Vscode: Requesting `copy()` command in debug console

[shobhitg]

Chrome devtools have a nice copy(arg) command which copies the variable arg into clipboard.

Its described here: https://superuser.com/a/792240

I would so nice to have a similar feature in vscode debug console.

Currently this doesn't work:

Would love to have this copy() feature in debug console.

[vscodebot[bot]]

(Experimental duplicate detection)
Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Unable to copy all text in debug console (#13677)
  

[shobhitg]

(Experimental duplicate detection)
Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Unable to copy all text in debug console (#13677)

This feature request is not a duplicate of the detected duplicate.

The other issue is about copy all text from debug console to clipboard.

This issue is about the copy() utility function which is implemented in Chrome dev tools (https://developers.google.com/web/tools/chrome-devtools/console/utilities#copyobject).

I am requesting it to be in vscode debug console.

[connor4312]

Came up in discussion with Pine today. Thinking about it some more, I think it would make sense to have this be implemented on the debug adapter side, rather than vscode. For instance, though copy(foo) makes sense for Js, in clojure I might want to have an S-expression (copy foo) instead. Additionally, if the user has a copy variable in their scope, that should take precedence, which the debugger is better suiting for figuring out. Likewise data formatting/stringification may well be different between languages.

I was considering how we might implement this in js-debug. Having a custom event send over DAP and intercepted by the existing to put that string into the clipboard would be the direct, possible-today approach. I don't think it's necessary appropriate for a copy command to be implemented in DAP itself; not all environments have clipboards, and I view it as a UI artifact rather than something instrinsic to a debugger.

[isidorn]

@connor4312 good point. As you suggest the debug eadapter could tackle this.
Since this feature request is mostly for node, I will forwarding this issue to you and I suggest to do something like you suggested:
The debug adapter would specially interpreet the copy() evaluation which has the context repl. Then the debug adapter can use some node module to write the appropriate data to the clipboard.
Some node modules which might be useful:
https://www.npmjs.com/package/copy-to-clipboard
https://www.npmjs.com/package/copy-text-to-clipboard

fyi @roblourens @weinand

[weinand]

It doesn't make sense to have the DA directly copy to the clipboard because the DA might run remotely (where no clipboard exists).
I suggest this approach: the DA detects the "copy(...)" as part of the "evaluate" request and sends an DAP "output" event of a new category "clipboard" back to VS Code, which puts the payload from the output event into the clipboard.

@connor4312 @roblourens @isidorn does this make sense?
If yes, I will create a new a new issue for the DAP protocol addition.

[isidorn]

That works for me and sounds reasonable.

[connor4312]

A clipboard category for output sounds great 👍

[connor4312]

We now have a clipboard category and adopted this a while ago in js-debug. However I don't think this feature was ever 'verified' (it was initially implemented when js-debug was vscode-pwa) so I'll have this in the sept milestone.

@shobhitg copy() now works in the latest VS Code versions.

[mikaoelitiana]

@connor4312 I am on latest stable vscode (Version: 1.48.2) but copy still doesn't work for me in debug console. Is it only available on insider?

[connor4312]

It's available everywhere. Are you debugging JavaScript and using the new debugger? (debug.javascript.usePreview: true)

[mikaoelitiana]

In my case I am attaching the debugger to React Native packager and I try to use copy() in the Debug Console.

[connor4312]

That looks okay -- no output is expected from the copy command. The contents should then be placed on your clipboard.

However I know react native is a weird environment which we don't directly support, there might be something things that don't work there...

[mikaoelitiana]

Yes I guess this is something related to React Native debugging because the clipboard does not change at all.

[connor4312]

Can you create an issue here and share the log file using instructions in the bug template? That should let me verify what's happening for you: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-js-debug/issues/new/choose

[mikaoelitiana]

Unfortunately, the location of the log file is not displayed in Debug Console and I can't find it

[connor4312]

What's your launch configuration?

[mikaoelitiana]

Here is my lauch file content :

{
  // Use IntelliSense to learn about possible attributes.
  // Hover to view descriptions of existing attributes.
  // For more information, visit: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830387
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "trace": true,
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "Debug Android",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "type": "reactnative",
      "request": "launch",
      "platform": "android"
    },
    {
      "name": "Debug iOS",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "type": "reactnative",
      "request": "launch",
      "platform": "ios"
    },
    {
      "name": "Attach to packager",
      "cwd": "${workspaceFolder}",
      "type": "reactnative",
      "request": "attach",
    }
  ]
}

[connor4312]

Ah, okay. You're using the reactnative debugger, I'm guessing they don't have support for it yet.

VS Code now has all the tools debuggers need to implement copy(), but it's up to the debugger to actually do it.

[mikaoelitiana]

thanks @connor4312

[isidorn]

Verifier: follow the steps in the inital comment, and make sure that copy() in the debug console copies content to the clipboard

[bpasero]

Verified with extension development, I am not getting intellisense here though:

[isidorn]

Yeah we do some hacks to get the inteli-sense working in the debug input, and if you have a trailing character things break down a bit...