When VS Code is launched from an activated conda environment, prompt to select it

[brettcannon]

Related to microsoft/vscode-docs#3481, if someone launches VS Code with a conda environment already activated, VS Code should detect that and then ask the user if they would like to make that environment their selected one.

[brettcannon]

From an activated Anaconda Prompt, the set environment variables appear to be (for an environment named "activatetest"):

CONDA_DEFAULT_ENV=activatetest
CONDA_EXE=C:\Users\brcan\AppData\Local\Continuum\miniconda3\Scripts\conda.exe
CONDA_PREFIX=C:\Users\brcan\AppData\Local\Continuum\miniconda3\envs\activatetest
CONDA_PREFIX_1=C:\Users\brcan\AppData\Local\Continuum\miniconda3
CONDA_PROMPT_MODIFIER=(activatetest)
CONDA_PYTHON_EXE=C:\Users\brcan\AppData\Local\Continuum\miniconda3\python.exe
CONDA_SHLVL=2

[karrtikr]

CONDA_SHLVL is the variable to check.

In case of base environments only attempt to select it if auto activate base is set to false, see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/54429210/how-do-i-prevent-conda-from-activating-the-base-environment-by-default. Will likely have to check both CONDA_AUTO_ACTIVATE_BASE and conda config --get auto_activate_base.

[LtDan33]

You're right about the env variable. CONDA_SHLVL > 1 would indeed let you know if you are a "level" deeper than the base env, aka there is an environment activated. You actually could "Inception it" and go deeper as well. This can also be 0 as well which indicates that the conda command is available for the shell, but nothing is activated at all (even the base). Here is a little more information if you're curious.

As far as determining what env you are in, the CONDA_PREFIX env variable will show you that, or you could use conda info --json and check active_prefix, but the former would be the way to go.

Note that there is an open issue for this not working as it should on Windows: here which Kartik Raj (@karrtikr) is already aware of. The Anaconda team will make sure to get to that.

[karrtikr]

Upstream VSCode bug preventing autoselection at startup: microsoft/vscode#171827