Just install it, tell VSCode to run it, and you're good to go. I like the black formatter for Python because it has sane defaults, which means you don't have to configure it at all. Formatting with Black in Visual Studio Code Here's a link to the ruff repository and the extension repository in case you want to read up on it further. The easiest way to get it to work in Visual Studio Code is to install the Ruff extension. There are many linters in the Python ecosystem, but lately I've been favouring Ruff. Linting, formatting, and sorting imports with VSCode Linting with Ruff in Visual Studio CodeĪ linter is a tool that checks your code for common issues, and warns you if it finds any. Our article, 'Working with virtual environments: the complete guide', will help you learn how to use virtual environments if you aren't familiar with them yet. You can change which version of Python the extension uses by clicking on the bottom right, where in the screenshot it says 'Python 3.10.0'.Īfter you create a virtual environment, which you should always do for each Python project you work on, you can choose it as the Python interpreter by clicking on the 'Python 3.10.0' button. The Python extension gives you syntax highlighting and also helps you code by offering suggestions and hints. Once that's installed, you can open any folder using Visual Studio Code and create a file that ends in. There, look for the Python extension and install it: Open Visual Studio Code and navigate to the Extensions panel on the left hand side.

And on Windows, make sure to tick the 'Add Python to PATH' in the first screen of the official installer.ĭownload Visual Studio Code and install it like you would any other application.

When you install Python (which I recommend you do via the official installer), remember in which folder you installed it. I'll also show you a few extensions that can make your life much easier while working with Python! Initial setup In this post we'll look at how to develop in Python using Visual Studio Code.

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