Pair Programming Across Time and Space
Tech Tip Tuesday Series
This post is part of a weekly series to share one technology-related tip in two minutes or less. Read the previous post here.
SUBJECT
Frictionless Remote Pair Programming
WHAT
There are many benefits to pair programming — higher code quality, increased focus, and faster on-boarding to name a few. Traditionally, though, you had to pair program in person to fully reap these benefits. Video calls or remote screen sharing sessions were unable to re-create the magic of coding side-by-side.
Thankfully this is no longer the case! By installing a simple extension pack for your VS Code editor or Visual Studio IDE, you can enjoy a remote pairing experience that is every bit as good as in-person pairing.
You can brainstorm, write code, run tests, debug, and deploy to production together in real-time. Even better, you can do this instantly as teammates will not need to clone the repo or set up their environment.
With the click of a button, you will create a “live sharing” session that enables you and your teammates to co-edit code “Google Docs” style, in addition to sharing a terminal, localhost server, and live audio call.
HOW
There are extension packs available for both the lightweight VS Code text editor, and the traditional Visual Studio IDE.
VS Code Instructions
Follow the instructions below to set up remote pairing in VS Code.
- Download and install the Live Share extension pack on this page.
- Open a project (can be any language/framework) in VS Code.
- Click “Live Share” in the lower left corner of the window.
- Follow the prompts to sign in with your GitHub or Microsoft account.
- A share-link is now copied to your computer’s clipboard. Message this link to anyone that you want to join the remote pairing session.
- At any point in the pairing session, you can click on your name in the lower left corner to open the live share menu. This will allow you to share a terminal, share a localhost server, or start an audio call.
Visual Studio 2017 Instructions
Detailed setup instructions and a download link for the Live Share extension can be found here.
CONCLUSION
The Live Share extension is simple enough to provide beginners with a great first experience of pair programming, while being robust enough that experienced pair programmers can use it to take their remote pairing sessions to the next level.
Through its simple and frictionless design, the Live Share extension is able to obliterate barriers to collaboration for developers. It not only re-creates the in-person pair programming experience, it even exceeds it in some aspects.
The ability to share project files, terminals, servers, and audio; while retaining your own personalized development environment (shortcuts, themes, extensions, etc…) is unlike any pair programming experience I’ve had before. The best way that I can describe it, is that it is like pair programming with a ghost. It empowers your partner to transcend time and space, as if they’re actually working next to you.
To learn more about all of the remote-pairing features that Live Share has to offer, you can check out this article.
