We are pleased to announce that the August 2019 release of the Python Extension for Visual Studio Code is now available. You can download the Python extension from the Marketplace, or install it directly from the extension gallery in Visual Studio Code. If you already have the Python extension installed, you can also get the latest update by restarting Visual Studio Code. You can learn more about Python support in Visual Studio Code in the documentation.
In this release we made improvements that are listed in our changelog, closing a total of 76 issues including Jupyter Notebook cell debugging, introducing an Insiders program, improvements to auto-indentation and to the Python Language Server.
Jupyter Notebook cell debugging
A few weeks ago, we showed a preview of debugging Jupyter notebooks cells at EuroPython 2019. We’re happy to announce we’re officially shipping this functionality in this release.
Now you’ll be able to set up breakpoints and click on the “Debug Cell” option that is displayed at the cell definition. This will initiate a debugging session and you’ll be able to step into, step out and step over your code, inspect variables and set up watches, just like you normally would when debugging Python files or applications.
Insiders program
This release includes support for an easy opt-in to our Insiders program. You can try out new features and fixes before the release date by getting automatic installs for the latest Insiders builds of the Python extension, in a weekly or daily cadence.
To opt-in this program, open the command palette (View > Command Palette…) and select “Python: Switch to Insiders Weekly Channel”. You can also open the settings page (File > Preferences > Settings), look for “Python: Insiders Channel” and set the channel to “daily” or “weekly”, as you prefer.