IDE Buggy ! errors un-reported AND non-errors reported

Christ Kennedy 196

for the last month and a half (two updates) my IDE has been driving me bonkers.

it often reports 'errors' that are not errors.

after wasting time trying to figure out what its problem is, I eventually kill the VS2019-IDE and launch it again to discover I was right all along the IDE is BUGGY!

it sometimes reports errors via the 'error list' other times I have to read it on the 'output' page because the 'error list' shows NOTHING.

when the most recent update (a few weeks ago) came out, i thought, "Finally!, they fixed it!" but apparently not.

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling VS2019 3x and it still hasn't gone away?

what is wrong with my IDE?

Viorel 113.7K Reputation points

2021-01-04T18:43:25.103+00:00

How to reproduce the problem?
Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-04T19:18:32.937+00:00

here's a screen-shot of 'not reporting' errors.

you can see that the error-list (top-right) reports 0 errors
while the output detects and reports this error.

I was getting used to looking for my errors in the Output page but having to deal with the IDE refusing to compile because it claims there are errors when there are none happens equally often. The only way I've figured to get around that is to shut down the IDE and start again.

and this 'error banner' makes its appearance on a regular basis.
Karen Payne MVP 35,286 Reputation points

2021-01-04T22:33:25.74+00:00

Hello,

Can you provide a code sample rather than an image?
Timon Yang-MSFT 9,576 Reputation points

2021-01-05T07:45:01.68+00:00
@Christ Kennedy
Have you tried to reproduce this error with simple code?

static void Main(string[] args) { var re = DoSomething(); } static string DoSomething(long p1) { return "success"; }

If this code still has the same problem, then the problem should belong to Visual Studio, and I will add related tags so that other members can investigate this problem;
If not, maybe there are some problems in this project that we don't know yet that caused this problem.
Please check this link: No errors displayed in the "Error List"
Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-05T08:54:49.883+00:00

it has nothing to do with what I am coding.
the project is irrelevant. This has been on-going for months regardless of what I'm working on.
Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-05T08:56:00.117+00:00

the code has nothing to do with it.
it is definitely an IDE issue because it happens regardless of what project I'm working on.
Viorel 113.7K Reputation points

2021-01-05T09:07:49.053+00:00

Maybe there is a subtle issue that occurs after changing the layout. Did you try to restore (reset) the default layout using Window menu and restart? Did it happen immediately after first installation of Visual Studio, before moving the Error List window?
Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-05T09:10:41.227+00:00

I've been using Visual Studio for years.
this only started happening after the update before last.
I did 'reset' my settings to factory after re-installing 2019 IDE for the 3rd time only a few days ago.
Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-05T21:05:05.627+00:00

I just had a system crash and caught a screen capture

and the two logs

does anyone have any idea what I should do with this? because it probably has something to do with all my IDE issues.
Thank you,
Christ
Viorel 113.7K Reputation points

2021-01-05T21:13:50.42+00:00

Maybe the system is affected by antivirus?

Accepted answer

Michael Taylor 49,686 Reputation points

2021-01-05T21:21:44.477+00:00

The error you posted is coming from LiveShare extension. You should use the Report a Bug feature in VS to report the issue directly to the VS team. Capture the issue using the recording tool if possible and that will send them all the data they need to hopefully identify the issue.

It is possible for the output window and error list to be out of sync. The Error List window is using a combination of sources including the background compilation to report issues and some of these are tied to the windows that are open. The Output window only shows errors when you compile so assuming your initial screenshot indicates a compiler error but the source code doesn't have one would indicate a disconnect.

However in your error screenshot the compiler seems right to me but you didn't post the entire error message so it is hard to tell. The compiler is complaining about line 851 which is where you call FontFile_Read with no parameters. The method itself requires a single parameter so the function call is bad. Since I cannot see the entire compiler error it is hard to tell whether the compiler is reporting the right error or not though.

In many cases where I see disconnected behavior in VS I find that blowing away the .vs folder in the solution directory and restarting VS solves some problems. VS caches data in this folder and it can get corrupted between updates of VS.

Irrelvant, you should use the Report a Bug feature in VS to report issues with VS. They are the correct people to help diagnose and fix the issues you're seeing.
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Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-05T22:17:26.743+00:00

thank you for your help,
the problem is not solved but I'll take your word on it.
I can't find C# 's .vs sub-directory but I did find the VC.vs subdirectory.

is this the .vs directory i should 'blow away' ? (by that I imagine you mean 'delete'?)

Michael Taylor 49,686 Reputation points

2021-01-05T22:39:27.087+00:00

The '.vsfolder is a hidden folder under the solution directory. If the problem is occurring on any solution then wiping the cache won't help. Note that I'm assuming C# here but the.vs` folder is language agnostic, AFAIK. If go to the solution's folder (easiest way is to right click the solution in Solution Explorer and select option to open in explorer). Provided you are showing hidden files in WIndows Explorer it'll be there.

Yes, deleting the directory is what I meant. This causes VS to regenerate it when the solution opens again and it'll recache everything as you go along. But, again, if your problem is across different solutions then it is likely not a corrupt .vs folder. It just seems to solve a lot of problems for me when working with existing solutions across updates to VS.

Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-06T18:47:54.007+00:00

hi again,
so I tried to report the error through the VS2019 IDE.
as soon as I started typing in the title textbox it gave me an 'unexpected error' message that I captured (2x screen capture for the scrolling)

not sure what to do at this point because its my PC, I'm the only user and have Administrator privilege.

Michael Taylor 49,686 Reputation points

2021-01-06T19:03:09.2+00:00

Interesting. The feedback is now web based, compared to the old version. It seems like it is having an issue authenticating your user account in VS. I might recommend you go to the account settings in VS and refresh your license to see if that clears up the authentication issue. If that doesn't work then log out of VS and back in. If that still doesn't work then the next drastic step is to delete the account data in the given folder path given earlier and start up VS again. It should trigger account creation.

Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-06T22:24:52.35+00:00

ok.
I do have 2 accounts. One is with my Alma-Mater - tied to my Outlook email account (the same email I use as a login) and then I have a personal MS account.
they each have different passwords.
I can login to both outside of VS IDE.
but VS IDE is refusing either one.
sometimes (VS IDE) logging in to personal account doesn't even ask for password but that is not consistent.
these are the errors I've been seeing while trying to login through VS IDE.

I work alone on my own PC and never use Azure or cloud anything(that I'm aware of). All my files are on my local harddrive. so I'm fine with eliminating the Azure component of VS.

Michael Taylor 49,686 Reputation points

2021-01-06T22:46:41.093+00:00

I would go to the filesystem and delete the .IdentityService folder and then start VS. Not sure why it is having a problem accessing that file. Either login should work in VS provided they both have a valid license to use VS.

Christ Kennedy 196 Reputation points

2021-01-06T23:29:08.963+00:00

i did a search for .IdentityService in my User sub-dir and found 2 dozen + results (mostly in Temp dirs)

I deleted the /AppData/Local/.IdentityService dir
and was able to login.

maybe that'll clear it all up.

Thanks.

Michael Taylor 49,686 Reputation points

2021-01-07T15:00:19.48+00:00

Good to hear. Let us know if you continue to have issues.
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IDE Buggy ! errors un-reported AND non-errors reported

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