microsoft / microsoft/vscode-cmake-tools

Feature Request: Make `Compile active file` a first-class citizen

Open
#3,845 1 comment 2 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
enhancement Feature: build
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Description

### Discussed in https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-cmake-tools/discussions/3844

Originally posted by **dslijepcevic** June 24, 2024
At the moment, `Compile active file` is not well integrated into CMake Tools; it feels disconnected, like a side, one-off thing. From the user's standpoint, there's really no reason for the compilation of a single file to be treated differently than building any other target via CMake.

To achieve this, I believe that the output of the compilation command should be parsed, and all warnings and errors displayed in the Problems tab, replacing the last build's output. This is how things work in Visual Studio and other IDEs, i.e., compilation with Ctrl+F7 is seamless. Perhaps you can add an option for this if you don't want this behavior to be the default.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the existing `Compile active file` command and the discussion at #3844 to understand the intended behavior. Trace how its compilation output is surfaced today, then integrate diagnostics into the Problems tab while replacing the previous build output; done means single-file compilation feels like a normal CMake build and its warnings and errors are visible there.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cmake, typescript, vscode
Domain
build-system, developer-experience
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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