Python Debugger is overiding PYTHONPATH

[tkuraku]

Environment data

• VS Code version: 1.27.1
• Extension version (available under the Extensions sidebar): 2018.8.0
• OS and version: Windows 7
• Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g. Anaconda): Anaconda 5.2

Actual behavior

When I debug a python file in vscode my PYTHONPATH variable is overridden.

here is the relevant line shown on the terminal.

set "PYTHONPATH=c:\Users\username.vscode\extensions\ms-python.python-2018.8.0\pythonFiles\experimental\ptvsd"

Expected behavior

I would expect the PYTHONPATH to be appended to not overridden.

Steps to reproduce:

1. Set the PYTHONPATH variable to something
2. debug a script with the follow code:

import sys
print(sys.path)

You should not see the path that you set in the PYTHONPATH

[brettcannon]

I can't remember if we supported this in the old debugger (if we did then this is a regression). Otherwise I think of any reason off the top of my head to not append PYTHONPATH as appropriate.

[tkuraku]

Thank you for the quick reply. Hopefully this can be resolved.
If someone's python script/program relies on the PYTHONPATH being set then the current behavior of the debugger makes it unusable.

[DonJayamanne]

@tkuraku
Please could you confirm you have a value in PYTHONPATH?

[tkuraku]

@DonJayamanne
I do have a value in PYHTONPATH. The reason I noticed this was that when I run my script from the terminal everything works as expected. However, when I ran the debugger my script failed with an import error on one of my modules that is in the PYTHONPATH. (FYI debugger works fine in pycharm).

[Argysh]

I'm having the same issue and it used to work a couple of days ago.
(vscode was updated to 1.26.1 in between.)

running my script in either ipython or python in the terminal works as expected. when running the debugger with these settings

        {
            "name": "Python: Current File",
            "type": "python",
            "request": "launch",
            "program": "${file}"
        },

shows that the PYTHONPATH is being overwritten to
"PYTHONPATH=/home/myname/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2018.8.0/pythonFiles/experimental/ptvsd"

[Argysh]

adding individual softlinks to /home/myname/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2018.8.0/pythonFiles/experimental/ptvsd to the required modules works for me as a temporary work-around

ln - s /home/path/to/my/module /home/myname/.vscode/extensions/ms-python.python-2018.8.0/pythonFiles/experimental/ptvsd/

[DonJayamanne]

@Argysh @tkuraku
Is PYTHONPATH defined in your python environment or is it a global environment variable?