PySide6 Utils

English | 简体中文

Install from Visual Studio Marketplace

Edit Qt .ui files using the Python environment selected for your project in VS Code, and automatically generate PySide6 Python code when you save.

The extension summary, command title, and settings descriptions follow VS Code's display language: Simplified Chinese is supported, with English as the default fallback. Use the links above to switch README languages.

Support

Donations are entirely voluntary. All features are available for free, with no payment required.

If you find this extension useful, you can support the project by scanning the QR code below. Thank you!

Features

• Right-click a .ui file in the Explorer or editor and select Edit QT UI File to open Qt Designer from the corresponding environment.
• Automatically run PySide6 uic when a .ui file is created or saved, including changes saved by Designer outside VS Code.
• Generate <filename>_ui.py in the same directory by default. If generation fails, keep the last successful output. See Output → PySide6 Utils for details.
• Resolve settings and Python environments for the target file's workspace. Switching environments takes effect on the next operation.

Only UI editing and automatic code generation are included. QML, resource compilation, translation tools, PyQt, and PySide2 are not supported.

Usage

1. Install the Microsoft Python extension and install PySide6 in the Python environment you want to use.
2. Select your project's environment using Python: Select Interpreter or Python Environments.
3. Right-click a .ui file and select Edit QT UI File.
4. Save in Designer to generate the corresponding Python file automatically. Opening a workspace does not regenerate all existing UI files.

To install a local VSIX, use Install from VSIX… in the Extensions view. Disable UI auto-generation in the old Qt for Python extension to prevent both extensions from writing to the same output files.

The extension invokes PySide6 tools through the selected interpreter's absolute path. It does not fall back to system Python if environment resolution fails or PySide6 is missing. The selected environment must provide working Designer and uic tools.

Files inside the workspace are monitored for changes. For a file opened outside the workspace, running the edit command also starts monitoring external saves. Unsaved edits in VS Code are saved before Designer opens. Automatic generation is enabled by default and replaces the target Python file, so do not edit generated files manually.

Configuration

The configuration prefix has changed from the old extension's qtForPython to pyside6Utils. Old settings are not read automatically. Copy any uic options you want to keep into the new setting:

{
  "pyside6Utils.uic.options": [
    "-o",
    "${resourceDirname}${pathSeparator}${resourceBasenameNoExtension}_ui.py",
    "--from-imports"
  ],
  "pyside6Utils.uic.liveExecution.enabled": true
}

Each array element is a single argument. Paths containing spaces do not need extra quotes. The extension appends the input UI path automatically. Setting this array replaces the default options; removing -o sends uic output to the log instead of generating a file. The output directory must already exist. Relative output paths are resolved from the UI file's directory. Only one output path is allowed, and it must not overwrite a .ui file.

The following variables are supported and refer to the UI file being processed:

Unknown variables, unavailable workspace folders, and missing environment variables produce an error.

Compatibility

• Requires VS Code 1.69.0 or later. The extension is type-checked against that version's API, targets ES2020, and has no runtime npm dependencies.
• When the new Python Environments API is enabled and available, the extension uses getEnvironment(uri) and its execution information. Otherwise, it uses the Python extension's getActiveEnvironmentPath / resolveEnvironment, or settings.getExecutionDetails on older versions.
• Setting python.useEnvironmentsExtension explicitly to false selects the classic Python extension API. If the new environment API is active but no environment is selected, the environment is broken, or the API call fails, the operation reports an error instead of switching interpreters.
• Python Environments integration is optional and does not raise the minimum VS Code version. Older VS Code installations need a compatible version of the Microsoft Python extension.
• Requires a file system and a trusted workspace. Browser-based VS Code and virtual workspaces are not supported. In a remote workspace, Python and Qt tools run on the remote extension host; that host needs a graphical display environment for Designer.
• Real-tool tests currently cover Windows, Python 3.8, and PySide6 6.3.2. Interactive testing on VS Code 1.69, Linux, and macOS has not been performed.

Environment API references: Microsoft Python API and Python Environments API.

Development and Testing

npm ci
npm run compile
npm test

Use Node.js 20 or later for development and testing. Press F5 to launch the Extension Development Host. Tests cover environment API adaptation, variable expansion, save-event debouncing, extension event integration, and subprocess execution. When PySide6 is available, tests also create temporary virtual environments and run real uic commands to verify output preservation on failure and isolation from environments without PySide6. Set PYSIDE6_TEST_PYTHON to choose the Python interpreter for these tests; the two real-environment tests are skipped if PySide6 is unavailable. The Designer test intercepts the GUI subprocess to inspect the executable and arguments resolved by the real entry point; it does not interact with the GUI.

To create a local installation package without publishing:

npm exec --yes --package @vscode/vsce@3.6.2 -- vsce package --no-dependencies

This project draws on the UI workflow of Qt for Python, with an independent implementation and a new configuration namespace.