ADS: Applied Data Science: Installing Python

How to get started with Python in VS Code

1. Download Python from python.org for your preferred OS. Macs have the option of Homebrew. On Windows, make sure to add python.exe to PATH when prompted for the option and disable the PATH character limit.

2. Download Visual Studio Code for your OS and then launch it.

3. In VS, click on Extensions on the left sidebar or press ctrl+shift+x. Type python into the search bar and download Python. This will allow VS to appropriately syntax highlight and debug your code.

4. Go to Explorer and select Open Folder to select a folder to open.

5. Create a file in your folder by selecting the open file icon to the right of your folder's name.   

6. To make sure everything worked, type [print("Hello World") into your file. Then press ctrl+f5 to run it. If you see Hello World in your terminal, you've successfully ran a Python program!