Allow to provide task definitions through DebugConfiguration.preLaunchTask

[g-arjones]

This is a follow-up from: #59337

The goal is to provide a simple mechanism for a DebugConfigurationProvider to create task definitions and use them as prelaunch tasks. A TaskProvider would then be able to pick those up and fill the missing bits. Currently, there is no way to gather data from debugging configurations provided by the user through launch.json and pass it to a task provider so that prelaunch tasks could be created dynamically off the debug configuration.

I will be glad to hear workarounds as well..

[vscodebot]

(Experimental duplicate detection)
Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Allow extensions to prevent task configuration for tasks from their task providers (#73749)

[g-arjones]

Not a duplicate.

[isidorn]

fyi @weinand @alexr00

[weinand]

A TaskProvider can easily access the current debug configuration by registering for the start of a debug session via the onDidStartDebugSession API.
@g-arjones have you tried this?

[g-arjones]

No, because my understanding was that the preLaunchtask is launched before the session starts and that onDidStartDebugSession is called after. My goal is to create a task to be used as a prelaunchTask. Am I missing something? @weinand

[vscodebot]

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[adriancostin6]

No, because my understanding was that the preLaunchtask is launched before the session starts and that onDidStartDebugSession is called after. My goal is to create a task to be used as a prelaunchTask. Am I missing something? @weinand

Hello @g-arjones, did you manage to do this? I want to do the same thing now and I am stuck. I want to define a preLaunchTask without having to write a tasks.json file, and would like the extension I write to register this automatically. I am not sure whether this is possible. Any insights?

[adriancostin6]

A TaskProvider can easily access the current debug configuration by registering for the start of a debug session via the onDidStartDebugSession API. @g-arjones have you tried this?

@weinand Could you please elaborate on this, if you have the time?

I am trying to start a debugging session by first running a gdbserver instance locally, and then connecting to it with a client. I am doing this to bypass a limitation on Cygwin/MinGW where gdb does not bind breakpoints as it cannot stop a running process, but gdbserver on the other hand works just fine.

I would like to abstract this away from the users of my extension so they do not have to define a task for it in the tasks.json file, and register it as a preLaunchTask in launch.json. The behavior I am seeking is for the user to hit the debug button, a server to start automatically on a local port and then have a client attach to it, all in one go.

The solutions I have researched so far are:

• registering a custom task, with a task provider, then somehow specifying it as a preLaunchTask for my debug configuration (did not actually invest time in this, as I don't know how to do it yet, and I am unsure if it will work or not)
• registering a custom task with a task provider, and adding an extra step, for the user to run the task inside vscode (not ideal, same as starting a debug server from the command line as it involves an extra step. same as above, on the uncertainty scale)
• define a tasks.json file with the preLaunchTask (tried this and it works, but the extra step of defining a tasks.json file is not ideal. unlikely that people will do this, rather than complain)

Later edit: I know this is not a good place to ask questions, but I have already tried my luck on SO, to no avail.