VSCode Micromamba Envs

Preface This extension is a replacement for my previous extension (vscode-micromamba-env). The previous version relied on the ms-python-envs API (Environment Provider), which unfortunately suffers from several upstream issues. This new version takes a new standalone approach by directly managing environment variables and interacting with the shell, ensuring a reliable experience for Micromamba users.

A simple and efficient VS Code extension to discover, select, and activate your Micromamba environments.

Features

• Discovery: Automatically reads your environments from ~/.conda/environments.txt.
• Filtering: Separates environments into "Workspace" (local to your project) and "Root/Global" (in your Micromamba root prefix).
• Activation:
  • Injects environment variables directly into the VS Code Integrated Terminal.
  • Automatically updates the Python extension path (python.defaultInterpreterPath).
  • Auto-configuration: Automatically disables python.terminal.activateEnvironment in your workspace to prevent conflicts with the standard Python extension.
  • Generates a .env file in your workspace root for other tools.
• Performance: Caches critical Micromamba configuration (MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX, MAMBA_EXE) by querying your shell only once per session.

Usage

1. Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P).
2. Run Micromamba: Select Environment.
3. Choose your environment from the list.
4. The status bar will update, and new terminals will use this environment.

Configuration

You can customize the extension in your settings.json:

{
  "micromamba-envs.micromambaBinary": "/path/to/micromamba", 
  "micromamba-envs.rootPrefix": "/home/user/micromamba",
  "micromamba-envs.environmentsTxtPath": "/home/user/.conda/environments.txt"
}

• micromamba-envs.micromambaBinary: (Optional) Manually specify the micromamba executable. If left empty, the extension attempts to find it via your shell variables (MAMBA_EXE).
• micromamba-envs.rootPrefix: (Optional) Manually specify the root prefix to filter global environments. If empty, it is detected via MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX.
• micromamba-envs.environmentsTxtPath: (Optional) Path to the file listing your environments. Defaults to ~/.conda/environments.txt.

Git & Team Workflow

This extension is designed to be friendly with version control systems like Git.

1. settings.json Handling

When you select an environment, the extension updates your workspace settings (.vscode/settings.json):

1. Sets python.defaultInterpreterPath to the selected environment.
2. Sets python.terminal.activateEnvironment to false (to avoid conflicts).

• Local Environments (e.g., inside your project folder): The extension uses relative paths with ${workspaceFolder} (e.g., ${workspaceFolder}/.conda/bin/python). This allows you to commit the .vscode/settings.json file so your team automatically uses the correct environment setup.
• Global Environments: The extension uses absolute paths. Be careful not to commit .vscode/settings.json if you use a machine-specific global path.

2. The .env File

To ensure seamless integration with C++ libraries (DLLs) and other tools, this extension generates a .env file at the root of your workspace containing all necessary environment variables.

⚠️ Important: This file contains local paths and variables. You should add it to your .gitignore:

# .gitignore
.env

Requirements

• Micromamba must be installed.
• Your shell (Bash, Zsh, PowerShell) should be configured properly (e.g., via micromamba shell init ...) so that MAMBA_ROOT_PREFIX is accessible if you don't provide it in settings.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to open an issue to report a bug or suggest a feature. If you want to contribute code, please open a Pull Request.

Development

To get started with development:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/symzn/vscode-micromamba-env-selector.git
   cd vscode-micromamba-env-selector
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Compile the code:

   npm run compile
   

   You can also run npm run watch to automatically recompile on file changes.

4. Launch in Debug Mode:

   • Press F5 in VS Code to open a new "Extension Development Host" window with the extension running.
   • You can now test your changes in this new window.

5. Package creation

   • Install packaging tool vsce

   npm install -g @vscode/vsce
   

   • Build package

   vsce package
   

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.