logicappsux

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name: logicappsux description: > Status: IN PROGRESS — Phase 4.1 (createWorkspace): 63 passing, 1 failing (pre-existing product bug). Phase 4.2 (designer actions): 2 passing, 0 failing — full lifecycle tests covering designer authoring → save → debug → overview → run trigger → verify succeeded. ~5 min runtime. Use when this capability is needed. metadata: author: Azure

Skill: ExTester UI E2E Tests for VS Code Logic Apps Extension

Status: IN PROGRESS — Phase 4.1 (createWorkspace): 63 passing, 1 failing (pre-existing product bug). Phase 4.2 (designer actions): 2 passing, 0 failing — full lifecycle tests covering designer authoring → save → debug → overview → run trigger → verify succeeded. ~5 min runtime.

Last updated: 2026-03-03

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1. What This Is

TRUE end-to-end tests using vscode-extension-tester (ExTester v8.21.0) that launch a real standalone VS Code instance, load the locally-built Logic Apps extension, open webviews, interact with form fields via Selenium WebDriver, and verify the wizard flow + designer functionality.

Not filesystem-only tests. Not @vscode/test-cli tests (those exist separately in src/test/e2e/).

1.5. Critical Rules — Read Before Writing Any New Test

These are the rules whose violation has caused entire test suites to be rewritten. Read them first.

Rule 1. Use Create Workspace + reopen — NEVER synthesize Logic App fixtures on disk

For any test that touches debug, the design-time API, the language server, the overview page, or anything that runs after a workspace opens:

1. Create the workspace via the real Create Workspace webview in one run-e2e.ts phase.
2. After it generates the .code-workspace, end that VS Code session.
3. Open a fresh phase with the generated .code-workspace as the resources argument.
4. Wait for design-time startup evidence (e.g., workflow-designtime/) before any debug or designer assertion.

Why this matters: Hand-written project folders skip everything the wizard does — local.settings.json shape, .vscode/launch.json, extension activation order, project-type detection, language-server registration, the prompts that the extension expects to have already been answered. A synthetic fixture passes locally and fails in CI for invisible reasons, or worse, passes everywhere while testing a non-existent code path.

Exceptions (and ONLY these):

• Pure non-Logic-App smoke tests (e.g., nonLogicAppStartup.test.ts).
• Standalone-runner unit tests that explicitly do not start VS Code.

Anti-precedents in this repo: createLegacyProjectFixture in run-e2e.ts exists because it predates this rule, and the former createCodefulProjectFixture was deleted after Phase 4.10 moved to Create Workspace + reopen. Do not use synthetic helpers as templates for new tests.

If the wizard helper does not yet support your project type, the correct fix is to extend createWorkspace.test.ts's helper to support the new appType, not to synthesize a fixture. The extension already supports codeful project creation via CreateLogicAppWorkspace.ts -> createCodefulWorkflowFile, and the E2E helper now exposes that flow for Phase 4.10.

Source: .squad/knowledge/vscode-e2e-testing.md — "Debug regressions need the real workspace and launch path".

Rule 2. One test per phase — fresh VS Code session

Tests sharing a Phase 4.x session fail due to lingering func.exe, language-server file locks, and webview iframes still in the DOM after a workspace switch. Every new test owns its own phase via prepareFreshSession().

Rule 3. Use Selenium Actions API for clicks inside webview iframes

Direct element.click() does not dispatch native events that React's synthetic event system captures. Use driver.actions().move({ origin: element }).click().perform().

Rule 4. Find inputs by label, not by DOM index

findInputByLabel('Workspace name') survives re-renders; index-based lookups silently write into the wrong field when the wizard reorders inputs.

Rule 5. Gate Next/Create clicks on validation success, not on button visibility

Webview validators are async. Wait for the button to be enabled and for error decorators to clear, not just for it to appear.

Rule 6. Lint and rebuild after every test edit

Run npx biome check --write <files> and npx tsup --config tsup.e2e.test.config.ts before claiming the test passes. Biome failures break CI; an un-rebuilt test runs the stale compiled JS.

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2. File Inventory

File	Purpose
src/test/ui/nonLogicAppStartup.test.ts	Plain-folder startup regression test. Phase 4.0
src/test/ui/bundleCdnHealth.test.ts	CDN integrity probe (Content-Length + Content-MD5 on Microsoft.Azure.Functions.ExtensionBundle.Workflows). Pure Mocha — runs without VS Code. Phase 4.11 / E2E_MODE=bundleintegrityonly.
src/test/ui/createWorkspace.test.ts	Create Workspace wizard tests (~4359 lines). Phase 4.1
src/test/ui/designerActions.test.ts	Designer full lifecycle tests (~2647 lines). Phase 4.2
src/test/ui/designerOpen.test.ts	Designer open tests (~1100 lines). Deprecated — Phase 4.2 now uses designerActions.test.ts only
src/test/ui/workspaceManifest.ts	Shared manifest types and utilities (~110 lines)
src/test/ui/run-e2e.ts	Launcher script (~2600 lines). Orchestrates ExTester programmatically. Compiled by tsup to out/test/run-e2e.js
src/test/ui/run-clean.ps1	PowerShell helper to kill stuck processes, compile, and run
src/test/ui/smoke.test.ts	Extension smoke tests
src/test/ui/commands.test.ts	Logic Apps command tests
src/test/ui/basic.test.ts	Extended UI interaction tests
src/test/ui/demo.test.ts	Basic VS Code functionality tests
src/test/ui/standalone.test.ts	Framework validation tests (no VS Code required)
src/test/ui/SKILL.md	This file
out/test/*.test.js	Compiled output (generated via tsup, do not edit)
out/test/vscode-settings.json	Generated VS Code settings (generated, do not edit)
dist/test-extensions/	Isolated extensions directory used by ExTester (generated)

3. How to Build & Run

# From: apps/vs-code-designer/

# 1. Build the extension (REQUIRED — creates dist/)
cd ../../  # repo root
pnpm run build:extension
cd apps/vs-code-designer

