[FIXED] Function recall working in other IDEs but not VS Code

Issue

I wrote some very simple code:

def yo():
    text = "hi there"
    print(text) 
    print(text) 
  
  
yo()

I ran this in Spyder and online compilers without error. Obviously it spits out:

hi there
hi there

But when I run this in VS Code terminal using the "Run Python file in terminal" play button I get

"SyntaxError: invalid syntax" 

for line 1 (the def line).

When I type yo() into the terminal itself, I get the expected output of:

hi there
hi there

Why is do I get a different result from these? I executed other simple bits of Python in VS Code using the "play" button without issue. It goes without saying that I have the python extension and interpreter installed.

UPDATE: I restarted VS Code and now the file runs without issue. I guess "did you restart the computer" really does solve the issue sometimes...

Solution

Your function - yo(), is being defined, however Visual Studio Code does not know how to run it. To fix this, try adding the if __name__ == '__main__': clause. Here is your full code:

def yo():
    text = "hi there"
    print(text) 
    print(text) 

if __name__ == '__main__':
    yo()

Here is some more information about if __name__ == '__main__':

If that doesn't fix it, you must have some formatting issues or some different settings of Visual Studio Code. You could do the following things.

1. Make sure you're running the right file
2. Delete all of the code and paste it in again
3. Reset your Visual Studio Code settings

• Make sure your settings for Tab are 4 spaces.
• Disable terminal.integrated.inheritEnv in Settings

If all else fails, try these:

You should use the exit() command in the terminal to end python session. Then re-run and see if anything works.

Run your code using 'Start without debugging'.

Answered By - krmogi