You'll be using the Learn IDE to complete the coding labs in your courses. You'll be spending a lot of time with the IDE so let's take a few minutes to see how it works.
First, we need to get set up with the Learn IDE. Follow the instructions below:
- Click here to create a Learn account (or log in) and Download the Learn IDE
- Install the Learn IDE on your computer and then start it up
- Log in to the Learn IDE with your Learn account
If you have any trouble getting the Learn IDE installed, just use the Ask a Question button on this page and someone will jump in to help you ASAP.
The Learn IDE is built on top of Atom, the text editor by the amazing people at GitHub. The Learn IDE uses the same open-source technologies that thousands of professional developers use everyday, so when you're using the Learn IDE, you're using the same real tools that developers use. Because it's built on top of Atom, it's also compatible with the entire Atom plugin infrastructure giving you access to all kinds of useful extensions and tools you can add on as you see fit.
When you open the Learn IDE, you'll see 3 main components: the file browser, the text editor and the terminal. Let's talk about each of those.
Down the left side of the IDE, you'll find a file browser which lists the files and folders in your “code” workspace. Contained in your “code” workspace is a “labs” folder — this is the folder into which all of the code labs and projects you'll be working on will appear. You'll see new folders automatically copied here for you as you start working through lessons on Learn very soon. Clicking on a file in the file browser will load the contents of that file into the text editor window.
The text editor window is the central part of the IDE. This is where you'll actually be writing code. You'll write code here either by editing existing files in the project folders that are copied into the IDE or by creating new files when necessary. You can work on multiple files at once in the text editor, they'll appear as tabs across the top of your screen. Remember to save your work often—especially just before trying to run a program, so that the interpreter is always running the latest version of your code.
The Learn IDE's terminal—your command line and shell—can be found below the text editor. If you were using a local terminal on your computer, you'd need to spend a bunch of time installing several different tools and packages to allow you to start compiling and running code; it can be a cumbersome and complex process. But because we want you to start coding as quickly as possible in the Learn IDE, we've pre-configured the terminal here with a complete development environment that has everything you need to get started. The magic that makes this possible is the fact that the Learn IDE's terminal is connected over the Internet to a remote server we've set up with a complete development environment for you. This will allow you to adopt the workflow of a professional software developer right out of the gates on Learn, with no fuss.
Didn't follow the instructions the first time above? No problem. Here they are again for you below.
- Click here to create a Learn account (or log in) and Download the Learn IDE
- Install the Learn IDE on your computer and then start it up
- Log in to the Learn IDE with your Learn account
Next up, we'll walk you through the process of how to use the Learn IDE to solve code labs on Learn. The real fun is about to begin!
View The Learn IDE on Learn.co and start learning to code for free.
React
Typescript
Django
Laravel
Facebook
Microsoft
Google
Alibaba
D3
Tencent