Fix ${cmake.testProgram} launch from the Run and Debug view (#4574) - #5070
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The ${cmake.testProgram}, ${cmake.testArgs}, ${cmake.testWorkingDirectory}
and ${cmake.testEnvironment} placeholders were only substituted in the Test
Explorer "Debug Test" flow, where a test name is known. Launching such a
configuration from the Run and Debug view (F5) passed the literal string to
the debugger, failing with "program '${cmake.testProgram}' does not exist".
Add a DebugConfigurationProvider (registered for cppdbg, cppvsdbg, lldb,
lldb-dap and gdb) that resolves these placeholders before variable
substitution. When no test context exists, it refreshes the discovered CTest
tests and prompts the user to pick one (auto-selecting when only one exists),
then substitutes the placeholders for that test. Configurations that don't
reference the placeholders (including those already substituted by the Test
Explorer flow) are returned unchanged, so there is no double prompt.
The resolver validates that the selected test maps to a real program and
reports a clear error otherwise, and the CTest info accessors guard against
tests without a command. Placeholder detection walks the configuration
recursively instead of relying on JSON.stringify.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot-Session: e55cc9b5-dc8d-413d-a219-8c6418ec1d25
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Resolve CHANGELOG.md conflict by keeping the #4574 entry alongside the #4267 and #5028 Bug Fixes entries from main. src/ctest.ts auto-merged; typecheck and the 22 ctest unit tests pass. Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: e55cc9b5-dc8d-413d-a219-8c6418ec1d25
MacGyver Codilla (mcodilla)
approved these changes
Sep 3, 2026
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Fixes #4574
Problem
The
${cmake.testProgram},${cmake.testArgs},${cmake.testWorkingDirectory}and${cmake.testEnvironment}placeholders are only meaningful for a specific CTest test. They were substituted exclusively in the Test Explorer "Debug Test" flow (debugCTestImpl), where a test name is known.Starting the same
launch.jsonconfiguration from the Run and Debug view (F5) provides no test context, so the literal placeholder string reached the debug adapter and failed with:Many users (see the issue thread) expected F5 to work.
Fix
Add a
DebugConfigurationProvider(CTestLaunchConfigurationProvider) registered forcppdbg,cppvsdbg,lldb,lldb-dapandgdb. ItsresolveDebugConfigurationruns before variable substitution, so it can intercept the still-literal${cmake.test*}placeholders:startDebugging) or for unrelated launches.The substitution logic previously inlined in
debugCTestImplis extracted into a sharedapplyTestPlaceholderSubstitutionshelper used by both entry points.Notes
command.JSON.stringify.docs/debug-launch.md) updated to describe the new F5 behavior and note that"presentation": { "hidden": true }still restricts a config to the Test Explorer only.Testing
Manually validated with a CTest project: F5 on a
(ctest) Launchconfig now shows a test picker, resolves${cmake.testProgram}to the real executable, passes${cmake.testArgs}, and the debugger attaches and hits breakpoints. The Test Explorer "Debug Test" path continues to work unchanged (no extra prompt).