VSCODE Settings for Python

Learn how to configure Visual Studio Code for Python development and get a running example to get started.

Python Development Settings for Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code (VSCode) is a popular and powerful code editor for developing Python applications. It provides a great editing experience for both novice and experienced developers. In order to maximize the editor's potential, it is important to customize some of the settings. In this article, we will discuss some of the most important settings that should be configured in VSCode when developing Python applications.

The first setting that you should configure is the “Python Executable”. This setting will determine which version of Python will be used when running your code. You can select the version of Python that you want to use by selecting the appropriate executable in the “Python Executable” drop-down menu. In addition, you can also specify the path to the Python executable if it is not located in the default location.

The second setting that you should configure is the “Python Path”. This setting will determine which Python packages will be imported when running your code. You can specify the packages that you want to use by entering the package name in the “Python Path” input field. This setting is particularly useful if you are using packages that are not part of the standard Python library.

The third setting that you should configure is the “Python Environment”. This setting will determine which environment variables will be set when running your code. You can specify the environment variables that you want to use by entering the variable name in the “Python Environment” input field. This setting is particularly useful if you are using environment variables that are not part of the standard Python environment.

The fourth setting that you should configure is the “Intellisense” setting. This setting will determine which Intellisense features will be enabled when editing your code. You can enable or disable specific Intellisense features by selecting the appropriate checkbox in the “Intellisense” section. This setting is particularly useful if you want to use specific Intellisense features such as auto-completion or type hinting.

The fifth setting that you should configure is the “Debugging” setting. This setting will determine which debugger will be used when running your code. You can select the debugger that you want to use by selecting the appropriate executable in the “Debugging” drop-down menu. This setting is particularly useful if you are using a custom debugger or if you want to debug your code using a specific version of Python.

Finally, the sixth setting that you should configure is the “Formatting” setting. This setting will determine which code formatting rules will be applied when editing your code. You can specify the formatting rules that you want to use by entering the rule name in the “Formatting” input field. This setting is particularly useful if you want to use specific code formatting rules such as PEP-8 or Black.

// Example code

// Set the Python Executable
"python.pythonPath": "/usr/local/bin/python3"

// Set the Python Path
"python.pythonPath": "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/site-packages"

// Set the Python Environment
"python.env": {
    "PYTHONPATH": "/usr/local/lib/python3.7/site-packages"
}

// Enable Intellisense Features
"python.languageServer": "Microsoft"

// Select the Debugger
"python.debugger": "pydevd"

// Set the Formatting Rules
"python.formatting.provider": "black"

// Save all the changes
"editor.formatOnSave": true

By configuring the above settings, you can maximize the potential of VSCode when developing Python applications. For more information about configuring VSCode for Python development, you can refer to the official documentation.