Remote Debugging of a .net core project that points to an .NET 4.8 executable doesn't work

[TFTomSun]

Visual Studio Version: 2019 latest Summary:

• Setup remote debugging of a .net core application or library
• Select a custom executable path which is a full framework executable
• start debugging
• the debugger tries to attach the .net core clr debugger to the .net 4.8

Expected Behavior:

• The debugger is attached and I can step through the .net 4.8 application Actual Behavior:
• The debugger seems not to be attached

There seems to be an assumption that the custom debugging executable of a .NET core project must be a .net core application, too.

[jjmew]

This is not a project system issue. We will suggest you to open a feedback ticket using Visual Studio. You can do that by opening Visual Studio, selecting Help, and Send Feedback.

[davkean]

@jjmew Reopening this, we control this via https://github.com/dotnet/project-system/blob/master/src/Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.Managed.VS/ProjectSystem/VS/Debug/ProjectLaunchTargetsProvider.cs#L603.

We should let you control this via the properties page, instead of sniffing the target framework of the library you are F5'ing.

[davkean]

ie We would expose the full set of options here:

[tmeschter]

Seems like this is a matter of:

1. Updating the launch profile UI for the "Executable" debug target to allow you to select a debugger engine and store that preference in the launch profile.
2. Updating the handler for the "Executable" debug target to vary the debug engine based on the setting in the launch profile.

Hardest part might be reconciling that user-controlled setting with all the other logic we have for choosing the debugger engine.