IDE integration (VSCode, Spyder, etc.)#

Most users find it convenient to write and run their code in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Some popular choices for scientific Python development are:

  • Visual Studio Code (often shortened to “VS Code” or “vscode”) is a development-focused text editor that supports many programming languages in addition to Python, includes an integrated terminal console, and has a rich extension ecosystem. Installing Microsoft’s Python Extension is enough to get most Python users up and running. VS Code is free and open-source.

  • Spyder is a free and open-source IDE developed by and for scientists who use Python. It can be installed via a standalone Spyder installer. To avoid dependency conflicts with Spyder, you should install mne in a separate environment, as explained in previous sections or using our dedicated installer. Then, instruct Spyder to use the MNE-Python interpreter by opening Spyder and navigating to Tools > Preferences > Python Interpreter > Use the following interpreter.

  • PyCharm is an IDE specifically for Python development that provides an all-in-one solution (no extension packages needed). PyCharm comes in a free and open-source Community edition as well as a paid Professional edition.

For these IDEs, you’ll need to provide the path to the Python interpreter you want it to use. If you’re using the MNE-Python installers, on Linux and macOS opening the Prompt will display several lines of information, including a line that will read something like:

Using Python: /some/directory/mne-python_1.7.1_0/bin/python

Altertatively (or on Windows), you can find that path by opening the Python interpreter you want to use (e.g., the one from the MNE-Python installer, or a conda environment that you have activated) and running:

>>> import sys
>>> print(sys.executable)

This should print something like C:\Program Files\MNE-Python\1.7.0_0\bin\python.exe (Windows) or /Users/user/Applications/MNE-Python/1.7.0_0/.mne-python/bin/python (macOS).

For Spyder, if the console cannot start because spyder-kernels is missing, install the required version in the conda environment. For example, with the environment you want to use activated, run conda install spyder-kernels.