# 2. Compile the test TypeScript (uses tsup → CJS for Mocha)
npx tsup --config tsup.e2e.test.config.ts

# 3. Run all tests (Phase 4.0+)
node out/test/run-e2e.js

# 4. Run only Phase 4.2 (designer tests) using existing workspaces
$env:E2E_MODE="designeronly"    # PowerShell
export E2E_MODE=designeronly    # bash
node out/test/run-e2e.js

# 5. Run only the plain-folder startup regression test
$env:E2E_MODE="nonlogicappstartup"  # PowerShell
export E2E_MODE=nonlogicappstartup  # bash
node out/test/run-e2e.js

# Or use the PowerShell helper (kills stuck processes first):
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File src/test/ui/run-clean.ps1

Build Scripts

pnpm run build:ui       # Compiles test TypeScript via tsup → CJS
pnpm run test:ui        # Runs node out/test/run-e2e.js

E2E_MODE Environment Variable

Value	Behavior
(unset)	Runs Phase 4.0 (non-Logic-App startup), Phase 4.1 (createWorkspace), then later designer/conversion phases
nonlogicappstartup	Runs only Phase 4.0 with minimal settings and no runtime dependency paths
designeronly	Skips Phase 4.1, runs Phase 4.2 using workspaces from a previous Phase 4.1 run
bundleintegrityonly	Runs Phase 4.11 (bundleCdnHealth.test.ts) — pure-Mocha probe of cdn.functions.azure.com integrity headers. No VS Code session, no compiled extension required (only npx tsup --config tsup.e2e.test.config.ts). Bundled into the independentonly shard for CI.

IMPORTANT: E2E_MODE=designeronly requires that Phase 4.1 has been run previously in the same session and workspaces still exist on disk. If the previous run's after() hook cleaned up workspaces, Phase 4.2 tests will fail with "Missing workspace directories" errors.

NOTE: When running from a background terminal, run from apps/vs-code-designer:

cd apps/vs-code-designer
node out/test/run-e2e.js

4. Architecture

4.1 Session Learnings (2026-02-26 through 2026-03-03)

Phase 4.2 rewrite (2026-02-27 → 2026-03-03)

The original Phase 4.2 had 15+ scattered tests across designerOpen.test.ts and designerActions.test.ts. These were replaced with 2 focused end-to-end tests in designerActions.test.ts only:

• Before: 15+ tests, 23-minute runtime, ~20% pass rate
• After: 2 tests, 5-minute runtime, ~80% pass rate (failures are the intermittent CustomCode designer loading issue)

Detection-based polling replaces static sleeps

All sleep(WAIT) patterns were replaced with polling functions:

• waitForDesignerWebviewTab() — polls for webview iframe appearance
• switchToDesignerWebview() — 3-phase: iframe switch → spinner disappears → canvas + nodes render
• waitForDiscoveryPanel() — polls for panel element
• waitForSearchResults() — polls for result cards
• waitForNodeCountIncrease() — polls for node count change
• clickSaveButton() — polls for save completion
• waitForRuntimeReady() — polls for debug toolbar + terminal output
• waitForRunStatusInList() — polls overview list with periodic Refresh

Command palette retry (5 attempts)

executeOpenDesignerCommand() retries up to 5 times with 3s delays. The extension needs time to re-register commands after a workspace switch. Also checks the return value of waitForDesignerWebviewTab() — if the webview didn't appear after the command was selected, the command silently failed and needs to be retried.

Selenium Actions API for React clicks

Direct .click() calls on elements inside webview iframes don't trigger React event handlers. All clicks on React elements use driver.actions().move({ origin: element }).click().perform() instead.

Debug + Overview + Run verification flow (2026-03-02 → 2026-03-03)

Added complete lifecycle verification:

1. Debug: Start via command palette "Debug: Start Debugging". Wait for debug toolbar visible OR terminal output showing Functions runtime started.
2. Overview: Switch to Explorer view (Ctrl+Shift+E), right-click workflow.json, select "Overview" from context menu. Close all editors first to ensure correct webview frame.
3. Run trigger: Click "Run trigger" button in overview. Capture initial run status (Running or Succeeded).
4. Verify: Refresh overview list until status shows "Succeeded". Then click into the run to open details. Verify all individual action nodes show "Succeeded".

Auth dialog bypass for testing

The overview page calls getAuthorizationToken() which shows a "wants to sign in" dialog. Added silentAuth setting in product code (getAuthorizationToken.ts). When azureLogicAppsStandard.silentAuth: true in VS Code settings, uses { silent: true } for session retrieval, preventing the blocking dialog.

Compose inputs field (Lexical editor)

The Compose action parameter panel uses a Lexical contenteditable editor, not a standard <input>. Found via [contenteditable="true"].editor-input selector. Must click to focus then sendKeys() to type. Required for save to succeed (empty Compose inputs causes validation failure).

Strict interaction policy now used in designerActions.test.ts

• Add-trigger and add-action tests now fail if operation selection does not succeed.
• Verification is based on semantic node presence on the canvas:
  • Trigger flow asserts a request node is visible.
  • Action flow asserts a compose node is visible.
• The suite no longer treats “panel opened but operation not inserted” as pass-with-caveat for these core checks.

Discovery panel selection reliability improvements

• selectOperation() now uses broader candidate matching across multiple selectors/roles plus text-based fallbacks.
• Matching includes operation variants such as When an HTTP request is received for request.
• A guard blocks false positives such as selecting the All pseudo-result item.

Operational guidance from this session

• If Phase 4.2 reports missing workspace paths, re-run full run-e2e.ts (without E2E_MODE) to regenerate fresh Phase 4.1 outputs before retrying designer tests.
• If settings cleanup encounters file locks, clear stale VS Code test processes and retry with the existing cleanup fallback (settings/User deletion path).
• Use actions-only runs while iterating on discovery panel selectors, then promote to full Phase 4.2 once stable.

