VS Code development environment

Download Visual Studio Code from the official website: www.code.visualstudio.com/download

The User Installer installs VS Code for your Windows account without administrator permissions. The System Installer installs it for all users on the computer and requires administrator permissions.

After downloading, open the .exe file to install Visual Studio Code. For the User Installer, opening the file normally is sufficient; administrator permissions are not required.

Continue the installation by clicking ‚Next >‘.

Select a directory for the installation. To avoid compatibility problems, keeping the suggested path is recommended. Continue the installation by clicking ‚Next >‘.

Set a path for creating the shortcut. Keeping the suggested path is recommended. Carry on with the installation by clicking ‚Next >‘.

Enable the ‚Create a desktop icon‘ option and add Visual Studio Code to the PATH (this change takes effect after the system has been restarted).

Start the installation by clicking ‚Install‘.

Create a new file by right-clicking inside a project and selecting ‚New File…‘. The file extension determines the type of script that is created (for example test.py for a Python file named ‚test‘).

Drücken Sie STRG + SHIFT + P to open the command palette, then type ‚Python: Select Interpreter‘ into the search bar.

Click ‚Enter Interpreter Path…‘ to select a specific Python interpreter manually.

Click ‚Find…‘ and navigate to the location of the environment you created, as described in the instructions:

C:\Users\<your User>\pythonEnv\ingInfo_rev0\Scripts\python.exe

Confirm the selection with ‚Select Interpreter‘.

Select the Python interpreter you want to run your code with.

Download the supplied profile file and save it on your computer, for example in Downloads. The file is named vm_profile.code-profile; the profile stored inside it is named VMProfile.

Open VS Code. Click the Manage gear at the bottom left of the Activity Bar, then select Profiles from the menu.

The Profiles editor lists existing profiles on the left. Click the small arrow to the right of New Profile. The wide part of the button creates an empty new profile; use the arrow menu for the supplied file.

Select Import Profile… from the dropdown menu. This starts the import of an existing profile file.

In the Import from Profile Template… dialog, click Select File…. Leave the URL field empty because you have already downloaded the file.

In the file dialog, navigate to your download folder. Select vm_profile.code-profile and confirm with Open. The screenshot uses a separate demo download folder; the folder path on your computer may differ.

VS Code displays a preview of the imported profile. Check the name VMProfile and the listed Contents. The course profile includes Python and Jupyter, as well as additional extensions for LaTeX, PDF, Git and AI assistance. Keep the selections from the supplied profile file for the course, then click Create.

On the first import, VS Code may ask whether you trust the publishers of the included extensions. Review the listed publishers. If you want to install these extensions from the supplied course file and trust their publishers, confirm with Trust Publishers & Install. Otherwise, select Cancel and discuss the selection with your instructor.

After creation, VMProfile appears in the profile list. Select it and click the checkmark labelled Use this Profile for Current Window. Creating a profile alone does not activate it in the current window.

VMProfile should now be marked Active. Next, check the Extensions view to confirm that Python and Jupyter are available. Open your Python file and use Python: Select Interpreter to check the virtual environment you created earlier, as shown in steps 9–12.