${relativeFileDirname} doesn't resolve in tasks.json - visual-studio-code

Here's my tasks.json for reference:
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"type": "cppbuild",
"label": "build active file with debug",
"command": "/usr/bin/g++",
"args": [
"${file}",
"-o",
"${workspaceFolder}/out/${relativeFileDirname}.out",
"-g"
],
"problemMatcher": ["$gcc"],
"group": "build",
"detail": "compiler: /usr/bin/g++"
},
]
}
Here's a video to demonstrate the output: https://imgur.com/a/tvurtX1
In the video I am compiling a file 12-how-to-debug-effectively/main.cpp, and according to my tasks.json, the output file should be out/12-how-to-debug-effectively.out, but for some reason the variable substitution doesn't work and I instead get out/.out.
Any pointers where I might be going wrong?

cppbuild is not a valid value for the type argument.
All the examples on the VSC doc site use "type": "shell"
When using "type": "shell" I can see the command to be executed and the variables are filled in correct. (I used a 1 word subdirectory mysite)
Using "type": "cppbuild" I can't see which command is executed.

Related

How to configure the executable file name in VS Code?

As, my title suggests I want to hard-code my output file name, instead of the default one, where it is named after the file.
This is my tasks.json file in VS Code:
{
// See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=733558
// for the documentation about the tasks.json format
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"type": "shell",
"label": "clang++ build active file",
"command": "/usr/bin/clang++",
"args": [
"-std=c++17",
"-stdlib=libc++",
"-g",
"${file}",
"-o",
"${fileDirname}/${fileBasenameNoExtension}"
],
"options": {
"cwd": "${workspaceFolder}"
},
"problemMatcher": ["$gcc"],
"group": {
"kind": "build",
"isDefault": true
}
}
]
}
From this documentation https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-clang-mac, I found a method of doing it, i.e. by replacing "${fileDirname}/${fileBasenameNoExtension}" with a hard-coded filename (for example "${workspaceFolder}/myProgram.out"). But, this is not working for me, I still get the default one. Should I be changing someother configuration along with this?
This executable with file name fills the VS Code Explorer section with repeatitive stuffs and this creates confusion. I found some methods to hide files with certain extensions like .out, .json etc, but the issue is executable file in VS Code(Mac) doesn't have any file extension.

Problem in VSCode "$gcc" problem matcher to recognize file path in C++ compiler error reports

I have just set my launch.json and tasks.json as the tutorial on the Internet said. But when I pree F5 compile and find some errors, I cannot click the red words "errors" showed in the "Problems".
If I click, the information will be:
Anyone can help me?
task.json
{
// https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=733558
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"type": "shell",
"label": "g++.exe build active file",
"command": "C:\\MinGW\\bin\\g++.exe",
"args": [
"-g",
"${file}",
"-o",
"${fileDirname}\\${fileBasenameNoExtension}.exe"
],
"options": {
"cwd": "C:\\MinGW\\bin"
},
"problemMatcher": [
"$gcc"
],
"group": "build"
}
]
}
The problem is the "$gcc" problem matcher defined in ms-vscode.cpptools-0.XX.0 extension.
It is the same problem matcher as mentioned in the Task documentation about problem matchers.
This matcher uses relative paths. But MinGW with g++ v8 uses absolute file paths in the error when the source file is supplied with absolute file path in the args property of the task.
Solution is to modify the "$gcc" problem matcher and use absolute file path.
"problemMatcher": {
"base": "$gcc",
"fileLocation": "absolute"
},

Using a shell command as VSCode task variable value

I am trying to define a VSCode task in tasks.json that would adapt to the specific architecture where VSCode runs. To do this, I want to get the architecture as uname --m (e.g. "aarch64" or "amd64"). My goal is to interpolate the output of uname into an environment variable like so
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"label": "build",
"type": "shell",
"command": "cmake",
"args": [
"-DMYLIB_INCLUDE_DIR=$MYLIB/include",
"-DMYLIB_LIBRARY=$MYLIB/lib"
],
"options": {
"env": {
"MYLIB": "${workspaceFolder}/mylib/${command:get_arch}"
}
},
}
]
In my case, I will have architecture-specific versions of mylib under mylib/aarch64, mylib/amd64, etc.
My attempt so far as been to define a second get_arch task used in the environment definition of MYLIB, that simply runs uname.
{
"label": "get_arch",
"type": "shell",
"command": "uname --m"
}
Of course, this task is not a proper command and so it isn't detected by VSCode and my build task fails. I checked out the documentation on variable substition, but they don't mention if it's possible to substitute a shell command. I guess this would be possible from within an extension, but I want to keep things as simple as possible.
This extension provides a way to launch arbitrary shell commands as a VS Code command:
"tasks": [
{
"label": "test_arch",
"type": "shell",
"command": "echo",
"args": [
"${MYARCH}"
],
"options": {
"env": {
"MYARCH": "${input:get_arch}"
}
},
"problemMatcher": []
},
],
"inputs": [
{
"id": "get_arch",
"type": "command",
"command": "shellCommand.execute",
"args": {
"command": "uname -m"
}
}
]
One disadvantage I discovered is that you have to press Enter once more when the result of the command is prompted in picker. Aside of this, this is the straightest way to implement what you want, and yet it can be utilized in many similar situations.
Alternatively, you can add pickString input with arch picker or create an extension that adds only single command GetArch.
If you don't want to press enter every time, you can add the option useFirstResult: true in the args section.

How to launch specific task from input variable in VS Code?

