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Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/advanced-search-replace-vscode-regex-guide/

One of the most useful features in Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is its search and replace tool. It allows you to quickly find and update text in your files. For even more control, the search tool also supports Regular Expressions (RegEx) to search using patterns instead of plain words. This can help you make big changes faster and more accurately.

Let’s see how it works.

Enabling RegEx

To begin, open the “Search” view in VS Code by pressing Ctrl+Shift+F (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+F (macOS). Alternatively, you can access it via the left sidebar.

Within the “Search” view, you’ll see a search input field and a replace input field. To enable RegEx, click the .* icon (the “Use Regular Expression” button) to the right of the search input field. This icon will highlight, indicating that RegEx is now active.

Now you’re ready to start using RegEx. Let’s see some examples.

Uppercase to Lowercase

One common scenario is needing to change the case of characters.

Let’s say you have quite a number of JSON files where one of the property values is in uppercase letters, for example: “trip_flight_airline”: “SQ”. Since you have multiple files, changing them one by one wouldn’t be practical. This is where search and replace with RegEx comes in handy.

However, if the requirement changes and the value needs to be in lowercase, for example: “trip_flight_airline”: “sq”, you could do:

Search: ([A-Z]+)

This will match any sequence of uppercase letters from A to Z.

Replace: L$1

This will replace the entire matched string, and using the special pattern L, it will replace the matched string with its corresponding lowercase characters.

Lowercase to Uppercase

Similarly, if you need to change the case from lowercase to uppercase, you can do the following:

Search: ([a-z]+)

This will match any single lowercase letter from a to z.

Replace: U$1

This will replace the entire matched string and replace it with its corresponding uppercase characters.

Changing the character case can be useful in many scenarios, such as when you need to standardize the case of property names or values in your code.

Capturing Groups and Reordering Text

RegEx can become really powerful when you use capturing groups which allow you to grab parts of the matched text and then rearrange them however you like.

For example, let’s say you have dates written like this: 07-15-2025 (month-day-year), and you want to change them to this format: 2025/07/15 (year/month/day).

You can do this in VS Code’s search and replace using the following pattern:

Search: (d{2})-(d{2})-(d{4})

This will match any date in the format of two digits for the month, two digits for the day, and four digits for the year, separated by hyphens.

Replace: $3/$1/$2

This will rearrange the matched groups so that the year comes first, followed by the month and day, separated by slashes.

Transforming snake_case to camelCase

Converting from snake_case, like my_variable_name, to camelCase, like myVariableName, is a common task when cleaning up or refactoring code.

If your variable names start with a dollar sign ($), you can use RegEx in VS Code to do the search replace more efficiently.

Search: ($[^_s$-[]*?)_([a-z])

This will match any variable that starts with a dollar sign, followed by any characters except underscores, spaces, dollar signs, or square brackets, and then an underscore followed by a lowercase letter.

Replace: $1U$2

Here we combine the matched variable name with the second part of the match, which is the lowercase letter after the underscore, and convert it to uppercase using U.

This will effectively transform $my_variable into $myVariable. However, since VS Code doesn’t support variable-length lookbehind, it won’t match variables that have more than one underscore, like $my_variable_name. In such cases, you’ll need to run the search and replace multiple times to handle each underscore separately.

Wrapping up

In this article, we’ve explored how to use RegEx in Visual Studio Code’s search and replace feature to perform advanced text transformations, from changing character cases to reordering text and converting variable naming conventions.

Using RegEx in Visual Studio Code’s search and replace feature can significantly speed up your workflow, especially when dealing with large codebases or repetitive tasks.

By mastering RegEx, you can quickly make complex changes across multiple files without the need for manual edits.

The post Advanced Search Replace in Visual Studio Code with RegEx appeared first on Hongkiat.

Original Source: https://webdesignerdepot.com/the-designer-developer-handoff-is-still-broken-why/

Designers think the mockup is the product. Developers know the product lives in code. Until we kill the fantasy of the “handoff” and start building together from day one, we’re just shipping prettier silos with more emojis.

