Rubberduck: Refreshing Code Explorer deletes code in code pane

[SmileyFtW]

RD Version 2.4.0.4488
OS: Microsoft Windows NT 10.0.17134.0, x64
Host Product: Microsoft Office x86
Host Version: 16.0.11126.20266
Host Executable: EXCEL.EXE
I created a user form from the CE pane. I added three button controls. I added the code stubs for the buttons and the Activate event for the form. I modified the @Folder annotation to put the form into a Dialogs folder (which had not yet been created in the CE. I clicked the refresh button in the CE - ALL of the code except the annotation and Option Explicit were deleted!
I used Undo and the stubs returned. However, each time I refresh the CE the code stubs are deleted.
I saved the file with the code stubs intact, and started closing excel completely (2016); it crashed the .Net framework and stalled Excel's closing. I got the "What do you want to do? Wait, Close, Reopen. I chose Close Excel.
When I reopened the files the code stubs had been deleted.

[comintern]

Was there any code _in_ the stubs? The reason that I ask is that there's reason to believe that this might be something that the VBE itself is doing.

I'm also concerned about the crash on exit. Did you save a copy of the Rubberduck log files (and if so, can you post it to the issue)? If not, would it be possible to find and post the Windows Error Reporting app-crash event from the Event Viewer?

For my own reference, linking this discussion from chat.

[retailcoder]

Confirming: the VBE removes empty event handlers in UserForm modules, all by itself.

[SmileyFtW]

I had never seen the VBE delete empty event handlers before! Is that something that was implemented after Office 2010? I just upgraded to 2016.

There was no code in the event handlers.

Where do I find the RD and Windows log files?

[comintern]

The RD log would be in %APPDATA%\Rubberduck\Logs.

For the event logs, open Event Viewer (just search it in the start dialog), then expand out Windows Logs and click on Application. It might take a second or two to load, but you'll see a ton of events on the top right. Scan through them for ones with a level of "Error" and a source of "Application Error" or similar. There shouldn't be too many of them. In the bottom pane you'll see the info I'm after (yes, I intentionally crashed it for the screenshot...):

[SmileyFtW]

RubberduckLog.txt

[SmileyFtW]

retailcoder: "Confirming: the VBE removes empty event handlers in UserForm modules, all by itself."

Why in the world would the VBE remove code stubs while I am working in the VBE?!?!? That is a goofy thing to do. The code pane was open and all I did was refresh the RD CE... that should not happen IMNSHO. I can see it if a user set their environment up to to do that, but to do it without user consent is awful!

[retailcoder]

@SmileyFtW I wholeheartedly agree, but... :man_shrugging: ...VBE does have its quirks. Note that empty stubs don't get removed if there's anything in them, including a 'todo comment.

[MDoerner]

Please let me give a bit of background regarding this issue.

Refreshing the CE causes RD to reparse the project in order to pick up any changes. Before this happens, compilation of the project is triggered by default, because RD usually cannot provide useful services for projects that do not compile. (You should be able to deactivate the compilation before parse in the Rubberduck settings.) It is on the compilation that the VBE removes all empty event handler stubs. What it basically does is compile (and optimize) the code and then present to you what code it thinks the compiled code originated from. Since it optimized away the empty event handlers, it no longer thinks they ever existed. (I guess you have seen similar but not so impactful situations where the VBE _prettifies_ your code.)

So, if you want to avoid this problem on refresh, please deactivate the safety feature of compilation before parsing.

[SmileyFtW]

I will simply put in a 'todo placeholder; I mean, I do have something to do there... rather than deactivate "safety" features...
Thanks for clarifying!

[SmileyFtW]

As a vagary of VBE, it is not something that RD can (or should attempt to) do anything about.