How to Use Replit and try out different languages
Replit is a popular free online IDE that you can use to create your projects with very little setup. This editor supports over almost all languages.
How to create a free Replit account
To get started, you will first need to go to the Replit homepage. In the top right hand corner, click on Sign Up.
You can create an account with your own username, email, and password. Or you can create an account using your Google, Facebook, or GitHub account.
Once you are logged in, then it should take you to your account homepage.
What is a Repl and how do you create one?
Repl stands for read-eval-print loop and it is an interactive programming environment for developers to create small projects.
In Replit, there are three places where you can create a new repl.
One way is to click on the Create Repl button located at the top left hand corner of the homepage.
You can also create a repl by clicking on the + icon under the Create section.
The last option is the click on the + icon located at the upper right hand corner.
Then you can choose from one of Replit’s many templates including Python, Node, Java, dart, typescript, and more.
Once you choose your language, pick a name for your project.
For the free version of Replit, you are not allowed to create private projects. If you want a private repl, then you will need to upgrade to the paid subscription.
Once you are done naming your repl, click on the blue Create Repl button.
Then you should be taken to the editor.
Basic features of the Replit editor
In this section, I will go over some of the basic features you can use in the Replit editor. These features include a debugger, files and folders, version control, unit tests, and more.
Replit Files and Folders
In the upper left hand corner, you can click on the file icon to add files and folders to your project.
To add a file, click on the Add file icon.
To add a folder, click on the Add folder icon.
If you want to upload files or folders from your computer, click on the three vertical dots icon.
If you need to delete files or folders, then click on the three dots icon located next to the file you want to delete. Then from there, choose the delete option.
You can also right click on the file and you should see the list of options.
Version control in Replit
You also have the ability to connect to your GitHub account and create a repository for this project. At the time of this writing, this feature is currently in beta.
First click on the version control icon on the left hand side of the editor page.
You will be prompted to grant Replit permission to create new repositories on GitHub.
Now all of our changes will be tracked and we can push those changes to GitHub. Write a short commit message and click on the Commit & push button.
You should see all of your commit messages in the version control panel.
How to install packages in Replit
You can also install different packages into your projects like http, image picker and more using the Packages(depends on sdk ) panel on the left hand side of the editor page.
Search for the package that you want to use and click on the + icon to install it into your project.
Inside the console, which is located on the right hand side of the screen, you should see the package being installed.
Secrets (Environment variables) in Replit
you will have to use the Secrets tab to store your environment variables. You can find this Secrets icon on the left hand side of the editor page.
If you need to edit that variable, hover your mouse over the variable name and click on the pencil icon.
Now you should be able to use that environment variable inside your code.
How to customize Replit settings
If you need to customize the editor settings for your project, click on the settings icon on the left hand side of the editor page.
Replit Database
If you want to use Replit’s key-value storage, then click on the Database icon on the left hand side of the editor page.
To learn more about how to use the Replit Database, please visit the documentation.
How to add unit tests in Replit
If you need to add Unit tests to your project, click on the Unit tests icon on the left hand side of the editor page.
