructions, see Installation in Vale’s official docs.

Configure Vale in VS Code

  1. In the Extensions menu, right-click Vale and select Extension Settings.
  2. On the User tab, for Vale > Vale CLI: Config, enter ${workspaceFolder}/.vale.ini.
  3. For Vale › Vale CLI: Min Alert Level, select inherited.
  4. For Vale › Vale CLI: Path, enter vale.
  5. Click the Workspace tab and repeat steps 2-4.
  6. To apply the settings, relaunch VS Code.

Now you can use Vale to lint and style-check Markdown files in the project.