Setup Black and Isort in VSCode

Assuming you have installed VSCode and Python interpreter on your machine, here are the steps in setting up Black and Isort in VSCode:

1. Install Python Extension

In Mac, use command + shift + x to open Marketplace. Search for Python Extension, and install it.

2. Install Black, and Isort

Note: You can create and use a new virtual environment or install it globally. In this setup, my python environment is at ./workspace_venv/bin/python3

$ pip3 install black
$ pip3 install isort

3. Edit settings and configure Black and Isort. command + shift + p

User settings editor will pop-up and you should configure it with something like this:

VSCode Isort and Black Settings

editor.formatOnSave: true formats document on save

• python.pythonPath points to the virtual environment where Black and Isort are installed
• python.formatting.blackArgs: [“ — line-length=99”] configures line-length for Black.

NOTE: I personally set line-length/line_length to 99. Black’s line-length default value is 88. I-sort’s default line_length is 79.

• python.sortImports.args: [“ — profile”, “black”] Starting Isort 5.0, we we can easily configure Isort to match Black’s settings by passing args
  "--profile", "black"
• source.organizeImports: true runs Isort automatically upon saving your document
• Edit (25th April 2021):
  Update:
  You can configure Black and Isort’s settings on pyproject.toml.
  Inside your root’s project folder, create or update your pyproject.toml file to include

pyproject.toml

There! You can now enjoy a formatted code upon saving your document. ✨