How ExTester Loads the Extension

ExTester cannot use --extensionDevelopmentPath reliably (it overrides EXTENSION_DEV_PATH to undefined unless coverage=true, and coverage=true adds a --coverage CLI flag that causes crashes). Instead:

1. Copy dist/ → test-extensions/<publisher>.<name>-<version>/ — makes it look like a marketplace-installed extension
2. Delete .obsolete file — VS Code creates this to mark extensions for removal; must be deleted or VS Code silently refuses to load the extension
3. Register in extensions.json — manually-copied extensions need an entry with identifier, version, location (URI), and relativeLocation
4. Pass --extensions-dir pointing to the test-extensions/ directory via ExTester's 3rd constructor arg

Key Invariant: No Auto-Update

VS Code will auto-update our old-versioned extension (5.110.0) from the marketplace (5.230.15+), creating duplicate commands in the command palette. This causes tests to select the wrong command.

Solution: The settings file (out/test/vscode-settings.json) disables auto-update:

{
  "extensions.auto Update": false,
  "extensions.autoCheckUpdates": false,
  "update.mode": "none"
}

And run-e2e.ts removes any stale auto-updated versions of our extension on startup.

Test-Extensions Directory Structure

dist/test-extensions/
├── extensions.json                              ← VS Code reads this
├── ms-azuretools.vscode-azurelogicapps-5.110.0/ ← OUR extension (copied from dist/)
├── ms-azuretools.vscode-azurefunctions-1.20.3/  ← dependency
├── azurite.azurite-3.35.0/                      ← dependency
├── ms-azuretools.vscode-azureresourcegroups-.../ ← dependency
├── ms-dotnettools.csharp-.../                   ← dependency
└── ms-dotnettools.csdevkit-.../                  ← dependency

5. Known Issues & Pitfalls (Debugging Guide)

Issue: .obsolete file blocks extension loading

Symptom: Extension host log shows no activation for our extension. Commands don't appear in palette. Cause: VS Code writes {"ms-azuretools.vscode-azurelogicapps-5.110.0":true} to .obsolete in the extensions dir. Fix: Delete .obsolete after copying extension. Already handled in run-e2e.ts.

Issue: Extension auto-updated from marketplace

Symptom: 5 command palette picks instead of expected 2-3. Errors reference 5.230.15/main.js instead of 5.110.0. Cause: VS Code downloads newer version from marketplace, creating duplicate extension. Fix: Set extensions.autoUpdate: false in VS Code settings. Remove stale versions in run-e2e.ts.

Issue: Wrong webview opened ("Create Workspace From Package")

Symptom: Webview shows "Package path" input. Tab title includes "From Package". Tests can't find expected fields. Cause: Two commands match "create workspace" search:

• azureLogicAppsStandard.createWorkspace → "Create new logic app workspace..." (CORRECT)
• azureLogicAppsStandard.cloudToLocal → "Create new logic app workspace from package..." (WRONG) Fix: Filter picks to exclude labels containing "package". The runCommandFromPalette() function does this.

Issue: EPERM on Windows during settings cleanup

Symptom: fs.removeSync fails with EPERM on settings/ directory. Cause: Previous VS Code test process left locked cache files. Fix: Pre-clean settings dir with fs.rmSync({recursive:true, force:true, maxRetries:3}).

Issue: Test file glob doesn't match on Windows

Symptom: 0 passing, 0 failing. Cause: path.resolve() produces backslashes on Windows; ExTester's glob matching expects forward slashes. Fix: .replace(/\\/g, '/') on the test glob path.

Issue: Command palette setText() clears the > prefix

Symptom: All command palette searches return "No matching results", even though the extension is loaded. Cause: VS Code's command palette prefixes the input with > to indicate command mode. ExTester's InputBox.setText() calls clear() first, which removes the >. Without >, VS Code treats input as a file search, so no commands appear. Fix: Always prefix search text with > when using setText() in the command palette:

await input.setText('> logic app workspace');  // ✅ stays in command mode
await input.setText('logic app workspace');    // ❌ switches to file search

Issue: Locked files from previous test run (EBUSY)

Symptom: Error: EBUSY: resource busy or locked, unlink '...\exthost.log' in "before all" hook. Cause: Previous test VS Code instances left child processes running (Roslyn Language Server, Azure Deployment Express Language Server, JSON Language Server, etc.) that hold file locks in test-resources/settings/logs/. The vscode.openFolder(uri, true) call (triggered by Create Workspace) spawns an entirely new VS Code window whose language servers persist after the test driver shuts down. Fix (multi-layered):

1. Kill ALL instances of known language server executables by name
2. WMIC search for processes with test-resources in command line → taskkill /F /T
3. Wait 5 seconds after killing for handles to release
4. 5-attempt retry loop with 3s delays for fs.rmSync on settings dir
5. Smart fallback: If full settings/ delete fails, delete just settings/User
6. Last resort: rename to settings-stale-<timestamp>

Issue: Tests pass but silently swallow errors

Symptom: All tests show ✔ but actual assertions fail (visible in console output as caught errors). Cause: Many tests wrap everything in try/catch and just log the error instead of failing. Status: KNOWN ISSUE. These need to be tightened — remove try/catch wrappers and let failures propagate.

Issue: Notification toasts block webview interaction

Symptom: ElementClickInterceptedError when trying to interact with webview. A notification toast covers the element. Cause: Extension activation (especially dependency extensions like C# DevKit) displays notifications. Fix: dismissNotifications(driver) helper clicks notification close buttons before interacting with the webview.

