VScode python extension does not take changes into account - python-3.x

Question

I am writing a simple script in Python using VS Code. I have the python extension installed and I use a conda environment.
To run my script, I use Shift+Enter (Run Selection in Python Terminal). This works.
However, if I change something in the script and do the same, the change is not taken into account. I am forced to delete the terminal and relaunch again.
Is this normal? How do you guys go at it?

Answer 1

The "Run Selection/Line in Python Terminal" option basically opens a Python console and copies the selected lines to it (as if you typed it yourself). When you make changes to your code and repeat the process, it copies those codes to the same console session, so whatever was copied before, still exists and will be used for next runs. You have to make sure to always run the same set of lines or, as what you are doing now, restart the Python console.
Instead of the "Run Selection/Line in Python Terminal" option, I recommend creating a launch configuration for your script, and then using the debugger.
Let's say you have this workspace:
|- myscript.py
|- .vscode
Start by opening your Python file on the editor, then opening the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or CMD+Shift+P), then calling Debug: Open launch.json.
Select Python File for simple scripts. That will automatically create a launch.json file under the .vscode folder, with default launch configurations for Python files. Modify it as needed for running your script. For ex., I prefer setting internalConsole for the console.
{
// Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
// Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
// For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "run-myscript",
"type": "python",
"request": "launch",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/myscript.py",
"console": "internalConsole",
"args": [],
"env": {}
}
]
}
Then from the Debug panel, select the launch configuration from the dropdown (same name as the "name" you set in launch.json), then hit the Run button.
Check the output from the Debug Console:
One good thing about this setup is that you can set breakpoints in your code, and then go through your code line-by-line, which is quite useful for debugging.
For more info, see Python debug configurations in Visual Studio Code.