1.3.2 VS Code Configuration

VS Code project workflow diagram

What this section is about

In this section, we’ll configure VS Code into a development tool that works well for Python and AI learning. You’ll finish editor installation, extension setup, the built-in terminal, and common shortcut settings, so your later coding practice has a stable and convenient workspace.

Learning objectives

Install VS Code and choose the interface language you prefer
Install essential extensions for Python development
Learn to use the built-in terminal in VS Code
Master 10 of the most commonly used shortcuts
Understand AI-assisted programming tools

Why choose VS Code?

Editor	Pros	Cons
VS Code	Free, lightweight, rich extensions, great AI support	For large projects, it may be less intelligent than PyCharm
PyCharm	Strongest Python support, convenient refactoring	Community Edition is free but limited; Professional Edition costs money
Vim/NeoVim	Extremely fast, geeky	Steep learning curve

VS Code is currently the most widely used code editor in the world, and it has excellent support for Python and AI development. For beginners, it is the best choice.

Install VS Code

macOS

# Install with Homebrew (recommended)
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

# Or download from the official website: https://code.visualstudio.com

After installation, configure command-line launch:

Open VS Code
Press Cmd + Shift + P and type "shell command"
Select Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH

After that, you can use the code command in the terminal to open files and folders:

code .                  # Open the current folder with VS Code
code ~/projects         # Open a specific folder
code hello.py           # Open a specific file

Windows

# Install with winget
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudioCode

# Or download from the official website: https://code.visualstudio.com

During installation, check "Add to PATH" so you can use the code command in the terminal.

Ubuntu

# Method 1: use snap (recommended)
sudo snap install code --classic

# Method 2: use apt
sudo apt install software-properties-common apt-transport-https wget
wget -q https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/vscode stable main"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install code

Interface Language (Optional)

Open VS Code
Press Ctrl + Shift + X (Cmd + Shift + X on macOS) to open the Extensions panel
Search for the language pack you prefer, such as English Language Pack, Chinese (Simplified), or Japanese Language Pack
Click Install
Restart VS Code, and the interface will switch to that language

Install essential extensions

Open the Extensions panel (the square icon on the left sidebar, or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X), then search for and install the following extensions:

Must-have extensions

Extension	Purpose	Search keyword
Python	Python syntax support, debugging, running	`ms-python.python`
Pylance	Python intelligent suggestions, type checking	`ms-python.vscode-pylance`
Jupyter	Run notebooks in VS Code	`ms-toolsai.jupyter`
GitLens	Enhanced Git features, see who changed which line	`eamodio.gitlens`
Black Formatter	Format Python code consistently	`ms-python.black-formatter`

Recommended extensions

Extension	Purpose
autoDocstring	Automatically generate Python function docstrings
Ruff	Fast linting and import cleanup for Python
indent-rainbow	Use colors to distinguish indentation levels
Error Lens	Show error messages directly at the end of code lines
Material Icon Theme	More attractive file icons

Configure the Python interpreter

After installing the Python extension, you need to tell VS Code which Python environment to use:

Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P to open the Command Palette
Type Python: Select Interpreter
Select the conda environment you created earlier (for example, ai-course)

You should see a list of options like this:

Python 3.11.7 ('ai-course')    ~/miniconda3/envs/ai-course/bin/python
Python 3.12.1 ('base')         ~/miniconda3/bin/python

Choose the ai-course one.

Automatic detection

The Python extension in VS Code will automatically detect all Python environments on your system, including conda and venv environments. If you can’t see the environment you want, try activating that environment in the terminal first with conda activate, then open VS Code by typing code . in the terminal.

Use the built-in terminal

VS Code comes with a built-in terminal, so you don’t need to open a separate terminal window.

Open the terminal

Shortcut: Ctrl + ` (the key in the upper-left corner of the keyboard, below ESC)

Or from the menu: Terminal → New Terminal

Example: complete the full development workflow in VS Code

# 1. Activate the environment in the terminal
conda activate ai-course

# 2. Create a project folder
mkdir my-first-project
cd my-first-project

# 3. Open this folder with VS Code (it will open in a new window)
code .

Then in VS Code:

In the file explorer on the left, click the New File icon and create hello.py
Write the code:

name = input("What is your name?")
print(f"Hello, {name}! Welcome to the AI world 🤖")

Click the ▶ Run button in the upper-right corner (or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P → "Run Python File")
Check the output in the terminal

Terminal tips

Multiple terminals: click the + button in the top-right of the terminal panel to open more terminals
Split view: you can split the editor and terminal side by side, so you can write code while watching the terminal
Terminal type: you can choose different shells such as bash, zsh, and PowerShell

Most commonly used shortcuts

You don’t need to memorize everything. First remember the top 5, and look up the rest when you need them.

