Custom Font-Family Suggestions to VS Code’s IntelliSense

Namaste, coder dost! If you’re a web developer or designer using Visual Studio Code (VS Code), you know how IntelliSense is like your best buddy, suggesting code as you type. But what if you want it to suggest your custom fonts, like “Poppins” or “Roboto,” instead of boring ones like “Arial”? Arre, that’s what we’re here to fix!

In this blog post, we’ll dive deep into how to add custom font-family suggestions to VS Code’s IntelliSense. We’ll keep it simple, with an Indian accent vibe, and explain everything step-by-step. Whether you’re building a sleek portfolio or a masala-filled e-commerce site, this trick will save you time and make coding fun. Chalo, let’s start!

Before we get to the “how,” let’s talk about the “why.” Why should you bother adding custom font suggestions to IntelliSense? Here’s why it’s a game-changer:

• Saves Time: Typing font names like “Montserrat” every time is tedious. IntelliSense suggestions mean less typing and fewer mistakes.
• Consistency: Using the same fonts across your project keeps your design professional. No more accidentally typing “Arial” when you meant “Lato.”
• Better Workflow: When IntelliSense suggests your fonts, you can focus on coding instead of remembering font names.
• Team Collaboration: If you’re working with a team, custom suggestions ensure everyone uses the same fonts, avoiding confusion.

So, whether you’re a solo coder or part of a big team, custom font suggestions will make your life easier. Ab chalo, let’s see how to do it!

IntelliSense is VS Code’s smart code completion feature. When you type something like font-family: in a CSS file, it pops up with suggestions like “Helvetica,” “Georgia,” or “Courier New.” It’s like having a super-smart assistant who knows CSS inside out.

But here’s the problem: IntelliSense doesn’t know about the custom fonts you’re using, like “Open Sans” or “Inter,” unless you tell it. By default, it only suggests standard fonts. We’re going to change that by teaching IntelliSense about our favorite fonts.

This is the easiest way to add custom font-family suggestions. We’ll use VS Code’s settings.json file to tell IntelliSense about our fonts. Follow these steps:

1. Open Settings: In VS Code, go to File > Preferences > Settings (or press Ctrl + , on Windows/Linux, Cmd + , on Mac). In the top-right corner, click the curly brace {} icon to open settings.json.
2. Add Custom Fonts: Copy and paste this code into settings.json:

   {
     "css.customData": [
       {
         "version": 1.1,
         "properties": [],
         "atDirectives": [],
         "pseudoClasses": [],
         "pseudoElements": [],
         "values": [
           {
             "name": "font-family",
             "values": [
               "Poppins",
               "Roboto",
               "Montserrat",
               "Open Sans",
               "Lato",
               "Inter",
               "Raleway"
             ]
           }
         ]
       }
     ]
   }
                           

   This code tells IntelliSense to suggest fonts like “Poppins” and “Roboto” when you type font-family:. You can replace these with your project’s fonts.

3. Save and Test: Save the file (Ctrl + S or Cmd + S). Open a CSS file, type font-family:, and press Ctrl + Space. You should see your custom fonts in the suggestions!
4. Project-Specific Settings (Optional): To apply this only to a specific project, create a .vscode folder in your project root, add a settings.json file, and paste the same code. This keeps suggestions local to that project.

Why This Method Rocks: It’s built into VS Code, so no extra tools are needed. You can update fonts easily, and it works globally or per project. The only downside is you need to manually update the file if you add new fonts.

If you don’t want to edit JSON files, you can use a VS Code extension like IntelliSense for CSS class names in HTML. Here’s how:

1. Install the Extension: Go to the Extensions panel (Ctrl + Shift + X or Cmd + Shift + X), search for “IntelliSense for CSS class names in HTML” by Zignd, and click Install.
2. Define Fonts in CSS: Create a CSS file (e.g., fonts.css) and define your fonts:

   /* fonts.css */
   :root {
     --font-poppins: 'Poppins';
     --font-roboto: 'Roboto';
     --font-montserrat: 'Montserrat';
   }
                           

   Include this file in your project via a <link> tag or @import.

3. Test It: In a CSS file, type font-family:. The extension should suggest fonts from your fonts.css file. If it doesn’t, check the extension’s settings to ensure it’s scanning the right files.

Why This Is Nice: The extension automatically scans your CSS, so you don’t need to list fonts manually. It’s great for teams using shared CSS files. But it might not be as precise for fonts, and you’ll need to keep the extension updated.

Another cool way is to create custom code snippets for font-family suggestions. Snippets are shortcuts that expand into full code. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Create a Snippet: Go to File > Preferences > User Snippets, select css.json (or create a new global snippets file). Add this code:

   {
     "Custom Font Family": {
       "scope": "css,scss",
       "prefix": "font",
       "body": [
         "font-family: ${1|Poppins,Roboto,Montserrat,Open Sans,Lato|};"
       ],
       "description": "Custom font-family suggestions"
     }
   }
                           

   This creates a snippet that triggers when you type font, offering a dropdown of your fonts.

2. Save and Test: Save the file, open a CSS file, type font, and press Tab. Select a font from the dropdown, and it’ll insert the full font-family line.

Why Snippets Are Awesome: They’re customizable, work in CSS and SCSS, and don’t require extensions. But they’re not true IntelliSense suggestions, so you need to trigger them manually.

For advanced users, you can use a CSS language server like vscode-css-languageservice. This involves installing the server via npm, creating a custom data file for fonts, and configuring VS Code. It’s powerful but complex, so we recommend the settings.json method for most users. Check the official documentation for details.

• Suggestions Not Showing: Check settings.json for syntax errors. Ensure you’re in a CSS file and press Ctrl + Space.
• Fonts Not Appearing: Verify font names match exactly, including spaces and capitalization.
• Works in CSS but Not SCSS: Add "scss.customData" to settings.json with the same configuration.
• Extension Issues: Update the extension or switch to the settings.json method.

Phew, that was a lot, na? You’re now a pro at adding custom font-family suggestions to VS Code’s IntelliSense! Whether you use settings.json, an extension, snippets, or a language server, you can make IntelliSense suggest your fonts like magic. This trick saves time, keeps your projects consistent, and makes coding a breeze.

So, open VS Code, add your favorite fonts, and start coding with style. If you hit any roadblocks, drop a comment, and I’ll help you out. Until then, keep coding, keep designing, and keep sipping that chai! Happy coding, dost!