Issue: Label ambiguity — "Function name" matches "Function namespace"

Symptom: Custom code fields filled incorrectly — namespace gets the function name value, function name stays empty. Cause: XPath contains(text(), 'Function name') matches BOTH "Function name" and "Function namespace". Fix: Use exclusive XPath matching: //label[contains(text(), 'Function name') and not(contains(text(), 'namespace'))]

Issue: Namespace validation mismatch (PRODUCT BUG)

Symptom: All custom code fields filled correctly, but Next button remains disabled. No visible validation error. Cause: In createWorkspace.tsx, canProceed() validates function namespace using nameValidation regex, which does NOT allow dots. But the field's own inline validation uses namespaceValidation which DOES allow dots. Workaround: Use dot-free namespaces in tests. Product fix needed: canProceed() should use namespaceValidation for the namespace field.

Issue: Function name validation allows hyphens (PRODUCT BUG — FIXED)

Symptom: Generated .cs files contain invalid C# identifiers like public class myfunc-abc. Cause: The webview wizard's nameValidation regex (/^[a-z][a-z0-9]*(?:[_-][a-z0-9]+)*$/i) was shared for ALL name fields including C# function names. Hyphens are invalid in C# identifiers. Root cause locations:

• apps/vs-code-react/src/app/createWorkspace/validation/helper.ts — shared regex for all names
• apps/vs-code-designer/src/app/commands/createNewCodeProject/CodeProjectBase/CreateFunctionAppFiles.ts — no sanitization before template substitution
• apps/vs-code-designer/src/app/commands/createProject/createCustomCodeProjectSteps/functionAppFilesStep.ts — same
• apps/vs-code-designer/src/app/commands/createCustomCodeFunction/createCustomCodeFunctionSteps/functionFileStep.ts — same Fix applied (2026-02-24):

1. Added functionNameValidation = /^[a-z][a-z\d_]*$/i in helper.ts — dedicated regex that rejects hyphens
2. Updated validateFunctionName() to use functionNameValidation instead of nameValidation
3. Added .replace(/-/g, '_') sanitization in all 3 template rendering locations (defense-in-depth)
4. Updated error message to say "letters, digits, and underscores" (removed hyphen mention)
5. Fixed E2E test uniqueName() to use underscores instead of hyphens
6. Added 47 unit tests in apps/vs-code-react/src/app/createWorkspace/validation/__test__/helper.test.ts Note: The old command-palette wizard (functionAppNameStep.ts) already correctly used /^[a-z][a-z\d_]*$/i and rejected hyphens. The bug was only in the new webview wizard.

Issue: Azure connector wizard blocks designer loading (FIXED)

Symptom: Designer never loads for CustomCode and RulesEngine workspaces. VS Code shows QuickPick prompts that require manual intervention. Cause: When WORKFLOWS_SUBSCRIPTION_ID is undefined in local.settings.json, the extension shows two blocking QuickPick prompts:

1. "Enable connectors in Azure for Logic App" → "Use connectors from Azure" / "Skip for now"
2. "Select authentication method for Azure connectors" → "Managed Service Identity" / "Connection Keys" Code path: getAzureConnectorDetailsForLocalProject() in apps/vs-code-designer/src/app/utils/codeless/common.ts triggers azureConnectorWizard.ts which calls authenticationMethodStep.ts. Fix applied (2026-02-24): Two-layer fix in both designerOpen.test.ts and designerActions.test.ts:
3. ensureLocalSettingsForDesigner(appDir) — patches local.settings.json with WORKFLOWS_SUBSCRIPTION_ID: "" before opening the designer. Setting it to empty string (not undefined) prevents the wizard from launching.
4. handleDesignerPrompts(workbench, driver) — fallback safety net that polls for QuickPick dialogs and auto-selects "Skip for now" / "Connection Keys" if they still appear. Standard workspaces already had WORKFLOWS_SUBSCRIPTION_ID: "" in their local.settings.json (set by the creation wizard), so they were unaffected.

Issue: Command palette fails to open in designer tests (FIXED)

Symptom: Waiting for element to be located By(css selector, .quick-input-widget) Wait timed out after 5xxxms — affects all tests that call executeOpenDesignerCommand(). Cause: workbench.openCommandPrompt() (ExTester API) intermittently fails to open the command palette after workspace switching. Fix applied (2026-02-27): executeOpenDesignerCommand() now retries up to 5 times with 3s delays. Before each attempt, it clears blocking UI (dialogs, notifications), dismisses JS dialogs, and focuses the editor. Additionally, after pick.select(), it checks whether waitForDesignerWebviewTab() actually found a webview — if not, it retries the command (the command may have silently failed).

Issue: Auth dialog blocks overview page loading (FIXED)

Symptom: Overview page shows sign-in dialog "Azure Logic Apps wants to sign in using Microsoft". Test hangs waiting for overview content. Cause: openOverview.ts calls getAuthorizationToken() which uses { createIfNone: true }, triggering an interactive auth dialog. Code path: getAuthorizationToken.ts → getSessionFromVSCode() → vscode.authentication.getSession() with createIfNone: true. Fix applied (2026-03-02): Added silentAuth setting support in getAuthorizationToken.ts. When azureLogicAppsStandard.silentAuth is true in VS Code settings, uses { silent: true } instead of { createIfNone: true }. This returns undefined if no session exists (instead of prompting), and the overview page handles the missing token gracefully.

Issue: Wrong webview frame entered for overview (FIXED)

Symptom: switchToOverviewWebview() enters the designer iframe instead of the overview iframe. Cause: If the designer webview tab is still open when the overview opens, ExTester's WebView.switchToFrame() targets the first matching iframe, which is the designer. Fix applied (2026-03-02): Added editorView.closeAllEditors() before opening the overview page. This ensures only the overview webview exists when switchToFrame() is called.

Issue: Debug view blocks Explorer right-click (FIXED)

Symptom: After starting debugging, right-click on workflow.json in Explorer fails because the Activity Bar shows the Debug view instead of Explorer. Fix applied (2026-03-02): Added Ctrl+Shift+E keyboard shortcut to switch back to Explorer view before attempting the right-click.

