Setting environment variable in vs code debugger

When working with Julia in VS Code, you may encounter the need to set environment variables in the debugger. This can be useful for various reasons, such as configuring API keys or setting specific runtime options. In this article, we will explore three different ways to set environment variables in the VS Code debugger for Julia.

Option 1: Using the launch.json file

The first option involves modifying the launch.json file in your VS Code project. This file is used to configure the debugger settings for your project. To set environment variables, you can add a “env” property to the “configurations” section of the launch.json file. Here’s an example:

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "type": "julia",
      "request": "launch",
      "name": "Debug Julia",
      "program": "${workspaceFolder}/main.jl",
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "DEBUG_MODE": "true"
      }
    }
  ]
}

In this example, we have added two environment variables: “API_KEY” and “DEBUG_MODE”. You can replace the values with your own variables and values. Once you save the launch.json file, the debugger will use these environment variables when launching your Julia program.

Option 2: Using the .env file

If you prefer to keep your environment variables separate from the launch.json file, you can use a .env file. This option requires the installation of the DotEnv.jl package. Here’s how you can set environment variables using a .env file:

# Install DotEnv.jl package
using Pkg
Pkg.add("DotEnv")

# Load environment variables from .env file
using DotEnv
DotEnv.load()

# Access environment variables
api_key = ENV["API_KEY"]
debug_mode = ENV["DEBUG_MODE"]

In this example, we first install the DotEnv.jl package using the Pkg module. Then, we load the environment variables from the .env file using the DotEnv.load() function. Finally, we can access the environment variables using the ENV dictionary. Make sure to create a .env file in your project directory and add your environment variables in the format “VARIABLE_NAME=VALUE”.

Option 3: Using the terminal

If you prefer a more interactive approach, you can set environment variables directly in the terminal before launching the Julia debugger. Here’s how you can do it:

# Set environment variables in the terminal
export API_KEY="your-api-key"
export DEBUG_MODE="true"

# Launch Julia debugger
julia --project=@. -e 'using VSCodeServer; VSCodeServer.run()'

In this example, we use the “export” command to set the environment variables in the terminal. Replace “your-api-key” and “true” with your own values. After setting the environment variables, we launch the Julia debugger using the “julia” command with the necessary arguments.

After exploring these three options, it is clear that the best option depends on your specific needs and preferences. Option 1 is convenient if you want to keep the environment variables directly in the launch.json file. Option 2 is useful if you prefer to separate the environment variables in a .env file. Option 3 is suitable if you prefer a more interactive approach using the terminal. Choose the option that best fits your workflow and project requirements.