Vscode: Set environment variable before starting a terminal

[ffes]

• VSCode Version: 1.7.1
• OS Version: Win 10 Pro

Add an option to set environment variables before starting the terminal.
Something like:

"terminal.integrated.envVars.windows": ["DEBUG=1", "LANG=C"],

Or maybe you want to split variable and value something like:

"terminal.integrated.envVars.windows": {
    "DEBUG": "1",
    "LANG": "C"
}

Obviously the same goes for Linux and Mac

[Tyriar]

I'm curious what your use case is for wanting this in VS Code but not in Windows?

[ffes]

Here are some use cases (first two from personal experience):

• Different paths to libs per workbench
• Test your application with different languages/translations.
• It would also have made a much better work-around for #13834

You just don't want to set set the right vars every time you open a terminal.

[pandaTerminator]

how should i fix this problem @ffes

[ffes]

@pandasjw If you are asking because I mentioned #13834 in my previous comment, I have no idea about that issue. That one is not my bug report.

I just ran into that issue when I was searching around if the request I wanted to submit was not a dup.

[dannystaple]

Its not hard to see in the Python context an app needing a specific PYTHON_PATH, and other languages needing class paths/library paths. My thoughts here is that the tasks may be the workaround - a task can have associated env vars - and a make/rake/grunt/gulp/fabfile or something could be used to set it all up for your project.

[farfromrefug]

I would love to see that too. For me it's about setting workspace env variables to be used with node gyp. Like OPENCV location

[rfgamaral]

How does one configure this on the Insiders build?

[Tyriar]

It will be in the next build of Insiders, you will be able to use the new settings:

terminal.integrated.env.linux
terminal.integrated.env.osx
terminal.integrated.env.windows

[farfromrefug]

I can confirm that it works great for me, i now use it in almost all my projects
Thanks!

[rwxrob]

UPDATE Again: Just found go.gopath :man_facepalming:

UPDATE: DOH! I just realized .vscode/settings.json works. God I love this editor! Amazing job.

Is there any way to make this project specific? I am using this now for GOPATH but would love if it changed to the current working directory, which the integrated terminal seems to be aware of when it starts up. Maybe there is a variable I could set the envs to that contains the same value used by the starting terminal.

[ramya-rao-a]

@robmuh Anything in .vscode/settings.json is already specific to the root folder that is open in VS Code. This is called the Workspace settings.

[Mistobaan]

how to specify the GOPATH env variable inside the integrated terminal to be the same as the one inside your .vscode/settings.json ?
I am trying this on 1.17.1 and does not seem to work:

    "go.gopath": "$HOME/gopath",
    "terminal.integrated.env.osx": {
        "GOPATH": "$HOME/gopath"
    },

[rwxrob]

Thanks @Mistobaan but in my case the following is what I'm after, but doesn't seem to be working. The go.gopath use of the variable seems to work fine because it stops the underlined errors in code related to gopath, but the env var on the terminal still is bork. I'm mostly good because I also setup an install task that works. Now if I could only get that to buildOnSave like the libraries do correctly so things would compile automatically on changes (which I realize many would not like).

By the way, here is an (old) task that works. But, it is interesting that everyone has different variable names for the same thing (workspaceFolder v.s. workspaceRoot):

[ramya-rao-a]

@Mistobaan @robmuh You are using $workspaceRoot in the env var for the terminal.integrated.env.osx which doesnt get resolved.

@Tyriar Should we add resolution of such variables when using the terminal.integrated.env.* setting?

@robmuh For workspaceFolder vs workspaceRoot see https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_17#_workspacefolder-in-launchjson-and-tasksjson

[Tyriar]

Resolving variables in the setting is tracked in https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/34337

[rucciva]

After upgrading from 1.17 to 1.18, the setting doesn't work anymore (OS Version: OSX High Sierra)

version 1.18:

version 1.17:

[ramya-rao-a]

Just tried on my Mac, it works as expected.
One thing to keep in mind is that the env vars will not affect terminals that were created before the env vars were added to the setting.
Can you create a new terminal and check there?

[rucciva]

it was indeed on a new terminal after the env was added. I've retried it on two high sierra machines recently.

[ramya-rao-a]

I tried on a co-worker's high sierra machine. Works there as well.

Can you try on our Insiders? https://code.visualstudio.com/insiders
Can you try with extensions disabled?