Environment Id is not static (it changes) when installing Python into an empty Conda environment

[DonJayamanne]

• Create a conda enviornment without Python and the id is the sys prefix of the conda enviornment
• Next install Python into this conda environment
• Now, reload VS Code, and the id for this environment is no longer the same.

@karrtikr I'd expect the Id to be the same everytime and not change.
Can we have the env id to be always sysprefix or the like, somethign that will never change for the same environment.

[DonJayamanne]

This is crucial for Jupyter extension as we create Kernels (somethign you see the Kernel quick pick) & we have an Id associated with each controller.
VS Code remembers this id.

• Hence assume you create a conda env without Python
• Now select this kernel
• & then later you instlal Python into this
• Now reload VS code,
• The controller no longer exists as the Id has now changed, hence Jupyter extnesion is no longer able to preserve the users selection

@rebornix /cc

[karrtikr]

Currently installing Python into the environment is considered the same as deleting the environment and creating an entirely new one, so the ID doesn't change per se as it's a new environment.

The selection can still be maintained however, resolveEnvironment returns the same environment if you pass the path to environment folder or the path to the executable. So even if ID changes the same environment is returned.

[karrtikr]

Can we have the env id to be always sysprefix or the like

Let me know if testing above works, otherwise I'll see if we can simply do this. Due to historical reasons this wasn't possible earlier.

[DonJayamanne]

Let me know if testing above works, otherwise I'll see if we can simply do this. Due to historical reasons this wasn't possible earlier.

Can't you instead set the Id as the Uri of the python executable?
Else at our end we need to track this and keep our own Ids.
I.e. the ID returned by Python extension will not be useful to us and we'll need to invent our own Id which will be based on the executable (in the case of conda without Python, the Id would be the python executable if such a file were to exist, this way in jupyter when Python is installed the id is still the same.
& we can use another flag to determine whether python exists or not, e.g. based on sysPrefix or another flag all together.