redhat-developer / redhat-developer/vscode-java

Installing this extension in codespaces monkey patches fs which can break other extensions.

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Description

Installing both this vscode-java in a codespace breaks the codeql extension.

Environment
  • Operating System: codespaces
  • JDK version:
  • Visual Studio Code version:
  • Java extension version:
Steps To Reproduce
  1. Install both extensions
  2. Open the codeql pane (load codeql extension)
  3. Wait for codeql to startup (can take some time due to needing to download codeql itself).
  4. In codeql extension choose download a database from lgtm; Pick g/apache/maven, then java.
  5. Open the codeql pane (load codeql extension again)
  6. Open a java file (load java extension)
  7. In the workspace root look in the newly added top level root starting apache_maven_...
  8. An error about accessing pipes on undefined happens.
Additional Informations

This is a very complex 3 way interaction between the 2 extensions and codespaces. The underlying bug is https://github.com/isaacs/node-graceful-fs/issues/170 which is fixed with newer versions of graceful-fs. This is still used by vscode-java so things break I can't quite work out how an old version ends up in vscode-java as the only runtime dependency is optional but specifying --no-optional doesn't fix it (I am not a js/npm expert).

The full issue happens due to the following steps:

  • Basically codespaces patches fs (using graceful-fs) so that some values become computed properties.
  • vscode-codeql "subclasses" classes in fs due to (using graceful-fs) internally.
  • The broken version of graceful-fs in vscode-java is loaded and accidentally mutates fs (due to the use of computed properties in the patched version of fs).
  • The "classes" in vscode-codeql don't have the new prototype in the chain so the new constructors from the broken version of fs create new objects rather than modifying this.

Note that the issues with fs having properties is also the case with node 15+ but vscode is on 14 so this will break in future whenever vscode updates nodejs that far.

To fix it you need to ensure the version of graceful-fs is greater than 4.2.2 where the bug is fixed.

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

Start by inspecting vscode-java's npm dependency declarations and how graceful-fs is resolved, then reproduce the Codespaces interaction with the CodeQL extension described in the issue. Confirm that the resolved graceful-fs version is greater than 4.2.2 and verify that opening a Java file no longer causes the CodeQL database workspace error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
node.js, typescript
Domain
devtools, tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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