Improve documentation and provide examples for "args": "${command:pickArgs}" and "args": ["${command:pickArgs}"]

[SwordTechCorp]

Type: Bug

Behaviour

Expected vs. Actual

Expected:
"args": ["${command:pickArgs}"]
Actuall:
"args": "${command:pickArgs}"

Steps to reproduce:

1. Activate Python Extension and create new launch.json file

2. Click Add Configuration, select Python Debugger -> Python File with Arguments

Without representing args as an array, the paths sent to the terminal will not be enclosed by quotes and launch will fail if there is a space in the path.

Diagnostic data

• Python version (& distribution if applicable, e.g. Anaconda): 3.11.4
• Type of virtual environment used (e.g. conda, venv, virtualenv, etc.): Venv
• Value of the python.languageServer setting: Default

Output for Python in the Output panel (View→Output, change the drop-down the upper-right of the Output panel to Python)

XXX

User Settings

languageServer: "Pylance"

Extension version: 2024.2.0
VS Code version: Code 1.87.0 (019f4d1419fbc8219a181fab7892ebccf7ee29a2, 2024-02-27T23:41:44.469Z)
OS version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.22621
Modes:

System Info

Item	Value
CPUs	AMD Ryzen 7 4800H with Radeon Graphics (16 x 2895)
GPU Status	2d_canvas: enabled canvas_oop_rasterization: enabled_on direct_rendering_display_compositor: disabled_off_ok gpu_compositing: enabled multiple_raster_threads: enabled_on opengl: enabled_on rasterization: enabled raw_draw: disabled_off_ok skia_graphite: disabled_off video_decode: enabled video_encode: enabled vulkan: disabled_off webgl: enabled webgl2: enabled webgpu: enabled
Load (avg)	undefined
Memory (System)	15.36GB (5.79GB free)
Process Argv	--crash-reporter-id 2167e4d6-9976-4c5a-bc63-a6fb896ad659
Screen Reader	no
VM	20%

A/B Experiments

vsliv368cf:30146710
vspor879:30202332
vspor708:30202333
vspor363:30204092
vscorecescf:30445987
vscod805cf:30301675
binariesv615:30325510
vsaa593cf:30376535
py29gd2263:30899288
c4g48928:30535728
azure-dev_surveyone:30548225
962ge761:30959799
pythongtdpath:30769146
welcomedialogc:30910334
pythonidxpt:30866567
pythonnoceb:30805159
asynctok:30898717
pythontestfixt:30902429
pythonregdiag2:30936856
pyreplss1:30897532
pythonmypyd1:30879173
pythoncet0:30885854
h48ei257:30968133
pythontbext0:30879054
accentitlementst:30887150
dsvsc016:30899300
dsvsc017:30899301
dsvsc018:30899302
pydisww2:30959801
d34g3935:30971562
edj9j583:30969295
a89i1917:30973842
e3gdj431:30958358
ccp1r3:30958155
dsvsc020:30973508

[macintacos]

This issue just literally saved me a huge headache, thank you so much.

I just read about pickArgs in the documentation, and I was banging my head against a wall trying to figure out why I couldn't debug a CLI application properly (I'd do something like pass an option in my program + it's value, and the whole option+value was being interpreted as a string instead of separate arguments for the command). Removing the brackets solved it, and now it's properly parsing and debugging things like I expect.

Really think it's worth updating the documentation to make this more obvious. The mention of pickArgs is right under a code example that shows args values in brackets, so I had incorrectly assumed that the same syntax would be required.

[rwarren]

For others landing here because ${command:pickArgs} is collecting all your args into a single string (len(sys.argv) == 2), this is the line you want:

            "args": "${command:pickArgs}",

As previously stated, there are no square brackets on this line.

[cwebster-99]

Updated docs in microsoft/vscode-docs#7853