Develop Reference

How to run my Python module in Visual Studio Code in interactive mode?

I need something similar to "-i" option of original Python interpreter, but to be able to watch variables state, use code completion and other nice IDE features as well.
I've installed appropriate Python extension for Visual Studio Code, but so far by pressing F5 it just runs module once and exit without letting me do anything, pretty much in the same way as C/C++ Visual Studio debugger work. I can use break points, but I want to use power of Python interactive mode.

There is stopOnEntry which starts the debugger when the program stops, but there's no equivalent stopOnExit. If you would like that then please file a feature request at https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-python.

In Visual Studio Code, how do I load my python code to a read-print-eval loop?

I am teaching a class that uses VScode.
I am used to teaching using IDLE, and it is very nice for the students to be able to call their defined functions and run snippets of code in a python terminal, for debugging purposes.
In VScode, they I have been unable to do the same in a satisfactory way.
Option1: I can select all code, right click and run selection/line on terminal. This works for small snippets, but I cannot do it for the whole file (even after selecting the whole file with ctrl-A). On linux, this works, but on windows, it does not, unfortunately (and my students use windows)
Option2: I can use the debug console. This requires adding a breakpoint in one of the last lines of the file, and does not offer tab completion. It works, but is less convenient than IDLE.
Option 3: I can also add the commands to run to the bottom of the file (which is a least preferred alternative, given that is forgoes the interativity of the read-print-eval loop).
Is there any better solution? Installing a VScode extension would not be a problem.

Visual Code is just a text editor like your traditional notepad. to run and debug any kind program you need to install the particular extension for the programming language.
In your case you are using python so you need to install the extension of it. the best one is the "Python" which is developed by microsoft itself. go to your extensions manager and install this extension. right click and click "run python file in terminal" and you are all set.
this will run exactly as they run from the idle(which is default IDE provided by python itself) you can enter the arguments from the console itself. according to me this is the best way to run and debug python programs in VScode.
another way is that VScode shows which python version is installed on your computer on the left bottom side, click on it and the programs will use this interpreter.
out of all the ways listed here and many others, the best method is to run the program in the terminal which is the recommend by python itself and many other programmers.
this method is very simple. what you have to do is open up your command prompt and type the path where python.exe is installed and the type the path of the your program as the argument and press enter. you are done !
ex : C:\Python27\python.exe C:\Users\Username\Desktop\my_python_script.py
You can also pass your arguments of your program in the command prompt itself.
if you do not want to type all this and then just use the solution mentioned above.
hope that your query is solved.
regards

Visual Studio Python Shell

Quick question. I'm scratching my head as to why the latest version of visual studio offers tabs with interactive python terminals. As well as debugging terminals all built into the tabs that can be snapped. But when I attach & test run something it just opens a normal python terminal in CMD rendering the built terminals in VS useless. I'm just thinking why lol. They never get used. Is there a way to test run script in the built-in interactive terminals instead of it opening a Python shell?

You can learn more about this feature here, it's just another repl with the convenience of being within Visual Studio. There's also some interesting connections to the editor that you can send selected code lines to the interactive window. I'm not sure how variable scoping works between the two but sometimes you just want to experiment in the repl before integrating it into a working python file.
I mostly put the Immediate Window to use for some interactive exploratory coding when I develop in Visual Studio. This is scoped to where the current breakpoint is set which is good for manipulating things on the fly and getting feedback about my variables and what not.

how can I configure PyCharm so that running a Python script file is visible for Python Console

I am writing Python scripts in Pycharm with IPython installed. So I can use Python Console in Pycharm to type Python commands and check the immediate output of the codes. However, when I run a script file after pressing 'Run' button (Shift+F10), all the variables and functions are not visible to the Python Console. This is, however, the feature of Spyder, another popular Python IDE. So here is my question: how can I configure Pycharm so that running a Python script file is visible for Python Console? Thanks

You could also run the part of your code you want to test/check in the console by selecting it and then right clicking and clicking on "Execute Selection in Console Alt-Shift-E". That's what I use sometimes when the debugger is not helpful. After running the code (you can also just "run" functions or classes) the console knows the functions and you can use the same features that Spyder has. However, be aware that when you change the code you need to run it in the console once to update the console definitions!

