Understand projects, execution and saved changes
These distinctions help you choose the right tool and avoid mistaking an editor view for a saved file or a running Python session.
A project is more than the active tab
The Project tree shows a project's files and folders. A tab is one open document; it is not necessarily a file inside that project. For example, opening Numpy Basics from Learn added an editable example tab without adding that script to AI Vision Lab's Project tree.
The active project also supplies an interpreter, package environment and run configuration. Read the selected configuration before running: Current Selected File follows the selected file, while a named configuration identifies a saved target and options. See project settings.
An interpreter and a package environment solve different problems
The interpreter runs Python code. Packages provide additional libraries imported by that code. A project can have a working interpreter and still be missing PyTorch or Matplotlib.
The app offers Embedded, Project .venv and Custom interpreter modes. The
reviewed advanced examples use a project .venv prepared through Helper.
Installing Helper, preparing that environment and installing its dependencies
are separate steps. Helper connected alone does not prove the project has
every required library. A separate compatible-system-Python check also verified
that Custom can be saved, reopened and used for Run; the Homebrew Python 3.14.6
path was rejected in this build, so read the exact validation and version status
instead of assuming that every installed Python is selectable. See
Interpreter settings, Helper and
Packages.
Choose the execution surface for the task
| Surface | Use it when you want to… | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Run | Execute a program and read its output. | Selected configuration, running state and completion output. |
| Python Console | Execute a file, then inspect or change Python objects in the same session. | Loaded file, Python prompt and Variables. |
| Terminal | Enter shell commands in a project folder. | Current directory and explicit interpreter path. |
| Debug | Pause at a breakpoint and inspect execution step by step. | Paused state, selected stack frame, values and highlighted line. |
For a script that calls input(), use the verified
Terminal input tutorial.
In the reviewed Helper/project .venv configuration, the normal Run route ended
with EOFError before an answer could be entered; the Terminal received the answer.
A Console expression changes the running session, not the source file. Clearing console output left the reviewed session's objects available; stopping the console cleared the loaded state and Variables. These are different actions. See interactive execution and debugging.
Saving, local history and Git are not interchangeable
Saving writes the editor's document. Closing and reopening the saved tutorial file restored its code. Local History showed earlier saves and their differences from the current file, including a previously added import.
Not pressing Save is not a reliable way to discard a change. A separate close-and-reopen check retained a newly added comment without a save-confirmation dialog. Review or undo an unwanted edit before closing the file.
A separate save-timing check left an edit unsaved while the same file stayed active, then saved it when another tab was selected. Use Command-S when you need the disk copy updated immediately; do not assume that waiting briefly is equivalent to saving.
Reloading is the opposite direction: it replaces the editor's text with the saved file. File → Reload From Disk discarded unsaved text without a confirmation in the reviewed ACE editor. If another app changed the disk copy, preserve both versions separately before saving or reloading; neither command merges them. Read the two reload routes before using this as a refresh command.
Git is a separate version-control workflow. The AI example did not become a Git repository just because it had been saved and run. A Git commit is not the same action as saving a file; publishing commits to a remote is another separate action. Creating a local repository, inspecting a diff, committing, reading history and switching a local branch were replayed. Remote fetch, pull, push and conflict recovery remain outside the verified workflow.
Local History's inspected screen is a comparison view, not a backup guarantee or a verified automatic restore feature. Keep a separate recoverable copy before broad edits. See file management and history.
A panel location is not an execution mode
Left has upper and lower tool slots. Bottom contains Results, including the Execution group with Run, Debug and Python Console tabs. Right displays tools such as Assistant, Services and Ollama. A document's source/preview split is inside the editor and does not add another Right tool panel.
Closing a panel is not always harmless to its state: the Assistant conversation was lost when its panel was closed and reopened. Minimizing Results discarded the tested Terminal and Python Console sessions; switching away from those tools also lost their temporary state in the reviewed transitions. Completed Run output did survive a minimize/reopen check. Save important results before changing panels and consult workspace behavior for the exact tested cases.
An AI explanation is not an applied code change
The verified local Assistant chat explained the selected code. It did not alter the file. Agent mode and change-review controls need a separate end-to-end test before this manual can describe a reliable edit-application workflow.
Review the provider and selected file before sending a request. The app supplies file context to the native Assistant; using a remote provider can transmit that context. A provider API key belongs in the provider setup, not in project source. Changing the selected file changes the context of the next question while the existing conversation can remain visible. Copy response copies an answer's text; it does not edit a Python file. See Assistant and privacy and keep a copy of an answer.