How to Activate and Use Visual Studio Code with Virtualenv

If you're working on multiple projects that require different versions of Python or have conflicting dependencies, using a virtual environment is essential. In this article, we'll show you how to use Visual Studio Code (VSCode) with virtualenv, without having to change the `pythonPath` in VSCode settings.

Creating a Virtual Environment

To start, let's create a new folder where we will keep all our virtual environments. Open your terminal and navigate to the directory where you want to create your virtual environment. Then, use the following command to install virtualenv:

```

pip install virtualenv

```

Verify that virtualenv was installed correctly by typing:

```

virtualenv -version

```

Next, let's create a new virtual environment using virtualenv:

```

virtualenv venv

```

This will create a new directory called `venv` containing our virtual environment.

Activating the Virtual Environment

To activate the virtual environment, navigate to the `venv/bin/activate` directory in your terminal:

```

source venv/bin/activate

```

You should now see the name of the virtual environment printed in your terminal. This indicates that you are now working within the virtual environment.

Configuring VSCode to Use the Virtual Environment

Now that we have our virtual environment set up, let's configure VSCode to use it. Open VSCode and create a new folder for your project. Then, open the Command Palette by pressing `Ctrl + Shift + P` (Windows/Linux) or `Cmd + Shift + P` (macOS). Type 'Python: Select Interpreter' in the search bar and select the virtual environment you created earlier.

That's it! You should now be able to use VSCode with your new virtual environment. Any Python dependencies you install using pip will be isolated within this virtual environment, and you won't have to worry about conflicts with other projects or system-wide installations.

In this article, we've shown you how to create a virtual environment using virtualenv and configure VSCode to use it without changing the `pythonPath` in VSCode settings. This allows you to work on multiple projects that require different versions of Python or have conflicting dependencies, all within the comfort of your favorite code editor.

Visual studio code virtualenv