Request: Single global C_Cpp_properties.json file for a multi-root workspace (not one per workspace folder)

[dsanz006]

For my current project, I am using a multi-root workspace. My problem is that the C/C++ Extension doesn't allow me to have a single global C_Cpp_properties.json file for the entire workspace: it forces me to create a different properties file for each folder. My workspace folder structure is something like this:

<workspace root>/src/
<workspace root>/lib1/
<workspace root>/lib2/
<workspace root>/vscode_workspace/

where vscode_workspace/ doesn't contain any code: it only contains myWorkspace.code-workspace and .vscode/C_Cpp_properties.json. The myWorkspace.code-workspace file looks something like this:

{
"folders": [
{ "path": "../src" },
{ "path": "../lib1" },
{ "path": "../lib2" },
]
}

However, my C_Cpp_properties.json file is not detected correctly, the extension wants me to have a properties file on each src/ lib1/ and lib2/ folders.

I know that with the latest update I can define some parameters of the C_Cpp_properties.json file in the .code-workspace file under the "settings" field, but this is not valid for my case as I have different configurations that require different includePaths and defines.

Actually, the ideal solution for what I want to do would be that different configurations are supported in the .code-workspace file, whithout a need for the C_Cpp_properties.json file at all.

[dsanz006]

Just to clarify: this is a request to allow having a single C_Cpp_properties.json file in multi-root workspaces.

I opened a new request issue, #2096, for the other part I mentioned: allowing different configurations in the .code-workspace file.

[jazzmx]

Same issue here. I need to copy the same c_cpp_properties.json file into each folder (root) of the workspace. I also have the multiple configurations issue: a native compile and a cross-compile configuration, so when I want to switch configuration, I need to manually switch each folder (root) in the workspace. Having a global workspace configuration file supporting multiple configuration would be a really great improvement!
And thank you for the great work!

[dsanz006]

There is a similar issue with the launch configurations in multiroot workspaces, as one would need one launch.json file per workspace folder. VS Code solves this issue by allowing to have worksapace launch configurations in the .code-workspace file, under the "launch" key, as described here: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/multi-root-workspaces#_workspace-launch-configurations

A similar solution could work here I think.

[ShaneLillieRAD]

Any chance we'll see this make its way into a milestone soon? The project I work with is too large to have a config file in every folder of the workspace so this one issue is really the biggest hurdle in the way of using VS Code on it.

[sean-mcmanus]

@ShaneLillieRAD One potential workaround is use to add C_Cpp.default.* settings to your workspace's settings.json that contains the shared settings. Folder without a c_cpp_properties.json will use those settings and those wth a c_cpp_properties.json can use ${default} to reference the workspace setting if they want. Does that work for you?

[ShaneLillieRAD]

I don't believe it does, unless there's something that I'm missing in how it should be setup. We are currently doing this in our settings.json in the workspace's .vscode folder:

{
  "C_Cpp.default.cStandard": "c11", 
  "C_Cpp.default.includePath": [
    "${workspaceFolder}/../../../../blah", 
    ....
  ], 
  "C_Cpp.default.cppStandard": "c++17"
}

and in the workspace folder's .vscode/c_cpp_properties.json we have basically just a list of configurations that look similar to this:

    {
      "intelliSenseMode": "msvc-x64", 
      "name": "Appname Win7 Release", 
      "cppStandard": "${default}", 
      "cStandard": "${default}", 
      "includePath": [
        "${default}"
      ], 
      "defines": [
        "${default}", 
        "Release_", 
         "Win7_"
      ]
    }, 
    {
      "intelliSenseMode": "msvc-x64", 
      "name": "Appname Win10 Debug", 
      "cppStandard": "${default}", 
      "cStandard": "${default}", 
      "includePath": [
        "${default}"
      ], 
      "defines": [
        "${default}", 
        "Debug_", 
        "Win10_",
      ]
    },

With that setup VS Code is unable to find included headers despite, I believe, the path being correct in the settings.json (relative to the workspace folder, not the workspace's .vscode folder).

[sean-mcmanus]

I just tried it with a simple workspace with 2 folders that references "${workspaceFolder}/../../Headers" and it worked for me with 0.24.1. Do you know what would be different in your case or can you provide a sample repro project?

Can you use C/C++: Log Diagnostics to see what paths are getting used for IntelliSense?