Some Domino standard environments support launching Visual Studio Code (VSCode) in interactive Workspaces. VSCode is an open-source multi-language editor maintained by Microsoft. Domino can serve the VSCode application to your browser with the power of code-server from Coder.com.

Prerequisites

VSCode support is available in the latest versions of the Domino standard environments:

Domino Standard Environment

quay.io/domino/standard-environment:ubuntu18-py3.8-r4.1-domino5.1
quay.io/domino/standard-environment:ubuntu18-py3.8-r4.1-domino5.1-gpu
quay.io/domino/standard-environment:ubuntu18-py3.8-r4.1-domino5.1-fuse

Domino Spark Environment

quay.io/domino/spark-environment:ubuntu18-py3.8-r4.1-spark3.2.0-hadoop3.3.1-domino5.1

Domino Ray Environment

quay.io/domino/ray-environment:ubuntu18-py3.8-r4.1-ray1.9.2-domino5.1

Domino Dask Environment

quay.io/domino/dask-environment:ubuntu18-py3.8-r4.1-dask2022.1.0-domino5.1

You can also find older style environments with vscode support if you would like to use an older version of Python or R:

Domino Analytics Distribution for Python 2.7

quay.io/domino/base:Ubuntu18_DAD_Py2.7_R3.5-20190501

Domino Analytics Distribution for Python 3.7

quay.io/domino/base:Ubuntu18_DAD_Py3.7_R3.5-20190501

Launch a VSCode workspace

When using a VSCode-equipped Domino environment you can launch VSCode from the Workspaces Dashboard just as you would launch an RStudio or Jupyter workspace.

vscode workspace launch

If launched this way, your Workspace will open with the Domino controls around a VSCode editor. You can work with your project files in VSCode, and commit and sync with the Domino Workspace UI as normal.

Screen Shot 2019 05 16 at 9.49.29 AM

You can also configure JupyterLab to have VSCode as an available notebook option. All the environments listed above come with jupyter-server-proxy already installed, so you will only need to update your JupyterLab config to add a new notebook tile type. See Using Jupyter Server Proxy for more details about how to do this.

If launched this way, JupyterLab will open a new tab that will serve the VSCode application. This editor is running in the same Domino Run container as your JupyterLab application. However, the VSCode tab will not show the Domino Workspace controls. If you want to sync, commit, or stop your Workspace after working in VSCode, you must do so from the JupyterLab tab.

Install VSCode extensions

You can install VSCode extensions in the following ways:

Use the pre-run script.
Use VSCode’s Extensions Manager.

Use the pre-run script

Go to the environment.
Click Edit Environment.

In Pre Run Script, paste the following:

code-server --install-extension <extension-name> --extensions-dir ${HOME}/.local/share/code-server/extensions

Click Build.

Use VSCode’s Extensions Manager

Use the VSCode’s Extensions Manager to install extensions from the marketplace. You must build the extensions in your environment to make them available in every new VSCode workspace.

Screen Shot 2019 05 16 at 10.01.25 AM

Find the extension you want to install in the Visual Studio Marketplace. For example, install the scala-lang extension.
Microsoft obscures the download URL for the extension by default. Open your browser’s development tools, then click Download extension.
Get the download URL for the extension from the request details in your browser’s development tools. It ends with /vspackage. Copy this URL.
In Domino, create a new environment. As the base image, use one of the VSCode-equipped Domino Standard Environments, listed in the prerequisites.

Add the following instructions to your environment’s Dockerfile. Replace the folder names and example /vspackage URL with the extension URL you retrieved previously. These commands download the extension, extract the required files, and adds them to the appropriate folder.

USER root

RUN apt-get update
RUN apt-get install -y bsdtar
RUN mkdir -p /home/ubuntu/.local/share/code-server/extensions/ms-python.python-2019.3.6558
RUN cd /home/ubuntu/.local/share/code-server/extensions/ms-python.python-2019.3.6558
RUN curl -JL https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/_apis/public/gallery/publishers/ms-python/vsextensions/python/2019.3.6558/vspackage | bsdtar -xvf - extension

RUN cd /home/ubuntu/.local/share/code-server/extensions/ms-python.python-2019.3.6558/extension/ && mv * ../
RUN chown ubuntu:ubuntu /home/ubuntu/.local/share/code-server/

USER ubuntu

Click Build. After a successful build, you can use this new environment to launch VSCode Workspace sessions with the extensions already installed.

Install VSCode

You can add VSCode to an environment that does not include it. The base environment must be 2018-05-23 or newer.

Add the following to your compute environment docker file instructions:

USER root

# Install VSCode (we install an older version so the python extension works)
RUN curl -fOL https://github.com/cdr/code-server/releases/download/v3.10.2/code-server_3.10.2_amd64.deb && \
    dpkg -i code-server_3.10.2_amd64.deb

# Add a VSCode start script
RUN mkdir -p /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode && \
    chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode && \
    echo "#!/bin/bash" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "SETTINGS_DIR=\${DOMINO_WORKING_DIR}/.vscode" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "FILE=\${SETTINGS_DIR}/settings.json" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "# Add a user setting file if it doesn't exist. Add in DOMINO_WORKING_DIR so it persists across sessions" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "if [ ! -f \"\$FILE\" ]; then" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "sudo mkdir -p \"\${FILE%/*}\"" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "sudo chown -R ubuntu:ubuntu \${SETTINGS_DIR}" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "printf \"{" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "\t\\\"extensions.autoUpdate\\\": false," >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "\t\\\"extensions.autoCheckUpdates\\\": false," >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "\t\\\"python.pythonPath\\\": \\\"\$(which python)\\\"," >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "\t\\\"workbench.startupEditor\\\": \\\"none\\\"," >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "\t\\\"workbench.colorTheme\\\": \\\"Default Dark+\\\"" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "}\" > \${FILE}" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "fi" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    echo "code-server \${DOMINO_WORKING_DIR} --user-data-dir \${SETTINGS_DIR} --auth none --bind-addr 0.0.0.0:8888 --extensions-dir \${HOME}/.local/share/code-server/extensions --disable-telemetry" >> /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start && \
    chmod +x /opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start

USER ubuntu

Add the following to your compute environment’s Pluggable Workspace Tools:

vscode:
   title: "vscode"
   iconUrl: "https://raw.github.com/dominodatalab/workspace-configs/develop/workspace-logos/vscode.svg?sanitize=true"
   start: [ "/opt/domino/workspaces/vscode/start" ]
   httpProxy:
      port: 8888
      requireSubdomain: false

Use Visual Studio Code in Domino Workspaces

Prerequisites

Launch a VSCode workspace

Install VSCode extensions

Install VSCode