microsoft / microsoft/vscode-java-debug

Contribute to debug start experience

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ai-triaged enhancement question ux
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Hi VS Code dev here 👋

Last milestone we have introduced a Start View for debugging. More about this can be found here https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/84677
So when the user has no launch.json file this view should help him start debugging.

This view is currently language agnostic and not very cluttered thus we are slowly looking in opening it up to extensions. We have two options:

  1. Allow extensions to contribute commands / text to the current view. Those commands would be rendered as additional blue buttons or as some menu
  2. Allow extensions to contribute a whole view which would be below the start view. The Java extension could choose what to render in that view and it would give a bit more control to the extension. Using context keys this view would only be visible in the "start" experience

What I would be interested in is what Java would like to contribute to improve the start experience. If it is only commands, than I think it makes sense to show those commands in the start view (for example with additional blue buttons). If it is much more then it makes more sense that Java contributes the whole view.
What are the biggest pain points that Java users hit when setting up debugging?

Related python discussion: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-python-debugger/issues/164

Let me know what you think and how you envision the Java debug start experience.
Thanks!

Current look of debug start view
fyi @testforstephen

Screenshot 2020-01-13 at 11 27 54

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Read the linked VS Code debug start view issue and the related Python debugger discussion first; this issue names no repository file, test, or entry point. Identify Java users’ setup and debugging pain points, then determine whether the extension should contribute commands or a whole view. Done means an agreed contribution design and a scoped follow-up.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
java, vscode
Domain
developer-experience, devtools
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
20/100

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