Import sorting extension for Visual Studio Code using isort

A Visual Studio Code extension that provides import sorting for Python projects using isort. The extension uses the Language Server Protocol (LSP) to run isort in a server-like mode.

This extension ships with isort=5.13.2.

Note: The minimum version of isort this extension supports is 5.10.1. If you have any issues sorting imports with isort, please report it to this issue tracker as this extension is just a wrapper around isort.

This extension supports all actively supported versions of the Python language (i.e., Python >= 3.8).

For more information on isort, see https://pycqa.github.io/isort/

Usage and Features

The isort extension provides a series of import sorting features to help with readability of your Python code in Visual Studio Code. Check out the Settings section below for more details on how to customize the extension.

• Integrated Import Sorting: Once this extension is installed in Visual Studio Code, isort is automatically registered as an import organizer. You can use Shift + Alt + O to trigger the organize imports editor action. You can also trigger this from the quick fix available when imports are not organized.

• Customizable isort Arguments: You can customize the arguments passed to isort by modifying the isort.args setting.

• Import Sorting on Save: You can enable import sorting on save for Python files by changing the editor.codeActionsOnSave setting. It also works alongside the VS Code Black formatter extension if you set the following settings:

    "[python]": {
      "editor.defaultFormatter": "ms-python.black-formatter",
      "editor.formatOnSave": true,
      "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
          "source.organizeImports": "explicit"
      },
    },
    "isort.args":["--profile", "black"],

Disabling isort

If you want to disable isort for your entire workspace or globally, you can disable this extension in Visual Studio Code.

Settings

Settings	Default	Description
isort.args	[]	Arguments passed to isort for sorting imports in Python files. Each argument should be provided as a separate string in the array. Examples: - "isort.args" = ["--settings-file", "<file>"] - "isort.args" = ["--settings-path", "${fileDirname}"]
isort.check	false	Whether to run isort --check on open Python files and report sorting issues as a "Hint" in the Problems window. You can update isort.severity to show sorting issues with higher severity.
isort.severity	{ "W": "Warning", "E": "Hint" }	Mapping of isort's message types to VS Code's diagnostic severity levels as displayed in the Problems window.
isort.path	[]	Path of the isort binary to be used by this extension. Note: This may slow down formatting. Examples: - isort.path : ["~/global_env/isort"] - isort.path : ["conda", "run", "-n", "lint_env", "python", "-m", "isort"]
isort.interpreter	[]	Path to a Python executable or a command that will be used to launch the isort server and any subprocess. Accepts an array of a single or multiple strings. When set to [], the extension will use the path to the selected Python interpreter.
isort.importStrategy	useBundled	Defines which isort binary to be used to lint Python files. When set to useBundled, the extension will use the isort binary that is shipped with the extension. When set to fromEnvironment, the extension will attempt to use the isort binary and all dependencies that are available in the currently selected environment. Note: If the extension can't find a valid isort binary in the selected environment, it will fallback to using the isort binary that is shipped with the extension. The isort.path setting may also be ignored when this setting is set to fromEnvironment.
isort.showNotification	off	Controls when notifications are shown by this extension. Accepted values are onError, onWarning, always and off.
isort.serverEnabled	true	Experimental setting to control whether to run isort in a server-like mode. By default isort is run behind LSP server, but you can disable this setting to run isort directly. Disabling this setting will also disable import sorting via Code Actions or Organize Imports, but you can still sort imports through the isort: Sort Imports command.

Commands

Command	Description
isort: Restart	Force re-start the isort server.

Logging

From the Command Palette (View > Command Palette ...), run the Developer: Set Log Level... command. Select isort from the Extension logs group. Then select the log level you want to set.

Alternatively, you can set the isort.trace.server setting to verbose to get more detailed logs from the isort server. This can be helpful when filing bug reports.

To open the logs, click on the language status icon ({}) on the bottom right of the Status bar, next to the Python language mode. Locate the isort entry and select Open logs.