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/how-to-run-linux-on-macos/

If you’re a developer on a Mac, you might find yourself needing a real Linux environment. While macOS shares some similarities with Linux, it doesn’t always match the environments, the tools, or behavior of a true Linux system.

Running Linux on your Mac helps make your setup more like the servers where your apps or websites will eventually live, which means fewer surprises when you deploy your work.

In this article, we’ll explore three easy ways to bring Linux into your Mac workflow which can help you build, test, and experiment more efficiently right from your Mac.

Without further ado, let’s check it out.

1. Using Docker Container

Docker is a popular tool that brings containerization into your macOS. It allows you bundle your app and everything it needs like libraries and settings into something called a “container”. This container ensures your app runs the same way everywhere, whether it’s on your macOS or on a server.

Installation

To install Docker on your macOS, you’ll first need to make sure that system meets the basic requirements; you’ll need macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer, and at least 4 GB of RAM. Although I think it’ll be better to get 8 GB or more for the better performance.

Then, get the .dmg file from the Docker site. Be sure to choose the version that matches your Mac’s processor, Apple Silicon or Intel.

Once downloaded, open the .dmg file and follow the installation instruction.

After the installation is complete, you confirm everything is working by running the following command in Terminal:

docker –version

If you see a version number, you’re all set!

Running a Linux Container

Let’s say you want to use Docker to run a Linux environment (like Ubuntu), and you also want the container to have access to a folder from your macOS, maybe to run files or apps.

You can do this by mounting a directory using the -v flag. For example:

docker run -it -v ~/Projects:/workspace ubuntu:latest /bin/bash

This command will first download the latest Ubuntu image (if you don’t already have it) and then start an interactive command line inside the container.

At this point, you are effectively “inside” a Linux environment, ready to type Linux commands.

Instead of using the latest tag, it is generally recommended to use a specific version of the image, like ubuntu:20.04, to ensure consistency in your environment. You can replace latest with any specific version you need, for example:

docker run -it -v ~/Sites/hkdc/ubuntu:/workspace ubuntu:20.04 /bin/bash

We can check the version and can confirm that we are now running Ubuntu version 20.04.

Now, that we’ve run Linux using Docker, let’s see an alternative way.

2. Using OrbStack

OrbStack is a newer, faster alternative to Docker Desktop, made for macOS. Aside of a Docker container, OrbStack is also capable of running a lightweight virtual machine to run Linux.

Let’s see how this works.

Installation

First, we are going to install OrbStack.

The easiest and best way to install OrbStack on macOS is by using Homebrew Cask. You can open your Terminal app and type this command:

brew install –cask orbstack

Or, download the installer file from the website.

Running Linux VM

OrbStack support various Linux distros that you can run, including Ubuntu, Debian, OpenSuse, and even Arch.

To create these Linux virtual machines, you can open the OrbStack app, pick your favorite Linux version, and create a new machine using the visual interface.

Or, you can do it automatically using the command line:

orb create ubuntu local-ubuntu-vm

This will create the VM with the latest Ubuntu version, in this case, it’s Plucky Puffin. It’s a non-LTS version, so you might want to use a specific version like 24.04 (Noble) or 22.04 (Jammy) instead.

To install specific version, for example 24.04 (Noble), you can use the following command:

orb create ubuntu:noble local-ubuntu-vm

OrbStack Commands

One of the things, that I like from VM in OrbStack is that it comes with the commands built in and integrated with the SSH configuration in your macOS. This means you can easily SSH into your VM without needing to set up anything else.

To SSH-in to the VM that we’ve just created, local-ubuntu-vm, you can simply run the following command in your Terminal:

ssh local-ubuntu-vm@orb

One my favourite is that OrbStack automatically mount your macOS directory in /mnt/mac, and already configured with proper permission, something that can be often a hassle in Docker.

Now, you can run any Linux commands, install packages, or even run your apps inside the VM.

3. Using LimaVM

Lima, which stands for “LInux MAchine”, provides a simple way to run lightweight Linux VM directly on your macOS.

Let’s see how to install it and how it works.