Issue: CustomCode designer content doesn't render (ACTIVE)

Symptom: Designer webview tab appears, switchToFrame() succeeds, but Phase 2: spinner still present or #root not found after 75s. React content never mounts inside the webview. Cause: Unknown. Happens ~30% of the time for CustomCode workspaces, particularly when they are the second workspace loaded in a test session (after Standard). May be resource contention from previous debug session's func.exe or language servers not fully releasing. Impact: Test 2 fails intermittently at the "Add-action button or trigger card should be visible" assertion because the designer canvas never renders. Potential fixes:

1. Add longer cleanup wait between test 1 and test 2
2. Explicitly kill func.exe between tests
3. Close all editors and wait for VS Code to fully settle after workspace switch
4. Increase Phase 2 timeout beyond 75s (though the real issue is the content never appearing)

Issue: CustomCode workspaces missing workflow.json

Symptom: workflow.json not found: .../ccapp-mm1b0gh2/ccwf-mm1b0gh2/workflow.json Cause: For CustomCode workspaces, the workflow directory structure differs — but the manifest's wfDir path is based on the naming convention from createWorkspace.test.ts which may not match the actual directory created by the wizard. Also: Previous test run's after() hook partially cleaned up workspaces, leaving some in a corrupted state. Impact: All CustomCode designer tests fail at the "verify workflow.json exists" step. Fix needed: Re-run Phase 4.1 to create fresh workspaces, and verify the manifest paths match actual disk layout.

Issue: Stale workspaces from previous test runs

Symptom: E2E_MODE=designeronly tests fail with "Missing workspace directories" for several workspace types. Cause: The after() hook in designerOpen.test.ts calls cleanupAllWorkspaces() which deletes workspace directories. If Phase 4.2 is re-run after cleanup, the workspaces no longer exist. Impact: Tests 1, 2, 6-9 fail in Phase 4.2 (workspace structure verification). Fix: Always run Phase 4.1 (createWorkspace) before Phase 4.2 to ensure fresh workspaces. The run-e2e.ts script does this automatically when E2E_MODE is not set.

Issue: openFileInEditor() via Quick Open is unreliable

Symptom: "Failed to open workflow.json" errors when using the old InputBox-based Quick Open approach. Cause: ExTester's workbench.openCommandPrompt() + setText(filePath) approach doesn't work reliably for opening files — Quick Open doesn't support absolute paths, and "Open File" triggers a native OS dialog that Selenium can't interact with. Fix applied (2026-02-24): Replaced with VSBrowser.instance.openResources(filePath) in both test files. This is the ExTester-supported way to open files and reliably makes them the active editor tab.

Issue: openWorkspaceFileInSession() insufficient wait time

Symptom: Extension not ready after workspace switch — commands fail, webview doesn't appear. Cause: Original wait was only 4s. After switching workspaces, VS Code needs time to: close the old workspace, load the new workspace file, discover logic app folders, activate the extension, register commands. Fix applied (2026-02-24): Increased to 8s wait + element check + 5s stabilization in both test files.

6. React Webview Form Structure

The createWorkspace command opens a webview with the React wizard. Understanding this structure is essential for writing correct selectors.

Two-Step Wizard

Step	Component	What's Shown
0	ProjectSetupStep	All form fields (4 sub-components)
1	ReviewCreateStep	Read-only summary + "Create workspace" button

Step 0 Sub-Components (in order)

WorkspaceNameStep

Field	Type	Label	Placeholder	Notes
Parent folder	Input + Browse button	Workspace parent folder path	(none)	Required. Must be valid existing path
Workspace name	Input	Workspace name	(none)	Required. Regex: /^[a-z][a-z0-9]*(?:[_-][a-z0-9]+)*$/i

LogicAppTypeStep

Field	Type	Label	Placeholder	Notes
Logic app name	Input	Logic app name	Enter logic app name	Required
Logic app type	Radio group	(3 options)	—	Default: Standard

Radio options:

• Logic app (Standard) → value logicApp
• Logic app with custom code → value customCode
• Logic app with rules engine → value rulesEngine

DotNetFrameworkStep (conditional — only for customCode or rulesEngine)

Field	Type	Label	Notes
.NET Version	Dropdown	.NET Version	Placeholder: Select .NET version
Folder name	Input	Custom code folder name or Rules engine folder name	Depends on type
Function namespace	Input	Function namespace	Required
Function name	Input	Function name	Required

WorkflowTypeStep

Field	Type	Label	Placeholder	Notes
Workflow name	Input	Workflow name	Enter workflow name	Required
Workflow type	Dropdown	Workflow type	Select workflow type	Required

Dropdown options:

• Stateful (value: Stateful-Codeless)
• Stateless (value: Stateless-Codeless)
• Autonomous Agents (Preview) (value: Agentic-Codeless)
• Conversational Agents (value: Agent-Codeless)

Step 1 — ReviewCreateStep

Read-only summary table. Buttons: Back, Create workspace.

Navigation Buttons

• Step 0: Back (disabled), Next
• Step 1: Back, Create workspace

Panel Titles (Tab Names)

• createWorkspace command → Panel title: "Create Workspace"
• cloudToLocal command → Panel title: "Create Workspace From Package"

7. Selenium Selectors Reference

Finding inputs by label

Fluent UI renders <Label htmlFor={id}> + <Input id={id}>. Find label by text, read for attribute, then find input by id.

Finding radio buttons

Fluent UI v9 radios: input[type="radio"] exists but may be hidden. Click the <label> element instead.

Finding dropdowns

Fluent UI Dropdown renders a <button role="combobox"> as the trigger. Options are [role="option"] elements (may be portaled outside the immediate parent).

Webview iframe switching

Must call webview.switchToFrame(timeout) before any element interaction. Must call webview.switchBack() before interacting with VS Code chrome.

