Frequently asked questions

Why are my files corrupted on format?

Files can be corrupted due to the fact that you either have a multi-root workspace where one folder is a child of the other, or you are using symlinks to open your file. Reduce the folders in the workspace to one and remove the symlink. This should fix your problem.

How do I get IntelliSense to work correctly?

Without any configuration, the extension will attempt to locate headers by searching your workspace folder and by emulating a compiler it finds on your computer. (for example cl.exe/WSL/MinGW for Windows, gcc/clang for macOS/Linux). If this automatic configuration is insufficient, you can modify the defaults by running the C/C++: Edit Configurations (UI) command. In that view, you can change the compiler you wish to emulate, the paths to include files you wish to use, preprocessor definitions, and more.

Or, if you install a build system extension that interfaces with our extension, you can allow that extension to provide the configurations for you. For example, the CMake Tools extension can configure projects that use the CMake build system. Use the C/C++: Change Configuration Provider... command to enable any such extension to provide the configurations for IntelliSense.

A third option for projects without build system extension support is to use a compile_commands.json file if your build system supports generating this file. In the "Advanced" section of the Configuration UI, you can supply the path to your compile_commands.json and the extension will use the compilation information listed in that file to configure IntelliSense.

Note: If the extension is unable to resolve any of the #include directives in your source code, it will not show linting information for the body of the source file. If you check the Problems window in VS Code, the extension will provide more information about which files it was unable to locate. If you want to show the linting information anyway, you can change the value of the C_Cpp.errorSquiggles setting.

Why do I see red squiggles under Standard Library types?

The most common reason for this is missing include paths and defines. The easiest way to fix this on each platform is as follows:

Linux/Mac: Set intelliSenseMode": "clang-x64 or intelliSenseMode": "gcc-x64 and compilerPath in c_cpp_properties.json to the path to your compiler.

Windows: If you are using the Microsoft C++ compiler, set intelliSenseMode": "msvc-x64, but don't add the compilerPath property to c_cpp_properties.json. If you are using Clang for Windows, set intelliSenseMode": "msvc-x64, and compilerPath in c_cpp_properties.json to the path to your compiler.

How do I get the new IntelliSense to work with MinGW on Windows?

See Get Started with C++ and Mingw-w64 in Visual Studio Code.

How do I get the new IntelliSense to work with the Windows Subsystem for Linux?

See Get Started with C++ and Windows Subsystem for Linux in Visual Studio Code.

What is the difference between includePath and browse.path?

These two settings are available in c_cpp_properties.json and can be confusing.

includePath

This array of path strings is used by the "Default" IntelliSense engine. This new engine provides semantic-aware IntelliSense features and will be the eventual replacement for the Tag Parser that has been powering the extension since it was first released. It currently provides tooltips and error squiggles in the editor. The remaining features (for example, code completion, signature help, go to definition, ...) are implemented using the Tag Parser's database, so it is still important to ensure that the browse.path setting is properly set.

The paths that you specify for this setting are the same paths that you would send to your compiler via the -I switch. When your source files are parsed, the IntelliSense engine will prepend these paths to the files specified by your #include directives while attempting to resolve them. These paths are not searched recursively.

browse.path

This array of path strings is used by the "Tag Parser" ("browse engine"). This engine will recursively enumerate all files under the paths specified and track them as potential includes while tag parsing your project folder. To disable recursive enumeration of a path, you can append a /* to the path string.

When you open a workspace for the first time, the extension adds ${workspaceRoot} to both arrays. If this is undesirable, you can open your c_cpp_properties.json file and remove it.

How do I recreate the IntelliSense database?

Starting in version 0.12.3 of the extension, there is a command to reset your IntelliSense database. Open the Command Palette (⇧⌘P (Windows, Linux Ctrl+Shift+P)) and choose the C_Cpp: Reset IntelliSense Database command.

07/25/2019