Venv folders or Venv Path?

[pikeas]

Environment data

• VS Code version: 1.42.0
• Extension version: 2020.158038
• OS and version: macOS 10.15.2
• Python version: 3.8.1
• Type of virtual environment used: venv (poetry)
• Jedi or Language Server? No, unset

Expected behaviour

Clear documentation of the difference between python.venvFolders and python.venvPath.

Actual behaviour

python.venvFolders

Folders in your home directory to look into for virtual environments (supports pyenv, direnv and virtualenvwrapper by default).

python.venvPath

Path to folder with a list of Virtual Environments (e.g. ~/.pyenv, ~/Envs, ~/.virtualenvs).

It's unclear whether both of these should be set, and what the difference is between them.

[karthiknadig]

@pikeas Sorry for the confusion here. python.venvFolders are relative paths under the users' home directory. Anything you put in there, we will always prefix with the home directory path, when searching.
https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode-python/blob/2b6a8f2d439fe9d5e66665ea46d8b690ac9b2c39/src/client/interpreter/locators/services/globalVirtualEnvService.ts#L43-L44

Where as python.venvPath is an absolute path to where the environments are created. This need not be based off of the home directory.

@DonJayamanne Any reason these settings are separate? also, should python.venvPath be an array? Do you feel these settings need to be consolidated?

[DonJayamanne]

@karthiknadig we need to remove one of them. @brettcannon has some background around these two settings. #1479

[brettcannon]

@karthiknadig yes, there's history here. Ask me offline and I can fill you in, but basically we need to eliminate one/both of them and come up with a unified solution.

[brettcannon]

Closing as a duplicate of #1479 as that's the proper solution to this.