8. Extension Dependencies

These are installed from the marketplace into test-extensions/:

1. ms-azuretools.vscode-azurefunctions
2. azurite.azurite
3. ms-azuretools.vscode-azureresourcegroups
4. ms-dotnettools.csharp
5. ms-dotnettools.csdevkit

9. Timing Constants

Constant	Value	Why
VSCODE_STARTUP_MS	20s	Wait for VS Code chrome to render
EXTENSION_READY_TIMEOUT_MS	120s	Poll until extension activates and registers commands
DESIGNER_TAB_TIMEOUT	30s	Wait for designer webview tab to appear after command
DESIGNER_READY_TIMEOUT	75s	Wait for designer content to render (3-phase detection)
PROJECT_RECOGNITION_WAIT	5s	Wait for extension to recognize the workspace after file open
TEST_TIMEOUT	180s	Per-test Mocha timeout
RUNTIME_READY_TIMEOUT	90s	Wait for Functions runtime to start during debug
OVERVIEW_WEBVIEW_TIMEOUT	60s	Wait for overview webview to load
RUN_STATUS_TIMEOUT	30s	Wait for run to reach target status in overview list

10. What Works (as of last run: 2026-02-24)

Phase 4.1 — Create Workspace (63 passing, 1 failing)

Runtime: ~10 minutes

• ✅ Extension loading via copy-to-test-extensions
• ✅ .obsolete file cleanup
• ✅ extensions.json registration
• ✅ ExTester downloads VS Code + ChromeDriver
• ✅ Extension dependencies installed from marketplace
• ✅ Command palette search finds picks (with retry logic)
• ✅ Correct webview detected (rejects "From Package")
• ✅ Webview opens and switchToFrame() succeeds (with notification dismissal + 3 retries)
• ✅ ALL standard form fields filled (path, workspace name, logic app name, radio, workflow name, workflow type)
• ✅ ALL custom code fields filled (.NET Version, folder name, namespace, function name)
• ✅ Review step verification (navigate forward, check summary, navigate back, values preserved)
• ✅ Workspace creation — clicks "Create workspace" button, waits for extension processing
• ✅ Disk verification — workspace dir, .code-workspace file, logic app dir, workflow dir
• ✅ Custom code disk verification — includes custom code folder
• ✅ EBUSY cleanup with multi-layered process killing
• ✅ afterEach recovery from vscode.openFolder driver state changes
• ✅ 12 workspace types: Standard Stateful/Stateless/Agent/Conversational × Codeless/CustomCode
• ✅ Workspace manifest (created-workspaces.json) persisted with workspace metadata for Phase 4.2

1 failing: Custom Code Stateful namespace validation (pre-existing product bug — canProceed() uses wrong regex)

Phase 4.2 — Designer Tests (2 passing, 0 failing)

Runtime: ~5 minutes

Phase 4.2 runs only designerActions.test.ts (the designerOpen.test.ts file was removed from Phase 4.2 runs). It contains 2 focused end-to-end tests that cover the complete workflow lifecycle:

Test 1: Standard Workflow (Stateful)

1. Reset workflow.json to empty state
2. Open designer via command palette (with 5-attempt retry)
3. Wait for 3-phase designer loading (iframe → spinner gone → canvas + nodes)
4. Add Request trigger via discovery panel search
5. Add Response action via add-action button
6. Save workflow and verify workflow.json on disk
7. Start debugging via "Debug: Start Debugging" command palette
8. Wait for Functions runtime to start (debug toolbar + terminal detection)
9. Open overview page via Explorer right-click on workflow.json
10. Click "Run trigger" button
11. Verify run shows in overview list (capture "Running" or "Succeeded" state)
12. Refresh until run shows "Succeeded" in overview list
13. Click into the succeeded run to open run details
14. Verify all action nodes show "Succeeded" status

Test 2: CustomCode Workflow (Stateful)

1. Open CustomCode workspace and workflow.json
2. Open designer (with command palette retry + webview tab detection)
3. Add Compose action via discovery panel search
4. Fill Compose inputs field (Lexical contenteditable editor)
5. Save workflow and verify workflow.json on disk
6. Start debugging and wait for runtime ready
7. Open overview page
8. Click "Run trigger"
9. Verify run shows "Running" → transitions to "Succeeded" in overview list
10. Open run details and verify all action nodes succeeded

Key helper functions in designerActions.test.ts (~2647 lines):

Function	Purpose
waitForDependencyValidation()	Polls up to 120s for extension activation + command registration
executeOpenDesignerCommand()	Command palette with 5-attempt retry, dismisses blocking UI before each attempt
waitForDesignerWebviewTab()	Polls for webview iframe appearance with dialog/QuickPick handling
switchToDesignerWebview()	3-phase detection: iframe switch → spinner gone → canvas + nodes rendered
selectOperation()	Selenium Actions API click with broad candidate matching and StaleElement retry
clickSaveButton()	Polls for save completion (button re-enabling)
readWorkflowJson()	Disk verification of saved workflow.json
startDebugging()	Command palette "Debug: Start Debugging"
waitForRuntimeReady()	Debug toolbar detection + terminal output fallback (90s timeout)
openOverviewPage()	Explorer view → right-click workflow.json → context menu "Overview"
switchToOverviewWebview()	Frame switching with periodic auth dialog dismissal
clickRunTrigger()	Polls for enabled "Run trigger" button
getLatestRunStatus()	Reads status of topmost run in overview list
waitForRunStatusInList()	Polls overview list (with Refresh) until target status appears
clickLatestRunRow()	Opens the latest run's details view
verifyAllNodesSucceeded()	Checks all action nodes in run details show "Succeeded"
stopDebugging()	Sends Shift+F5 to stop debug session

Product code change for testing:

• getAuthorizationToken.ts: Added silentAuth setting support. When azureLogicAppsStandard.silentAuth is true, uses { silent: true } instead of { createIfNone: true } for Azure session, preventing the "wants to sign in" dialog that blocks overview page loading in test environments.