Installation

The easiest and most common way to install Lima on macOS is using Homebrew. You can open your Terminal and type this command:

brew install lima

Then, you can run the following command to check if it’s installed correctly:

limactl –version
// Or, just
lima –version

Running up a Linux VM

Lima works with many different versions of Linux, letting you pick the environment that best fits what you need. To see a list of available options of the Linux distros you can run with Lima, you can use this command:

limactl start –list-templates

Lima supports various distros which includes Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and even Docker and Podman.

Let’s try starting an Ubuntu VM like in our previous examples, using the following command:

limactl start default

Once the VM installation is done, you can just run the following to SSH-in the VM:

lima
// Or
limactl shell default

Installing specific Ubuntu version

By default, Lima will create the VM with the latest LTS version of Ubuntu. If you want to install a specific version of Ubuntu, you can use the following command:

limactl start ubuntu-20.04 template://ubuntu-20.04

To SSH-in the ubuntu-20.04 VM, you can run:

limactl shell ubuntu-20.04

One thing that I like about Lima is that it automatically shares files between macOS and the Linux VM. This file sharing in Lima is also as fast as if it were in your macOS machine.

You can find your macOS home directory in /Users/<username> inside the VM.

Listing the home directory in Lima VM

Wrapping up

Choosing the best way to run Linux on your Mac depends on what you need, how comfortable you are using the command line, and how powerful your Mac is.

Docker, OrbStack, and Lima each offer different benefits: Docker is great for running apps in containers, Lima is better for full Linux virtual machines, and OrbStack does both in a fast and efficient way. Instead of asking which one is better overall, think about which one suits your needs best.

So to help you decide, we’ve included a table that compares all three tools side by side, making it easier to see their pros and cons at a glance.

Feature
Docker
OrbStack
Lima

Primary Use Case
Containerization
Lightweight Container/VM
Full Linux VM

OS Supports
Windows, macOS
macOS
Windows (untested), macOS, Linux

Filesystem
Docker Volumes
Shared Folders
Shared Folders

GUI
Yes
Yes
No (Only CLI)

Kubernetes Support
Yes
Yes (k3s)
Yes (with templates k3s, k8s)

Cost
Free with Paid for Commercial Use
Free with Paid for Commercial Use
Free

The post 3 Ways to Run Linux in macOS appeared first on Hongkiat.

Original Source: https://www.hongkiat.com/blog/designers-developers-monthly-09-2025/

We’re back with another round of fresh tools and resources for developers and designers.

This month’s collection features a handy mix of AI-powered tools, UI kits, some cool WordPress projects, and more. Whether you’re looking to boost productivity, streamline your workflow, or just try something new, there’s plenty here worth checking out.

Without further ado, let’s dive in!

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Check out our complete collection of hand-picked tools for designers and developers.

BaseCoatUI

BaseCoatUI is a Tailwind CSS UI library that brings shadcn/ui design to plain HTML, without React.js. It works with any stack, needs little JavaScript, supports dark mode, and offers simple, accessible, theme-compatible components.

<img decoding="async" src="https://assets.hongkiat.com/uploads/designers-developers-monthly-09-2025/basecoat.jpg" alt="BasecoatUI Tailwind CSS components” width=”1000″ height=”600″>

Motia

Motia.dev is a backend framework that unifies APIs, jobs, workflows, events, and AI agents. It supports multiple languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, and Python, requires no setup, and comes with built-in tools for debugging and monitoring.

Ghunt

GHunt is an Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) tool that collects publicly available data from Google accounts using a Gmail address, revealing linked services like YouTube, Maps, Drive, and more. It runs locally, exports results to JSON, and is widely used by investigators and security researchers.

Omarchy

Omarchy from DHH is an Arch-based Linux distro with the Hyprland window manager. It provides a preconfigured, polished system for developers with popular apps like Neovim, Spotify, and Chromium, full-disk encryption, and a productivity-focused UI.

Hypr.land

Hyprland is a lightweight, independent Wayland compositor and dynamic tiling window manager written in C++. It offers advanced customization, plugins, and visual effects like animations, blur, and gradient borders, while supporting features such as dynamic workspaces, instant config reloads, and global keybinds.

