VSCode - 'Add Build Configuration' window is blank

[connor.duval]

I have run into a problem using the nRF Connect extension for VSCode. I have restarted the program, my computer, removed and recreated the application and nothing has worked. I cannot get the 'Add Build Configuration' window to appear in full after clicking "No build configurations Click to create one". The tab does open but is entirely blank. Notably, this works fine on other applications I have made on this machine (MacOS Monterey 12.4, Macbook Pro 2017, 16GB, 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel i7) and, at some stage, did once work for this application. I have seen this happen on other applications but usually just refreshing the workspace allows me to see the window. Scrolling around does nothing, I don't believe that it's displaying but with an incorrect offset. This fails on all screens of my 3-monitor set-up and fails with no monitors plugged in. No error message is logged in any of the VSCode tabs (nothing in Output > nRF Connect but the KConfig output does have multiple info logs all saying "No context for <my directory path>/hello-world/src/main.c" which does not appear on working projects). One notable difference between all the working applications on my machine and the hello-world one is that the hello-world directory is a git repository whereas the rest have no git tracking.

Using latest versions of: "nRF Connect for VS Code", "nRF Connect for VS Code Extension Pack", "nRF Kconfig" and "nRF Terminal".

Image 1: "hello-world" project unable to display build configuration window.
Image 2: "no-cli" project with "coap-client" and "coap-server", able to create and edit build configurations.
Image 3: error that appears on bottom right of VSCode when attempting to add a new application to the project via the "nrf Connect: Add Folder as Application" button, may be relevant.

[connor.duval]

Potentially helpful update:

I have noticed that after running the `west build` and `west flash` processes manually, the build configuration does appear. Even this, however, cannot be edited and new ones still cannot be added.

[dejans]

Hi,

I would appreciate it if you could answer the following questions:

Did you have this issue before? When did you start noticing the problem? 
For which applications does the error on the third image occur when you use "Add Folder as Application"?
Have you noticed if the same error appears when creating new applications?
Could you test using any other application from the git repository? What are the results?

Best regards,
Dejan

[connor.duval]

Hello Dejans,

Did you have this issue before? When did you start noticing the problem?

When I first started working with this nRF SDK project about 1-2 weeks ago I noticed it. The solution at the time that worked was to simply close the VS Code window (did not have to kill the whole application, other windows were still open) and that would allow me to see the contents of the 'Add Build Configuration' page; it would no longer be blank. I don't believe I've updated any of the extensions since and they're all currently on their latest versions so that should be on the latest version of everything.

For which applications does the error on the third image occur when you use "Add Folder as Application"?

A few different ones, it is usually a very temporary problem, but the one that I have not been able to fix by simply restarting the process is the 'zephyr samples hello-world' application example. I have since modified it to do slightly more than its original scope and it starts Thread and prints some info about its IPv6 Addresses. Resetting it via git to before any of my code changes however changes nothing.

Have you noticed if the same error appears when creating new applications?

I can create applications within the git directory/VS Code workspace just fine. These can have Build Configurations added for them without problem. Notably, my VS Code workspace is the same directory as the application directory itself.

Some further investigation: opening a new VS Code workspace in the directory above the directory containing the hello-world workspace (and a bunch of other projects), adding the hello-world project as an application of this new workspace and attempting to create a build configuration or edit the existing one created using west build fails in the same way.

Could you test using any other application from the git repository? What are the results?

I'm not sure what this is asking. I attempted to just make a new VS Code workspace folder, put the hello-world example in it (same process as before), and run git init in it. Notably, I used a 'west' workspace in this and my original hello-world application as this worked fine previously. Having now generated a workspace with the below topology (there is a .git directory in there as well), I can add the workspace as an application source but build configurations cannot be created for it.

 

Removing the .git directory changes nothing.

Strangely, despite both having applications centred on the workspace directory, the .vscode/settings.json files differ between my project and this test project I made for the bug report. They are below respectively.

That seems to be all the information I can find.

Thank you,

-Connor

[dejans]

Hi Connor,

connor.duval said:

I can create applications within the git directory/VS Code workspace just fine. These can have Build Configurations added for them without problem. Notably, my VS Code workspace is the same directory as the application directory itself.

Some further investigation: opening a new VS Code workspace in the directory above the directory containing the hello-world workspace (and a bunch of other projects), adding the hello-world project as an application of this new workspace and attempting to create a build configuration or edit the existing one created using west build fails in the same way.

Where is your application folder located? Where is your NCS installation folder located? How did you make your VS Code workspace? How did you create hello_world workspace? 

You could have your application folder inside your VS Code workspace folder. After making VS Code workspace, you could try copying the hello_world sample folder from zephyr to your workspace folder. Then you could use "Add Existing Application" to add existing application to your workspace. When the application is added, your build should succeed. Another option would be to create a new freestanding application within VS Code workspace folder.

Best regards,
Dejan