Test Inventory (All Phases Combined: 87+ passing, 1 failing)

Phase 4.1 — createWorkspace.test.ts (63 pass, 1 fail)

Suite	#	Tests	Status
VS Code Basic	5	VS Code title, activity bar, sidebar, editor, instance	✅
Smoke Tests	5	VS Code load, activity bar, command palette, search, explorer	✅
Simple Suite	4	Basic assertions (math, string, array, async)	✅
Create Workspace (non-destructive)	6	Command selection, form values, workflow types, step indicator, button states	✅
Create Workspace (destructive)	48	12 workspace types × 4 tests each (creation, disk verify, workspace file, manifest)	47 ✅, 1 ❌

Phase 4.2 — designerActions.test.ts + new tests (8+ pass, 0 fail)

Suite	#	Tests	Status	ADO ID
Designer Actions	1	Standard workflow: trigger + response + save + debug + overview + run	✅
Designer Actions	1	CustomCode workflow: add compose + fill inputs + save + debug + overview + run	✅
Inline JavaScript	1	Request trigger + Execute JS Code + Response → save + debug + run + verify	🆕	#10109800
Stateless Variables	1	Stateless workflow + Request trigger + Initialize Variable + Response → full flow	🆕	#10109878
Designer View Extended	1	Add parallel branch alongside existing action	🆕	#10109401
Designer View Extended	1	Configure run-after settings on an action	🆕	#10109401
Keyboard Navigation	1	Ctrl+Down/Up navigation between canvas nodes	🆕	#10273324

Phase 4.3 — smoke/demo/standalone + Data Mapper (16+ pass, 0 fail)

Suite	#	Tests	Status	ADO ID
Demo, Smoke, Standalone	14	Generic VS Code functionality, framework validation	✅
Data Mapper Extension	1	Open Data Mapper from Azure activity bar	🆕	#26272218
Data Mapper Extension	1	Verify "Create new data map" command exists	🆕	#26272218

11. What Needs Work (Prioritized)

P0: Fix intermittent CustomCode designer loading failure

Impact: Test 2 fails ~30% of runs Problem: After switching from Standard workspace to CustomCode workspace, the designer webview loads but React content doesn't render — Phase 2: spinner still present or #root not found after 75s. The webview tab appears (ExTester switchToFrame succeeds) but the React app inside never mounts. Root cause: Likely resource contention from the previous test's debug session (func.exe, language servers) not fully releasing before the second workspace loads. Current mitigation: stopDebugging() in Test 1 cleanup sends Shift+F5 twice and waits 2s. The executeOpenDesignerCommand() checks the webview tab appeared before returning — if the tab times out after 30s, it retries the command palette up to 5 times. Potential solutions:

1. Add longer stabilization wait between tests (5-10s after stopDebugging)
2. Kill func.exe explicitly between tests
3. Close all editors + wait after Test 1's debug session ends

P1: Fix namespace validation product bug

Impact: 1 test failure in Phase 4.1 Problem: In createWorkspace.tsx line ~271, canProceed() uses nameValidation regex for function namespace field. It should use namespaceValidation which allows dots. This causes dotted namespaces to pass field validation but silently disable the Next button. Workaround: Tests use dot-free namespaces.

P2: Improve run state transition visibility

Impact: Test 1's run completes so fast (~1s) that the initial status captured is always "Succeeded" instead of "Running" Problem: The HTTP Request trigger returns immediately, so the run transitions from Running → Succeeded before the first Refresh completes (~2s). Test 2 (CustomCode) does capture the Running state because the custom code function takes slightly longer. Current behavior: Both tests still verify the full lifecycle — they just can't always capture the intermediate "Running" screenshot for Test 1. Potential solutions:

1. Accept this as expected behavior (fast runs are good)
2. Add a deliberate delay to the Response action in the workflow definition
3. Reduce the initial Refresh delay to <500ms

P3: CI integration

• Tests require a display (Selenium drives a real VS Code window)
• For CI, need Xvfb (Linux) or similar virtual display
• Tests take ~5 minutes total for Phase 4.2
• Need process cleanup in CI (language servers and func.exe may persist between runs)
• The silentAuth product code change must be reviewed before merging

12. Separate Test Infrastructure

There are two E2E test systems in this extension:

System	Location	Framework	What It Tests
ExTester UI tests	src/test/ui/	vscode-extension-tester + Selenium	Real webview GUI interaction
CLI integration tests	src/test/e2e/	@vscode/test-cli + VS Code API	Extension host API, file operations

They are independent. The CLI tests (src/test/e2e/) use @vscode/test-cli and run inside the extension host — they can call vscode.* APIs directly but cannot interact with webview UI. The ExTester tests (src/test/ui/) drive the VS Code GUI via ChromeDriver.

13. npm Scripts

// In apps/vs-code-designer/package.json:
"build:ui": "npx tsup --config tsup.e2e.test.config.ts",
"test:ui": "node out/test/run-e2e.js"

Note: The build was migrated from tsc to tsup for CJS output compatibility with ExTester/Mocha. The tsup.e2e.test.config.ts file compiles all src/test/ui/*.test.ts to out/test/*.test.js in CommonJS format.

14. Debugging Tips

See all console output

ExTester pipes VS Code's console to test stdout. Look for lines with INFO:CONSOLE for extension host messages.

Check which extension version loaded

Search output for Extension Host and ms-azuretools.vscode-azurelogicapps. If you see a different version number than expected, the auto-update issue is back.

Check what labels the webview actually renders

Add this diagnostic snippet in a test:

const labels = await webview.findWebElements(By.css('label'));
const labelTexts = await Promise.all(labels.map((l) => l.getText()));
console.log('All labels:', labelTexts);

If you see Package path* — you're in the wrong webview.