LlamaFS

LlamaFS is an open-source AI file manager that uses Llama 3 to automatically analyze, rename, and organize files by content. It’s a very helpful tool for managing your messy folders.

Micro

Micro is a lightweight, user-friendly terminal text editor designed as a modern successor to nano. It’s a single binary with no dependencies, offering syntax highlighting for 130+ languages, multiple cursors, mouse support, splits, tabs, clipboard integration, and Lua plugins. A great choice for devs looking for a simple yet powerful terminal editor.

OpenGist

Opengist is a self-hosted, Git-powered pastebin that works like GitHub Gist. It supports versioned code snippets, public or private sharing, syntax highlighting, markdown, search, and OAuth2 login. A great application if you’re looking for collaborative snippet management that you can host yourself.

Obs.js

Obs.js is a JavaScript library that improves web performance by detecting a user’s device, network, and battery status through browser APIs, then adapting the site or app to optimize speed and resource usage. If you’re building a web app that needs to run well on a variety of devices and conditions, Obs.js can help you deliver a better user experience.

Alpine Registry

The Alpine Registry is an MCP-compatible example registry for distributing code with the shadcn/ui components. It works with the shadcn CLI to help automate setting up and managing React component libraries or design systems. A great tool if you’re using shadcn/ui and want to streamline your component workflow.

PortKill

Port Kill is a lightweight macOS status bar app that helps developers monitor and manage processes running on specific ports. It scans ports every 5 seconds, shows active processes, and allows you to kill them individually or all at once with a click. A very handy tool for freeing up ports quickly during development.

EmailEngine

EmailEngine is a headless email client with a unified REST API for IMAP, SMTP, Gmail, and Microsoft Graph. It allows you to sync, send, and monitor emails, integrate accounts, and get real-time notifications via webhooks, without dealing with IMAP or MIME details.

Dockur Windows

Dockur Windows allows you to spin up full Windows desktops and servers, from XP all the way to 11, with Docker containers. Instead of messing with heavy VM software, it leans on Docker with KVM acceleration. This provides a simpler and lighter way to test or play with Windows environments.

Motion Primitives

Motion Primitives is an open-source UI kit packed with ready-to-use motion components for React, Next.js, and Tailwind CSS. It makes adding smooth, polished animations to your app a breeze. A great resource if you want to enhance your UI with motion without building everything from scratch.

Cohere Toolkit

Cohere Toolkit is an open-source kit of pre-built components that makes spinning up RAG apps significantly faster. With this toolkit, you can reduce development time from months to weeks, or even minutes, getting from idea to deployment quickly.

WP Docs MD

WP Docs MD, built by Kaspars Dambis, turns WordPress docs into Markdown, pulled straight from the REST API with custom PHP scripts. Handy for offline use, AI prompting, or if you just prefer working in plain text.

Telex

Telex is a new experimental AI tool from Automattic that allows you to “vibe code” Gutenberg blocks for WordPress. Just type what you want – like a block with text, images, or columns – and Telex will generate a ready-to-install zip file that you can drop into your site or test in WordPress Playground. First demoed at WordCamp US 2025 by Matt Mullenweg, it’s still early days, but it could make block development way more accessible.

WordPress RSL

Really Simple Licensing (RSL) is a WordPress plugin that makes your site’s licensing terms machine-readable. It adds clear signals so AI tools, crawlers, and other automated systems actually know how your content can be used. A handy way to keep licensing of your content simple.

VHS

VHS is a CLI tool for turning your terminal sessions into slick GIFs or videos. You write a “tape” file that describes your commands and keystrokes, and VHS renders it into shareable demos (GIF, MP4, etc.). Perfect for showing off your CLI tools without messy screen recordings.

Devenv.sh

Devenv.sh makes spinning up dev environments painless. You define configurations with Nix in simple config files. Just run devenv shell and you’ll get packages, services, git hooks, tests, scripts, and containers – all wired up automatically. It’s a great way to standardize and automate your development setups.

The post Fresh Resources for Web Designers and Developers (September 2025) appeared first on Hongkiat.