Data Analytics for Process Engineers – Visual Studio Code: Instructions

Installing Anaconda, ipykernel, and Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a very useful code editor for doing data analytics with Python and Jupyter
notebooks. It provides a friendly interface with autocompletion and in-line help. We will be using
Visual Studio Code in this course.

You can watch a YouTube video at this link which explains how to do the following:

1. Install Anaconda. (The default Anaconda installation is large; if you want something smaller, you
can install miniconda instead). Skip if you have Anaconda already.
2. Install ipykernel using the Anaconda Prompt – see below for a reminder on how to install a
Python package using the Anaconda Prompt (a package needed to run Jupyter notebooks inside
Visual Studio Code; also available by default if you installed miniconda).
3. Install Visual Studio Code.
4. Install an extension to use Python in Visual Studio Code.
5. Select a Python interpreter in Visual Studio Code.
6. Create a Jupyter notebook in Visual Studio Code.

If you are having trouble with step 5 above (i.e., you cannot see ‘base’ to select as a Python
interpreter), follow the following steps:

1. Open Anaconda Prompt (you can search for it in the Start menu)
2. When you have Anaconda Prompt open, check if (base) appears to the left of the active path. If it
does, continue to step 3. If not, run the following command: conda activate base
3. You want to find out where Anaconda saved your Python installation, so run the following
command: where python
4. Copy the path that appears.
5. Back in Visual Studio Code, press CTRL + SHFT + P to bring up the command palette. Then start
typing Python: Select Interpreter, then select Enter Interpreter Path. Here you can paste the path
you copied from Anaconda Prompt.

Reminder: How to install a package using Anaconda Prompt

To install a package, use the Anaconda Prompt (you can search for it in your Windows Start Menu).

1. Activate your base environment:

conda activate base

2. Install a package with the following command (for example, installing scikit-learn):

conda install scikit-learn