How to Configure VS Code for Python Development

Short answer

Configuring VS Code for Python requires installing the official Python extension, selecting the correct interpreter, and optionally setting up a linter and formatter.

Steps

1. Install the "Python" extension by Microsoft from the Extensions view.
2. Open a .py file and click the interpreter version in the bottom-left status bar.
3. Select the desired Python environment from the list.
4. Install a linter like pylint or flake8 and a formatter like black.
5. Configure launch.json under the Run and Debug view to set up debugging.

Tips

• Use virtual environments to isolate project dependencies.
• Enable "Format On Save" in settings for automatic code formatting.
• The Python extension supports Jupyter notebooks natively.

Common issues

• "Python is not installed" errors usually mean the interpreter path is wrong.
• Debugging may fail if the selected interpreter lacks the debugpy package.