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How to Set Up Jupyter Notebooks in VS Code to Use the Correct Start-up Directory

Ensuring that Jupyter notebooks in Visual Studio Code (VS Code) start in the correct directory is crucial for maintaining a smooth and efficient workflow, especially when dealing with file paths. This guide will walk you through configuring VS Code so that Jupyter notebooks always use your project's root directory as their start-up directory, eliminating the need to adjust paths frequently.

Prerequisites

  • Ensure you have Visual Studio Code installed.
  • Ensure the Jupyter extension for VS Code is installed and enabled.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Open VS Code Settings in JSON Format

  2. Open VS Code.

  3. Access the Command Palette by pressing Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS.

  4. Type Open Settings (JSON) and select the option that appears to open your settings file in JSON format.

  5. Configure the Start-up Directory

  6. In the settings.json file, look for the jupyter.notebookFileRoot setting. If it's not present, you'll need to add it.

  7. Insert or modify the line as follows:

    "jupyter.notebookFileRoot": "${workspaceFolder}",

This setting instructs VS Code to use the workspace folder (the project root directory) as the default directory for Jupyter notebooks. The workspace folder is determined by the location of your .code-workspace file or the primary folder you have opened in VS Code.

  1. Save the Changes

  2. After adding or modifying the line, save the settings.json file.

  3. Close and reopen any active Jupyter notebooks for the changes to take effect.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have successfully configured Visual Studio Code to set the project's root directory as the default start-up directory for Jupyter notebooks. This configuration streamlines your workflow by removing the need to frequently adjust paths within your notebooks. Now, you can focus more on your data analysis or development tasks without the hassle of directory-related issues.