You can not. But you can use pdb (which will break code execution where you need it and you will be able to do the same things, as in the Python Console).
And, which is better and more powerful, you can use PyCharm's debugger. It represents all available variables in tree-like structures and is really handy.

I need help recognizing files in komodo in order to run them in python

I am just learning python as my first programming language, and I just installed python 3.3, 64 bit on my windows 7 OS.
I installed komodo edit 8.0, and I am trying to print ('Hello world'). I set up the correct path so that I can access python through my command prompt.
From komodo, I saved my helloworld.py file to my desktop.
When I try to run the command prompt, I search for the file, and it says file not found, or file does not exist. I can open the folder from komodo, but it appears that it is empty. When I open the folder directly from my desktop, I see the file is in there, so it seems that komodo is not recognizing it.
How can I get Komodo to recognize my saved file and run it in python? I am very new so please go step by step if you can.
Thank you!

Many of the comments you've received recommend avoiding Komodo IDE. But you're not using Komodo IDE! You are using Komodo Edit, so the comments about IDEs just don't apply.
Sure, you could use Notepad++ or even plain old Notepad, but neither of those offers any real benefit over Komodo Edit. In fact, you would be losing a valuable feature of Komodo (both IDE and Edit version): realtime syntax checking.
I use Komodo IDE and like it quite a lot. If you want to run Python programs inside Komodo and debug them right there, Komodo IDE is a great choice.
One problem may be simply that you're expecting Komodo Edit to offer the same features as Komodo IDE. It doesn't. It's just a very nice editor. You need to run your Python code outside Komodo using the command line or other means. Just open a command prompt, cd to your directory, and type python yourfilename.py.
But you say you already tried that? It must be simply a matter of being in the wrong directory.
If you have your .py file open in Komodo, do a Ctrl+O right there, and the Open File dialog will show you the file's path at the top of the dialog. You can use Alt+D to select the path, and from there you can copy it and paste it into the command line if you need to cd to that directory.
If you'd like to use an interactive debugger (an excellent idea!) without paying for Komodo IDE, you can use PythonWin.
Install Mark Hammond's Python for Windows extensions. Included in this package is PythonWin. You can open your .py file in PythonWin and select File/Debug/Step In to start debugging your code. Then you can use the other commands on the File/Debug menu to step through it. Take note of the F10/F11/etc. keyboard shortcuts which give quicker access to these commands.
Whichever way you do it, I highly recommend using an interactive debugger like this when learning a new language. Being able to stop the code and look at your variables right then and there is a huge improvement over being limited to print statements for debugging.
So I disagree quite strongly with the recommendations against using an IDE like Komodo. The very first thing I look for when I learn a new programming language is an interactive visual debugger. I don't care too much whether that debugger comes packaged as part of an "IDE" or is a standalone debugger, as long as it shows the source code, makes it easy to single step, and shows the variables whenever it's paused.

Ok heres what I personally do.
Open run, type in cmd
Navigate to whatever directory my mypythonfile.py file is
Open whatever text editor you feel like ( personally i use notepad++ because it is NOT an IDE like kodomo, but just a pretty text editor.)
Type python mypythonfile.py and hit enter. This will run the program.
Open mypythonfile.py in text editor program.
Make changes to the python file.
Go back to the cmd window and press arrow up ( to go to the last typed command) and then press enter again, to run the program again.
Repeat steps 6-7 until your program is perfect.
It seems like you are having trouble with the Kodomo IDE instead of the actual learning python process. IDEs are complicated tools with lots of buttons that are scary. Learn the language first, then once you are comfortable there, then maybe you will use an IDE? Or maybe you will just keep using a text editor instead. Thats up to you.