Debugger: Support Edit and Continue/Hot Reload

[AmberZhang2016]

Environment data

dotnet --info output:
VS Code version:1.2.1
C# Extension version:1.1.7

Steps to reproduce

1. We add following code to update the value of one variable when break mode:
   a++;
2. then save the updated file;
3. F10

Expected behavior

the new line will be executed and the value will be increased

Actual behavior

the new line is skipped and the value is not changed

[gregg-miskelly]

@AmberZhang2016 Edit and Continue is a large and very connected feature which we don't have any immediate plans to bring to VS Code. I will leave this open, and people feel free to '+1' this. But, just to be clear, it is at least going to be a while before we get to this.

[ghost]

@gregg-miskelly, +1

Any news?

[node-gs]

Very interested in something like this. Working from macOS with dotnet can be tough, this would really aid in the development process

[ikourfaln]

+1

[theSdev]

+1

[murr4y]

+1

Recently discovered dotnet watch with .net core. Having the same functionality with the addition of debugging would be great!

[frystpingvin]

+1

[hsinyu-chen]

+1

[JorgeGarciaIrazabal]

+1

[thorgod]

+1

[iuribrindeiro]

+1

[marcantoinecouture]

+1

[eluchsinger]

+1

[vanmxpx]

+1

[G43beli]

+1

[blendsdk]

+1

[mohamad-xtouch]

+1

[glazjoon]

+1

[Guybrush21]

+1

[sgentile]

"But, just to be clear, it is at least going to be a while before we get to this."

2 years later... any luck :)

+2

[gregg-miskelly]

:) Not yet. But thanks for voting. The more votes the easier it will be to get funding for the project.

[amararias]

+1

[bitbonk]

We have rather complex applications that control actual machines and it is extremely time consuming (think hours!) to restart them and bring the software and the machines back into the desired state before we can try the effects that changes have to the overall system.

Of course we have unit test and integration test and all that but often it is just needed to test/try/fix things with/on the actual production hardware.

With the classic .NET Framework this is not really an option because customers might not allow the installation of a debugger on the production PC that controls the machine.

With both the .NET Core debugger and VS Code being copy-deployable, this would actually become an option and it would be extremely cool to have this ability. It would be an absolute killer feature for us.

[gregg-miskelly]

@bitbonk just as an FYI, you actually have been able to XCopy Visual Studio's remote debugger for a very long time now, in case that helps you.

[bitbonk]

@gregg-miskelly Yes I am aware of that, but last time I checked edit & continue was not possible. I'd love to be proven wrong though.

[gregg-miskelly]

I thought VS added support for remote managed EnC, but I could be remembering wrong...

[bitbonk]

@gregg-miskelly I just checked again, and you are right. Edit&Continue on classic .NET (4.7.2) does indeed work with remote debugging even if the remote debugger is launched from a remote file share. But (and that's a big but for us unfortunately) you have to launch the application with the debugger, attaching it later does not allow Edit&Continue.

I wonder if it would theoretically be possible that it could work with attaching the debugger locally to a running process in .NET Core.

[PhilParisot]

+1
Java extension supports this

[WalissonPires]

+1

[andrii-myronenko]

+1

[zeroskyx]

Btw: would it be possible for someone rename the title of this issue?
Wouldn't "Debugger doesn't support Edit and Continue" or something make more sense? :)

[heartacker]

Debugger: please support Edit and Continue feature

[gregg-miskelly]

@zeroskyx I updated the title to hopefully make this issue easier to find

[NatanAmorim]

This feature would be awesome

[ziaulhasanhamim]

Any news on this? Is it even possible?

[heartacker]

What's stopping this? figure it out

[PhilParisot]

@heartacker you figure it out

[gyantal]

Waiting for this.

[LanceTrahan]

+1 and more from the FUUUUUUUTURE!!!

[Paul-creator]

+1

[darkguy2008]

So we've been waiting for this to happen since 2016. Is it too optimistic to wait for this to happen in 2026? Asking for a friend.

No seriously, this is one of the most important features that IMO VS has that VSCode doesn't, and heck, it's save me so much time when developing because restarting apps sometimes takes way too long. This is the only feature I miss from VS.

[PhilParisot]

With the removal of hot reload in dotnet watch I don't think this will happen anytime soon. Google the saga if you like, it made quite some noise.

[darkguy2008]

With the removal of hot reload in dotnet watch I don't think this will happen anytime soon. Google the saga if you like, it made quite some noise.

Huh, I recall there was some noise regarding that, but if I'm not mistaken they backed off from that decision and made it to stay. Was this changed recently then? I may have missed the news :(

In that case, is there any place where we can add some pressure on that?

[PhilParisot]

Never-mind, you might be right, I think they put it back in: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/aspnet/core/test/hot-reload?view=aspnetcore-6.0

[ROMYIM]

+1

[TondaKrist]

+1

[tobobw]

+1

[RivenSkaye]

+1 for this.
We're 7 years on since the issue was opened, would love to know what the status is on this and if there's anything contributors could do

[JasonLeeForOnly]

Greetings
Really need this fature.I noticed this issues was open for over seven years,would love to know was is still prosess on?
BTW,Add local nuget resorce is also needed.

[tobobw]

+1

[gregg-miskelly]

This feature is now available in C# Dev Kit. See the documentation for more information.

[Igorgro]

@gregg-miskelly it's really disappointing that this feature was not implemented as a part of this open-source extension 😕