I wonder if you could just document some of VSCode's idiosyncratic terminology and avoid this. I also have a suggestion below about what I think is very confusing about the default launch configuration.
re: Terminology, explain that VSCode uses the term "launch" in multiple ways. To "launch" (verb) means to execute a DFDL parse, which can be with or without the DFDL debugger. This requires first that settings (for launching) are specified. The words "the launch" (noun) means "specific settings for launching" within the launch.config file. There are two kinds of launches - execute DFDL parse with debugger, aka "to debug", and run without debugger, aka just "to run". The "launch wizard" is currently actually a launch-configuration editor. It does not cause any run to happen. That's done separately via the "run" button (on left). Adding buttons to the launch config editor to enable running or debugging directly isn't the problem. What is very confusing is that the default launch configuration that is created automatically doesn't contain a launch configuration, but actually a meta-launch configuration that instead prompts the user, every time, for a data file, schema file, etc. Very confusing that it creates a launch configuration that isn't a launch configuration because it doesn't contain the settings for the primary things that one needs to configure to use DFDL to parse and debug a parse, which are the data file and the schema. I found this VERY confusing and unnatural. In the creation of a launch configuration, I expect a wizard to prompt you for the data file and schema file once and then it should generate the launch configuration file that locks those down so that repeating the run action does not re-prompt you. The "advanced" functionality that I expect users *never* need, is the ability for a launch configuration to prompt for a file or schema each time it is run. If you want that, you should have to hand-edit the launch.config file to obtain that. Most users would never even need to know this late-bound prompting-for-files behavior is possible from a launch configuration. On Thu, Aug 8, 2024 at 11:42 AM Shane Dell <shaned...@apache.org> wrote: > > Hello all, > > This email is to discuss a potential enhancement to the Launch Wizard for > the Apache Daffodil™ Extension for Visual Studio Code. Right now the Launch > Wizard provides an interface that allows the user to configure the > different settings for passing to the debugger. The possible enhancement I > want to discuss here is adding the ability to run a Run or Debug of a > configuration directly from the Launch Wizard. Moreover, this would mean > most likely adding two new buttons, these being "Run Config" and "Debug > Config". Based on the button clicked will determine if a Run or Debug is > processed. When these buttons are pressed the current config will be Ran or > Debugged but for both it will also save the current config to the > launch.json, once run or debug finish it should bring you back to the > Launch Wizard on the same config. Any problems, complaints, concerns or > additional ideas to add? Note: This would most likely be targeted to be a > part of 1.4.1 or 1.5.0 and not the 1.4.0 milestone. > > Thank you, > > Shane Dell