I'm trying to create a launch configuration where an environment variable is dynamically determined by a shell script. Even though a command variable can start a task via workbench.action.tasks.runTask, it doesn't seem to be possible to specify which task to run. Input variables seem to be a little more flexible in that regard, but I can't seem to get it to work. Here is what I got:
launch.json:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "go",
"request": "launch",
"mode": "auto",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/main.go",
"env": {
"XXX": "${input:foo}"
},
"args": []
}
],
"inputs": [
{
"type": "command",
"id": "foo",
"command": "workbench.action.tasks.runTask",
"args": {
"args": "bar",
}
}
]
}
tasks.json:
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"label": "bar",
"type": "shell",
"command": "find /dev -name 'myspecialdevice*' -maxdepth 1"
}
]
}
The issue is that the user is still queried for which task to run. I'm most insecure about the inputs.args section of the launch.json. I don't really know what the key value should be. Perhaps the implementation helps to figure this out?
This answer not really relates to make use of a vscode task, but your introducting sentence offers the motivation/what is intended to be solved.
I was faced to the same question and was wondering about vscode's input type:command. It offers a way to embed a (custom) vscode command -- which looks like a powerfull mechanism to embed a (custom) extension here. But I didn't found a builtin command that simply executes a shell script and returns it stdout. Thus an extension to capture the output of a shell command is imho required todo the trick.
E.g. https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=augustocdias.tasks-shell-input
provides a command shellCommand.execute doing exactly this.
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "go",
"request": "launch",
"mode": "auto",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/main.go",
"env": {
"XXX": "${input:foo}"
},
"args": []
}
],
"inputs": [
{
"id": "foo",
"type": "command",
"command": "shellCommand.execute",
"args": {
"command": "find /dev -name 'myspecialdevice*' -maxdepth 1",
"cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
/* To prevent user from selecting output (if there is just
one line printed by command), un-comment next line */
//"useSingleResult": true
}
}
]
}
(Inspired by https://stackoverflow.com/a/58930746/1903441)
In your launch.json, try replacing
"args": {
"args": "bar",
}
with
"args": "bar"
It seems that in vscode, you cannot pass a return or even an environment variable from task.json to launch.json. But you can use a file as a intermediate.
For example, in task.json:
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"label": "bar",
"type": "shell",
"command": "find /dev -name 'myspecialdevice*' -maxdepth 1 > ${workspaceFolder}/.vscode/temp"
}
]
}
In launch.json you set bar as preLaunchTask, and later access the file using inputs, like this:
{
"version": "0.2.0",
"configurations": [
{
"name": "Launch",
"type": "go",
"request": "launch",
"mode": "auto",
"program": "${workspaceFolder}/main.go",
"env": {
"XXX": "${input:foo}"
},
"args": [],
"preLaunchTask": "bar",
}
],
"inputs": [
{
"id": "foo",
"type": "command",
"command": "extension.commandvariable.file.content",
"args": {
"fileName": "${workspaceFolder}/.vscode/temp",
}
}
]
}
To get the comment working, just install this extension: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=rioj7.command-variable

How to chain tasks in Visual Studio Code using only tasks.json?

I have been ploughing through the documentation of Visual Studio Code to figure out how to add multiple consecutive tasks to the tasks.json file.
The tasks array only allows for creating different arguments to the same command. In this example the command is echo.
{
"version": "0.1.0",
"command": "echo",
"isShellCommand": true,
"args": [],
"showOutput": "always",
"echoCommand": true,
"suppressTaskName": true,
"tasks": [
{
"taskName": "hello",
"args": ["Hello World"]
},
{
"taskName": "bye",
"args": ["Good Bye"]
}
]
}
Does tasks.json allow several tasks to be executed consecutively? For example, tsc followed by uglify?
The dependsOn feature was shipped in version 1.10.0. For example, I am using this to compile and run single file scripts in TypeScript:
{
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"command": "tsc -p ${cwd}/2017-play",
"label": "tsc-compile",
"type": "shell"
},
{
"command": "node ${cwd}/2017-play/build/${fileBasenameNoExtension}.js",
"label": "node-exec",
"type": "shell",
"dependsOn": [
"tsc-compile"
],
"problemMatcher": []
}
]
}
Here is a working example that runs the tcs build and copies the source to another folder using a shell script.
This is based on various posts on StackOverflow and the documentation found here:
https://code.visualstudio.com/updates/v1_10#_more-work-on-terminal-runner
One could also make a tasks.json with two tasks with the second having a dependsOn on the first one as shown in Ben Creasy post, the two tasks would get executed when the second one is called. I needed to be able to execute one, the other or both. Many thanks to Ben, I had a hard time finding a solution before hitting this post.
BTW, when including a shell file, the commands are run with reference to the project folder, not the one where the script is located.
{
// See https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=733558
// for the documentation about the tasks.json format
"version": "2.0.0",
"tasks": [
{
"type": "typescript",
"tsconfig": "tsconfig.json",
"problemMatcher": [
"$tsc"
],
"group": "build",
"identifier": "build"
},
{
"label": "Copy files",
"type": "shell",
"command": "./scripts/copysrc.sh",
"windows": {
"command": ".\\scripts\\copysrc.cmd"
},
"group": "build",
"presentation": {
"reveal": "always"
},
"problemMatcher": [],
"dependsOn": "build"
},
{
"label": "Build and copy",
"dependsOn": [
"build",
"Copy files"
],
"group": "build",
"problemMatcher": []
}
]
}