VSCode 'Add Build Configuration' fails - blank window

[Daniel Chisholm]

My installation of VSCode on Linux Mint has never worked properly.  I am able to open an existing application however the "Add Build Configuration" window is blank, for example:

As I said, this has "never worked".  Originally, when I installed VSCode (and NRF Connect etc) my computer was running Linux Mint 20.  It did not work, however at that time I believe I discovered that it was not supported by Mint-20 or by the related version of Ubuntu, so I never pursued it at the time.

Since then I have upgraded to Mint 21.2, which is based on Ubuntu 22.04, which is indicated to be supported at "Tier 3".  This has not fixed the problem.

I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling VS-Code, and the NRF Connect extensions inside VS-Code - this has not helped.

Thoughts, suggestions of where I might look for some clues...?

[Daniel Chisholm]

Hello Håkon, sorry for my delay replying - so: a very Happy New Year to you and your co-workers!! ;-)

Darn it, a symlinked home directory does indeed seem to be the cause of the problem.  Yes my home directory was a symlink.  Total respect for figuring that one out (!!!)

I have now solved (actually, worked-around, grumble-grumble) the problem.

If it helps anybody else, here is what I now know about what works and what does not work.  I can make the problem appear or disappear depending on the directory ".vscode" in my home directory:

• If my home directory is a symlink, then things fail
• If my home directory is a real directory, and everything in it is a symlink except for ".vscode", then things work.