How to correctly set specific module to debug in VS code?

Question

I was following the instruction by VS code's website but it seemed that nothing that I tried worked.

I created a new configuration as required but whenever I put the path it refuses to work in VS code although the path VS code complains about in the integrated terminal window works fine when I call it manually.

The error the debugger throws is the following:

(automl-meta-learning) brandomiranda~/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments ❯ env PTVSD_LAUNCHER_PORT=59729 /Users/brandomiranda/miniconda3/envs/automl-meta-learning/bin/python /Users/brandomiranda/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2020.2.63072/pythonFiles/lib/python/new_ptvsd/wheels/ptvsd/launcher -m /Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py 
E+00000.025: Error determining module path for sys.argv

             Traceback (most recent call last):
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2020.2.63072/pythonFiles/lib/python/new_ptvsd/wheels/ptvsd/../ptvsd/server/cli.py", line 220, in run_module
                 spec = find_spec(options.target)
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/miniconda3/envs/automl-meta-learning/lib/python3.7/importlib/util.py", line 94, in find_spec
                 parent = __import__(parent_name, fromlist=['__path__'])
             ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '/Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization'

             Stack where logged:
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/miniconda3/envs/automl-meta-learning/lib/python3.7/runpy.py", line 193, in _run_module_as_main
                 "__main__", mod_spec)
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/miniconda3/envs/automl-meta-learning/lib/python3.7/runpy.py", line 85, in _run_code
                 exec(code, run_globals)
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2020.2.63072/pythonFiles/lib/python/new_ptvsd/wheels/ptvsd/__main__.py", line 45, in <module>
                 cli.main()
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2020.2.63072/pythonFiles/lib/python/new_ptvsd/wheels/ptvsd/../ptvsd/server/cli.py", line 361, in main
                 run()
               File "/Users/brandomiranda/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2020.2.63072/pythonFiles/lib/python/new_ptvsd/wheels/ptvsd/../ptvsd/server/cli.py", line 226, in run_module
                 log.exception("Error determining module path for sys.argv")


/Users/brandomiranda/miniconda3/envs/automl-meta-learning/bin/python: Error while finding module specification for '/Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py' (ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '/Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization')

then I tried running the file it complains manually and it runs it just fine...

(automl-meta-learning) brandomiranda~/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments ❯ python /Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py
--> main in differentiable SGD
-------> Inside Experiment Code <--------

---> hostname:

device = cpu
Files already downloaded and verified
Files already downloaded and verified
Files already downloaded and verified

even when I hover over the path name and click it with command + click then it takes me to the path from within VS code. Which seems bizzare. So somehow only when I run it in debugger mode does it not work. Why?

---

Launch.json

{
    // Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
    // Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
    // For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [

        {
            "name": "Python: Experiments Protype1",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "module": "${workspaceFolder}/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py" // ~/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Current File (Integrated Terminal)",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${file}",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Remote Attach",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "attach",
            "port": 5678,
            "host": "localhost",
            "pathMappings": [
                {
                    "localRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",
                    "remoteRoot": "."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Module",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "module": "enter-your-module-name-here",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Django",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/manage.py",
            "console": "integratedTerminal",
            "args": [
                "runserver",
                "--noreload",
                "--nothreading"
            ],
            "django": true
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Flask",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "module": "flask",
            "env": {
                "FLASK_APP": "app.py"
            },
            "args": [
                "run",
                "--no-debugger",
                "--no-reload"
            ],
            "jinja": true
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Current File (External Terminal)",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${file}",
            "console": "externalTerminal"
        }
    ]
}

---

Cross-posted:

• Quora: https://qr.ae/TzkO4L
• reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/vscode/comments/f3hm9r/how_to_correctly_set_specific_module_to_debug_in/
• gitissue: https://github.com/microsoft/ptvsd/issues/2088

Answer 1

You are using module instead of program in launch.json. When using module you must pass only the module\sub-module name, not the entire path. Visual Studio will then load the specified module and execute it's __main__.py file.

This would be the correct input, assuming automl is a module and experiments is a submodule:

"module": "automl.experiments"

If you want to point to your script directly you can use the path you were using previously, just changing module to program:

"program": "${workspaceFolder}/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py"

Answer 2

So this is what I did. Once I opened the launch.json file by going to the debugger tab on the left:

then I clicked on Add configuration and then the launch.json file opened. Then at the bottom right there is a blue botton with Add Configuration:

then I filled in the stex that appeared after selecting Python file. The text that appeared was:

        {
            "name": "Python: Current File",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${file}",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        }

and I changed it to:

        {
            "name": "Python: My Trainable",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "/Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/prototyping_tests_playground/trainable_optimizers/my_trainable.py",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },

then I made sure I selected it on the left debug menu so that each time I ran it with the F5 short cut it ran the right file no matter where I was in VS code.

---

Current file:

{
    // Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
    // Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
    // For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
    "version": "0.2.0",
    "configurations": [

        {
            "name": "Python: My Trainable Step Size Higher",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "/Users/brandomiranda/automl-meta-learning/prototyping_tests_playground/trainable_optimizers/trainable_step_size.py",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Experiments Protype1",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${env:HOME}/automl-meta-learning/automl/experiments/experiments_model_optimization.py",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Current File (Integrated Terminal)",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${file}",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Remote Attach",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "attach",
            "port": 5678,
            "host": "localhost",
            "pathMappings": [
                {
                    "localRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",
                    "remoteRoot": "."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Module",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "module": "enter-your-module-name-here",
            "console": "integratedTerminal"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Django",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${workspaceFolder}/manage.py",
            "console": "integratedTerminal",
            "args": [
                "runserver",
                "--noreload",
                "--nothreading"
            ],
            "django": true
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Flask",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "module": "flask",
            "env": {
                "FLASK_APP": "app.py"
            },
            "args": [
                "run",
                "--no-debugger",
                "--no-reload"
            ],
            "jinja": true
        },
        {
            "name": "Python: Current File (External Terminal)",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${file}",
            "console": "externalTerminal"
        }
    ]
}

seems ${end:HOME} is important for getting home path.