TypeScript task detection is not cross-platform

[TimMensch]

Issue Type: Bug

If your tsconfig.json is in a subfolder, the folder path has to match the system file separator (\ on Windows, / on Mac/Linux) in order for it to work.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create a project with a folder in it.
2. Put tsconfig.json in the subfolder along with a test TypeScript file.
3. Create a build task for that tsconfig.json. On Windows it will get a backslash, on Mac/Linux a forward slash.
4. Switch the slash to that of the opposite platform.
5. Note that now you can't build that task, and that instead you get an error similar to the following:

Error: The typescript task detection didn't contribute a task for the following configuration:
{
    "label": "tsc-api",
    "type": "typescript",
    "tsconfig": "api/tsconfig.json",
    "option": "watch",
    "options": {
        "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}/api"
    },
    "promptOnClose": true,
    "problemMatcher": [
        "$tsc-watch"
    ],
    "group": "build"
}
The task will be ignored.

The only workaround I've found is to create TWO tasks for each desired task, where one has forward slashes and the other backslashes. But a recent VS Code update made a warning box appear for those configurations every time I build or debug, which is annoying. Please address the underlying issue.

Honestly, this would be yet another situation where simply using forward slashes all the time would fix everything. This would also fix, for instance:

#35593

...a bug that's been around for a year and a half now. :(

VS Code version: Code - Insiders 1.32.0-insider (003521e, 2019-02-15T06:16:29.903Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.17134

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700HQ CPU @ 2.80GHz (8 x 2808)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled checker_imaging: disabled_off flash_3d: enabled flash_stage3d: enabled flash_stage3d_baseline: enabled gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on native_gpu_memory_buffers: disabled_software rasterization: enabled surface_synchronization: enabled_on video_decode: enabled webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled
Memory (System)	15.89GB (2.72GB free)
Process Argv
Screen Reader	no
VM	0%

Extensions: none

[alexr00]

I think we should be able to normalize the path for "tsconfig". It won't solve everything, but it will help.
The path to be normalized should be around here: https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/blob/master/extensions/typescript-language-features/src/features/task.ts#L177

[gmertk]

Hey @alexr00,
Are you working on this? If not, can I give it a shot?

[alexr00]

@gmertk, I'm not working on it right now, please do give it a shot! Starting info is in the comment above.

[alpalla]

@gmertk are you still working on this? If not I'd like to help out.

[NizamLZ]

I was looking at this issue, I like the idea of https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/editor/tasks#_custom-tasks, where there is a section for windows specific command. Typescript task template can be updated to support something like this:

{
    "version": "2.0.0",
    "tasks": [
        {
            "type": "typescript",
            "windows": {
                "tsconfig": "subfolder\\tsconfig.json"
            },
            "tsconfig": "subfolder/tsconfig.json",
            "problemMatcher": [
                "$tsc"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

I had a hard time finding the typescript template definition! Any help in the right direction would be appreciated.

@alpalla What do you think about this solution? Was yours similar?

[TimMensch]

That seems like solving the wrong problem.

Changing the pattern match from / to [/\\] would solve this without the above hack/additional work for Windows support/DRY violation (because the paths should be identical between platforms, and it's only a bug that VS Code uses \ to begin with that's causing the problem).

[alpalla]

@NizamLZ I haven't started implementing a fix yet, I just wanted to check whether anyone was already working on it first. I'll leave you to it at this point but please let others know if you are working on an issue as was suggested to you already here.

[NizamLZ]

@alpalla Wanted to mention that I am working on it once I had a clear solution. Thanks for leaving this issue to me. I am glad to work on it till it's resolved.

[TimMensch]

@NizamLZ It's great if you'll work on the problem, but please don't solve it by making unnecessary work for Windows cross-platform support.

[NizamLZ]

@TimMensch Ofcourse I won't. I will look into the suggestion you posted above.