VSCode Setup Guide¶

2025-12-262025-12-26

Status: Informational
Scope: VSCode tasks and debug configurations
Last Updated: December 24, 2025 18:58:31
Created: December 24, 2025 13:34:54

This guide covers the pre-configured VSCode tasks and debug configurations for running and debugging LeetCode solutions.

Prerequisites¶

1. Virtual environment: leetcode/ must exist (see Virtual Environment Setup)
2. Python extension: Install Python extension for VSCode
3. debugpy: Install via pip install debugpy

Quick Start¶

1. Open a solution file (e.g., solutions/0001_two_sum.py)
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+B to run all tests
3. Press F5 to debug with breakpoints

💡 Tasks and debug configs auto-detect problem name from the current file.

Tasks (Ctrl+Shift+B)¶

Run via Terminal → Run Build Task or Ctrl+Shift+B.

How to Run Tasks¶

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+B (runs default task), or
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+P → type "Run Task" → select a task

Available Tasks¶

Basic Testing¶

Benchmarking¶

Test Generation¶

Combined Operations¶

Complexity Estimation¶

Input Prompts¶

Some tasks prompt for input:

Debug Configurations (F5)¶

Run via Run and Debug panel (Ctrl+Shift+D) or press F5.

How to Debug¶

1. Open a solution file
2. Set breakpoints (click left of line numbers)
3. Press F5 or select a configuration from the dropdown
4. Use debug controls: Step Over (F10), Step Into (F11), Continue (F5)

Available Configurations¶

Single Case Debugging¶

Full Test Suite Debugging¶

Generated Test Debugging¶

Workflow Examples¶

Example 1: Basic Development Cycle¶

1. Open solutions/0001_two_sum.py
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+B → runs all tests
3. If test fails:
   - Set breakpoint in solution
   - Press F5 → select "Debug current problem (case #1)"
   - Step through code to find bug

Example 2: Multi-Solution Comparison¶

1. Open solutions/0023_merge_k_sorted_lists.py
2. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Run Task" → "Run all solutions with benchmark"
3. Compare timing across heap, divide, greedy methods

Example 3: Stress Testing¶

1. Open solution file
2. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Run Task" → "Run generated + save failed"
3. Enter count: 100
4. If failure found:
   - Check tests/{problem}_failed_1.in
   - Debug with that specific input

Example 4: Reproduce a Failure¶

1. Note the seed from failure output
2. Ctrl+Shift+P → "Run Task" → "Run generated with seed"
3. Enter count and seed
4. Set breakpoints and debug

Customization¶

Adding Custom Tasks¶

Edit .vscode/tasks.json:

{
    "label": "My custom task",
    "type": "shell",
    "command": "${workspaceFolder}/leetcode/Scripts/python.exe",
    "args": [
        "runner/test_runner.py",
        "${fileBasenameNoExtension}",
        "--method",
        "heap"
    ],
    "options": {
        "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
    }
}

Adding Custom Debug Configurations¶

Edit .vscode/launch.json:

{
    "name": "Debug specific method",
    "type": "debugpy",
    "request": "launch",
    "program": "${workspaceFolder}/runner/test_runner.py",
    "args": [
        "${fileBasenameNoExtension}",
        "--method",
        "heap"
    ],
    "python": "${workspaceFolder}/leetcode/Scripts/python.exe",
    "console": "integratedTerminal",
    "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
}

VSCode Variables¶

Troubleshooting¶

Task Not Running¶

Symptom: Task fails with Python not found

Fix: Ensure virtual environment exists:

python -m venv leetcode

Debug Not Starting¶

Symptom: F5 does nothing or shows error

Fix: 1. Install debugpy: pip install debugpy 2. Ensure Python extension is installed 3. Check .vscode/launch.json Python path

Wrong Problem Detected¶

Symptom: Task runs wrong problem

Fix: Ensure the solution file is the active editor tab (not a test file or other file).

Path Issues on Linux/macOS¶

Symptom: Python path not found

Fix: The configs include platform-specific paths: - Windows: leetcode/Scripts/python.exe - Linux/macOS: leetcode/bin/python

Related Documentation¶

Maintainer: See Contributors