How to execute Python code from within Visual Studio Code

Here is how to configure Task Runner in Visual Studio Code to run a .py file.

In your console, press Ctrl + Shift + P (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + P (Apple). This brings up a search box where you search for "Configure Task Runner"

If this is the first time you open the "Task: Configure Task Runner", you need to select "other" at the bottom of the next selection list.

This will bring up the properties which you can then change to suit your preference. In this case you want to change the following properties;

1. Change the Command property from "tsc" (TypeScript) to "Python"
2. Change showOutput from "silent" to "Always"
3. Change args (Arguments) from ["Helloworld.ts"] to ["${file}"] (filename)
4. Delete the last property problemMatcher
5. Save the changes made

You can now open your .py file and run it nicely with the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + B (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + B (Apple).

All these answers are obsolete now.

Currently you have to:

1. install the Python language extension (and Python, obviously)
2. open folder (important!), open any Python file inside that folder
3. switch to debug "tab"(?) and click on the gearbox (with hint 'Configure of Fix 'launch.json'')
4. save the opened launch.json file (it's placed in .vscode subdirectory in the folder opened in step #2)
5. finally, click the green triangle or hit F5

No additional extensions or manual launch.json editing is required now.

You can add a custom task to do this. Here is a basic custom task for Python, add this to file tasks.json and press Ctrl + Shift + B to run it.

{
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "command": "c:\\Python34\\python",
  "args": [
    "app.py"
  ],
  "problemMatcher": {
    "fileLocation": [
      "relative",
      "${workspaceRoot}"
    ],
    "pattern": {
      "regexp": "^(.*)+s$",
      "message": 1
    }
  }
}

There is a Run Python File in Terminal command available in the Python for Visual Studio Code extension.