Python in VS Code on MacOS

Posted: 2024-06-18
Tags: Python, MacOS, Jupyter, VS Code

Xcode is not a good IDE for Python. It can be done¹, but VS Code is a better plan.

Actionable Takeaways

Python is installed along with the Xcode command line tools: xcode-select --install
Download VS Code from Microsoft’s site.
Download the Jupyter extension in the VS Code Extension Marketplace.
Create a virtual environment to work in (on the command line): python3 -m venv env_name
- This will create a directory named env_name in the current directory.
Activate the virtual environment: source ./env_name/bin/activate
- You should see the command line prompt change to indicate your current environment.
If not already installed, install Jupyter: python -m pip install ipykernel jupyter
- This takes about 250MB of space.
Open the directory in VS Code and create a new Jupyter notebook.
Click Select Kernel on the right side of the window.
- Select Python Environments
- You should see env_name listed. Select it.

Use deactivate to get out of the virtual environment.

It is a good idea to be able to containerize a project’s Python modules for easy disposal.

Apple uses Miniconda in their developer documentation², but I dislike installing extra software when venv does everything I need.