'cwd' option is not respected in launch.json

[andreasjhkarlsson]

Bug type: General

• OS and Version: macOS 11.2.3
• VS Code Version: 1.59.1
• C/C++ Extension Version: 1.6.0

After updating to 1.6.0 of this extension the cwd option stopped working for all of my launch.json configs. Example config:

        {
            "name": "TEST",
            "request": "launch",
            "type": "cppdbg",
            "program": "/tmp/a.out",
            "args": [""],
            "stopAtEntry": false,
            "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/components/Media/",
            "environment": [
                //{"name": "ASAN_OPTIONS", "value": "detect_container_overflow=0"} // Uncomment when using address sanitizier
            ], 
            "externalConsole": false,
            "MIMode": "lldb"
        },  

To verify I created a test program like:

#include <unistd.h>
#include <iostream>

int main()
{
char a[2048];
getcwd(a, 2048);
std::cout << a << std::endl;
}

which on 1.6.0 prints the incorrect "/private/tmp" when launching through vscode. If I manually downgrade to 1.5.1 I get the expected output (the actual cwd specified in the launch.json file).

[mikebeaton]

I can confirm that this is specific to cppdbg 1.6.0 - i.e. does not happen with cppdbg [1.4.1-1.5.1] - but that it is not specific to VS Code 1.59.1 - i.e. same problem happens, with cppdbg 1.6.0 only, with vscode (1.57.1-1.58.2].

-exec shell pwd at the vscode Debug Console also shows the same problem, current directory is the location of the program file, not the location specified in cwd.

(Not sure if it is relevant or not, but I am also on macOS, 11.5.)

[elahehrashedi]

quoting from here: microsoft/vscode#27157
"cwd is nothing that VS Code knows about. A debug extension owns the schema for its launch attributes and only some define cwd (and VS Code cannot make any assumptions about the semantics of cwd anyway; it can only guess..."

[mikebeaton]

@elahehrashedi - Thanks for the additional info - so it's a good thing that this issue is on the repository of the cppdbg extension and not of VS Code then, right?

[ennorehling]

It seems that this is still an issue in version 1.8.5 (pre-release). Is there any workaround for this? I just want the debug configuration to launch the program with a current working directory of {$workspaceFolder}, but it seems to always start from the CMake build directory :-(

[mikebeaton]

@WardenGnaw / anyone else?

@elahehrashedi's comment seems to imply that the issue is in the right place.

The behaviour changed between 1.5.1 and 1.6.0; from @ennorehling's comment, it still seems be an issue in 1.8.5; and it seems to be a genuine issue, affecting some people's ability to use the tool effectively.

[arsdever]

I'm facing a similar issue on VS too. I hate cwd set in the launch.vs.json file, but the debugger won't start in that directory. Using msvc_x64_x64 compiler in the CMakeSettings and the default debugger the VS provides.

[b-reich]

Have the same Issue with python and linux.
I think its a vscode problem not a plugin one.

[clumdee]

Same for me. Have the same Issue with python.

[Colengms]

My understanding is that the cwd value is passed along to the debugger, and there is a known issue with lldb-mi (needed to debug with clang+lldb) not propagating the cwd value from its -environment-cd argument to the process being debugged. llvm/llvm-project#29613

[mikebeaton]

@Colengms - That proposed source of the problem doesn't fit with the issue depending on the version of VS Code.

[Colengms]

Hi @mikebeaton . Some code was changed between these versions such that the issue with lldb-mi was exposed. We can use this issue to track implementing a work around, but the ideal fix would come from lldb-mi.