Professional developers building on Power Pages often rely on the productivity and performance of Power Pages Visual Studio Code for the Web. When they need advanced capabilities such as using GitHub Copilot, editing configuration file, writing unit/integration tests, or using extensions for richer development workflows, they switch to VS Code Desktop.
Previously, moving from the Power Pages VS Code for the Web editor to the desktop version involved several manual steps:
- Launching VS Code Desktop and signing into the correct environment
- Manually downloading the site source using Power Platform CLI or the Actions view
- Navigating to the appropriate folders and opening the project
These manual steps disrupted developer flow, slowed down iteration, and added friction, especially when collaborating in fast-paced fusion teams.
What’s new
With the latest Power Pages update, developers can now:
Open VS Code Desktop directly from VS Code for the Web, which automatically downloads your site’s source code and sets up a ready-to-code workspace.
This creates a zero-friction, one-click experience that gets developers coding in seconds with full local context, all without leaving the Power Pages design environment.
If you don’t have VS Code Desktop installed on your system, the feature will prompt you to install Visual Studio Code Desktop along with the Power Platform Tools extension. These components are required for the seamless transition and auto-download for source code to work. Once installed, you’ll be able to take full advantage of this one-click experience.
Why VS Code Desktop?
Switching to VS Code Desktop unlocks advanced capabilities such as:
- GitHub Copilot for AI-assisted coding
- Configuration file editing for fine-grained control
- Develop with Live Preview for real-time feedback
- Write and run unit/integration tests for robust application quality
- Access to a wide range of extensions for debugging, linting, and productivity
For detailed guidance on how Power Pages integrates with VS Code Desktop, including setup steps and best practices, check out the official documentation here.
We are looking forward to your feedback
This update is part of a broader effort to make Power Pages a first-class platform for both makers and professional developers, with seamless transitions between no-code, low-code, and pro-code experiences.
Whether you’re creating external customer portals, partner ecosystems, or secure data-driven applications, Power Pages now fits seamlessly into your workflow, from lightweight, zero-footprint browser tools to powerful desktop tools in your development environments.
Explore these new capabilities and share your thoughts and experiences. Your feedback is crucial in shaping the future of Power Pages.
