Sohum Suthar | Lee Teng @ aps

1. Initial Approach

Initially, we used sys.path.insert to handle module imports by modifying the system path to include the directory containing the desired modules. This method was effective but not suitable for long-term maintenance as it can lead to potential issues down the line.

Using sys.path.insert

In the initial approach, we added the path to the desired modules using:

sys.path.insert(0, r'your_dir')

This allowed the Python interpreter to locate and import the necessary modules from the specified directory.

2. Improved Approach

To create a more sustainable solution, two key changes were implemented: creating a .env file and updating the settings.json file in the Visual Studio Code workspace.

Creating an .env File

A .env file was created to specify the path to the "Packages" directory, ensuring that the Python interpreter can consistently locate the necessary modules within that directory.

PYTHONPATH = your_dir

This .env file sets the PYTHONPATH environment variable, making it easier to manage module imports without modifying the system path within the code.

Updating settings.json

The settings.json file in the Visual Studio Code workspace was updated to point to the current workspace and the newly created .env file. This ensures that the environment settings are correctly applied when working on the project.

{
    "git.enableSmartCommit": true,
    "[python]": {
        "diffEditor.ignoreTrimWhitespace": false,
        "editor.formatOnType": true,
        "editor.wordBasedSuggestions": "off"
    },
    "python.createEnvironment.trigger": "off",
    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {


    },
    "python.envFile": "${workspaceFolder}/.env",
    "terminal.integrated.env.windows": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "${workspaceFolder}:your_dir"
    },
    "python.analysis.extraPaths": [
        "your_dir"
    ]
}

This configuration ensures that the Visual Studio Code environment uses the correct paths for Python module imports.