1) download VS code
Download the software from the official website and install it.
2) install the “Python Extension”
① click the “Extensions” icon on the left bar.
② input “python” in the search bar. The one we need is named “Python” and it’s created by Microsoft.
③ click the “install” button.
3) install the Python Interpreter
- macOS
Open a terminal on macOS and input the following code to install Python.
# macOS
brew install python3
- Windows
Download Python from the official website and install.
4) Start in a project folder
① click the “Open…” icon on the welcome page.
② create a new folder and click the “Open” button.
③ right-click in the left area and choose “New File…”
④ name the new file “helloworld.py”
5) set up a virtual environment
① open the “Command Palette” of VS Code by shortcut (⌘⇧ + P).
② create a new Terminal by shortcut (control + `) or input “Terminal: Create New Terminal” in the search bar.
③ in the Terminal, input the following code to create a virtual environment named “my_venv” (you can change the name as you please).
NOTICE: The code for macOS and Windows are different:
# macOS
python3 -m venv my_venv# Windows
py -3 -m venv my_venv
④ in the Terminal, input the following code to activate the virtual environment:
# macOS
source my_venv/bin/activate# Windows
.venv\scripts\activate
The virtual environment is activated when “(my_venv)” is at the beginning of the command line.
⑤ click the “Select Interpreter” button at the lower right corner and click the “my_venv” in the Command Palette.
6) coding
Input the following code in the main area of VS Code:
print("hello world!")
7) run the program
There are several ways to run the program:
① click the triangle in the top left corner.
② use the shortcut (⌘ + return).
③ select the code and right-click, then choose “Run Selection/Line in Python Terminal”.
Welcome to the world of Python!