Basic operations

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Command Palette (most important!)	`Ctrl + Shift + P`	`Cmd + Shift + P`
Quick Open File	`Ctrl + P`	`Cmd + P`
Open/Close Terminal	Ctrl + `	Ctrl + `
Save	`Ctrl + S`	`Cmd + S`
Undo	`Ctrl + Z`	`Cmd + Z`

Edit code

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Duplicate current line	`Shift + Alt + ↓`	`Shift + Option + ↓`
Move current line	`Alt + ↑/↓`	`Option + ↑/↓`
Delete current line	`Ctrl + Shift + K`	`Cmd + Shift + K`
Multi-cursor editing	`Alt + Click`	`Option + Click`
Comment code	`Ctrl + /`	`Cmd + /`
Format code	`Shift + Alt + F`	`Shift + Option + F`

Action	Windows/Linux	macOS
Global search	`Ctrl + Shift + F`	`Cmd + Shift + F`
Search within file	`Ctrl + F`	`Cmd + F`
Find and replace	`Ctrl + H`	`Cmd + Option + F`
Go to line	`Ctrl + G`	`Ctrl + G`

Example: the power of multi-cursor editing

Suppose you need to rename 5 variable names from data1, data2... to dataset1, dataset2...:

data1 = load("file1.csv")
data2 = load("file2.csv")
data3 = load("file3.csv")
data4 = load("file4.csv")
data5 = load("file5.csv")

Steps:

Select the first data
Press Ctrl/Cmd + D five times to select all data occurrences one by one
Type dataset

All 5 places are changed at the same time, and it’s done in 2 seconds.

AI-assisted programming tools

There are now many AI tools that can help you write code in VS Code. As a learner in an AI course, it’s worth knowing about them:

GitHub Copilot

Automatically completes code as you type
Press Tab to accept suggestions
Students can use it for free through GitHub Student Pack
Extension search: GitHub.copilot

Codeium

Free AI code completion tool
Similar to Copilot, completely free for individual users
Extension search: Codeium.codeium

Usage advice

Advice for learners

During the learning stage, do not rely too much on AI code completion. It is like a calculator—if you start using a calculator before you’ve learned mental arithmetic, you’ll never learn math well.

Recommendations:

For the first two stages (Python basics): turn off AI completion and write code yourself
After the 4th stop: you can turn on AI completion, but make sure to understand every line of code it generates
When building projects: feel free to use it to improve efficiency

Recommended VS Code settings

Press Ctrl/Cmd + , to open Settings, then search for and change the following options:

Setting	Recommended value	Reason
Auto Save	`afterDelay`	Auto-save so you never have to worry about forgetting Ctrl+S
Font Size	`14` or `15`	Slightly larger code font, easier on the eyes
Tab Size	`4`	Standard Python indentation
Word Wrap	`on`	Automatically wrap long lines
Minimap	`off`	Turn off the small map on the right to save screen space

Or edit settings.json directly (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P → "Open Settings JSON"):

{
    "files.autoSave": "afterDelay",
    "editor.fontSize": 14,
    "editor.tabSize": 4,
    "editor.wordWrap": "on",
    "editor.minimap.enabled": false,
    "python.terminal.activateEnvironment": true,
    "editor.formatOnSave": true,
    "[python]": {
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "ms-python.black-formatter"
    },
    "python.analysis.typeCheckingMode": "basic"
}

Why not use older Python formatting settings?

Older tutorials often show "python.formatting.provider": "black". Newer VS Code Python tooling uses formatter extensions instead. If format-on-save does not work, first check that Black Formatter is installed and that the selected interpreter is your project environment.

Hands-on practice

Install VS Code and the essential extensions (Python, Pylance, Jupyter, GitLens)
Create a project and open it with VS Code:

mkdir vscode-practice && cd vscode-practice && code .

Create practice.py and write the following code:

# Practice VS Code shortcuts
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry"]

for i, fruit in enumerate(fruits):
    print(f"{i + 1}. {fruit}")

# Calculate the average length of the fruit names
avg_len = sum(len(f) for f in fruits) / len(fruits)
print(f"\nAverage name length: {avg_len:.1f} characters")

Run the code (click the ▶ button in the upper-right corner)
Try these shortcuts:
- Use Ctrl/Cmd + / to comment out the last two lines
- Use Alt + ↑/↓ to move one line of code
- Use Ctrl/Cmd + D to multi-select one word
- Use Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + F to search globally for "fruit"

What this section is about​

Learning objectives​

Why choose VS Code?​

Install VS Code​

macOS​

Windows​

Ubuntu​

Interface Language (Optional)​

Install essential extensions​

Must-have extensions​

Recommended extensions​

Configure the Python interpreter​

Use the built-in terminal​

Open the terminal​

Example: complete the full development workflow in VS Code​

Terminal tips​

Most commonly used shortcuts​

Basic operations​

Edit code​

Search and navigation​

Example: the power of multi-cursor editing​

AI-assisted programming tools​

GitHub Copilot​

Codeium​

Usage advice​

Recommended VS Code settings​

Hands-on practice​