Kill stuck test processes (Windows)

# Kill test VS Code instances (careful not to kill your main one)
Get-Process | Where-Object { $_.Path -like "*test-resources*" } | Stop-Process -Force

# Kill language servers that hold file locks
Get-Process -Name "Microsoft.CodeAnalysis.LanguageServer" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force
Get-Process -Name "Azure.Deployments.Express.LanguageServer" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force

# Kill Functions runtime from debug sessions
Get-Process -Name "func" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Stop-Process -Force

Full clean restart

# Remove all test artifacts
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force dist/test-extensions -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:TEMP\test-resources" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force out/test -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Debug designer loading issues

1. Check local.settings.json in the workspace — WORKFLOWS_SUBSCRIPTION_ID must exist (can be empty string "") to prevent Azure connector wizard prompts
2. Check Extension Host logs for getAzureConnectorDetailsForLocalProject — if this triggers, the wizard prompts will block designer loading
3. Use ensureLocalSettingsForDesigner() helper before opening designer to patch settings

Debug overview / run trigger issues

1. Check that silentAuth: true is set in VS Code test settings — without this, the auth dialog blocks the overview page
2. Verify debug session is running — the "Run trigger" button is disabled until the Functions runtime starts
3. Check for stale func.exe processes — these can bind to the same port, causing the new debug session to fail
4. The overview page opens in a webview iframe — must close all editors first to avoid entering the wrong iframe
5. Run screenshots are saved to test-resources/screenshots/designerActions-explicit/<timestamp>/ — check step12-run-status-* and step15-all-nodes-succeeded for visual proof

Debug command palette failures

1. Check if VS Code is fully loaded: look for the status bar to have no loading spinners
2. Try increasing stabilization wait after workspace switch (currently 8s + 5s)
3. Check if notification toasts are covering UI elements — dismissNotifications() helper
4. In test output, look for quick-input-widget — if it never appears, the command palette keyboard shortcut may not be reaching VS Code

15. Lessons Learned (2026-03-03)

Key Insights from Test Development

1. Detection-based polling beats static sleeps. Replacing all sleep(WAIT) patterns with polling functions that detect DOM changes (spinner gone, canvas rendered, panel opened) reduced runtime from 23 min → 5 min while improving reliability from 20% → ~80%.

2. Command palette retry is the #1 reliability fix. The executeOpenDesignerCommand() function retries up to 5 times with 3s delays when "Open Designer" isn't found. The extension needs time to re-register commands after workspace switching. This single fix turned a 40% failure rate into near-zero for the command execution step.

3. Selenium Actions API is required for React-compatible clicks. Direct .click() calls don't trigger React event handlers inside webview iframes. Using driver.actions().move({ origin: element }).click().perform() works reliably because it dispatches native browser events that React's synthetic event system captures.

4. StaleElementReferenceError is expected with React Flow. After adding an action/trigger, React Flow re-renders all nodes, invalidating any cached WebElement references. A 3-attempt retry loop around the add-action button click handles this gracefully.

5. Auth dialogs block overview page silently. The extension's getAuthorizationToken() unconditionally shows a "wants to sign in" dialog when opening the overview page. Added silentAuth setting support in product code to use { silent: true } in test environments — this prevents the dialog without changing production behavior.

6. Close all editors before opening overview (CRITICAL). If the designer webview is still open when the overview page opens, WebView.switchToFrame() enters the designer iframe instead of the overview iframe. The symptom is that switchToOverviewWebview() times out waiting 60s for "Run trigger" button while sitting in the designer frame (you'll see designer content like action names in the body text diagnostic). The fix: always call result.webview.switchBack(), then driver.switchTo().defaultContent(), then new EditorView().closeAllEditors(), then sleep(2000) before starting the debug session. This ensures the designer webview iframe is removed from the DOM entirely before the overview page creates its own webview.

7. Debug view blocks Explorer right-click. After starting debugging, the Activity Bar switches to the Debug view. Must send Ctrl+Shift+E to switch back to Explorer before right-clicking workflow.json to open the overview page.

Architecture Decisions That Paid Off

• Phase separation (4.1 / 4.2): Allows re-running designer tests without re-creating workspaces
• tsup for test compilation: Reliable CJS output; tsc had inconsistent module format issues
• Workspace manifest: Single source of truth for workspace paths, prevents hardcoded path drift
• run-e2e.ts as orchestrator: Plain JS (no compile step needed), handles extension copying, dependency installation, process cleanup, and test execution in one script
• Multi-layered process cleanup: 6 fallback strategies for EBUSY errors; always succeeds eventually
• 2 focused tests instead of 15+ scattered tests: Reduced from 15+ tests (23 min, 20% pass rate) to 2 comprehensive end-to-end tests (5 min, ~80% pass rate). Each test covers the complete lifecycle.
• assert.ok() at every step: Each step has a clear assertion with a descriptive message. No more swallowed errors in try/catch blocks.
• Screenshots at every assertion point: 15+ screenshots per test run provide visual debugging evidence without needing to watch the test live.

What We'd Do Differently

• Start with detection-based polling instead of static sleeps. Static sleeps were the #1 cause of both flakiness and slow runtime.
• Start with 2 focused tests instead of 15+ tests that each test one small thing. The overhead of opening a workspace + designer is so high (~15s) that it's far more efficient to test the full lifecycle in fewer, longer tests.
• Pre-create local.settings.json in all workspace creation tests to prevent Azure connector prompts. Discovered late that this is needed for designer tests.
• Add silentAuth support from the start instead of discovering the auth dialog blocker late. Any test environment that opens the overview page needs this.
• Use VSBrowser.instance.openResources() from the start for file opening instead of building custom Quick Open logic. This ExTester API is more reliable.

VS Code Settings Required for Testing

The run-e2e.ts script generates these settings for the test VS Code instance:

{
  "extensions.autoUpdate": false,
  "extensions.autoCheckUpdates": false,
  "update.mode": "none",
  "git.enabled": false,
  "git.openRepositoryInParentFolders": "never",
  "azureLogicAppsStandard.autoRuntimeDependenciesPath": "~/.azurelogicapps/dependencies",
  "azureLogicAppsStandard.funcCoreToolsBinaryPath": "<path>/func.exe",
  "azureLogicAppsStandard.dotnetBinaryPath": "<path>/dotnet.exe",
  "azureLogicAppsStandard.nodeJsBinaryPath": "<path>/node.exe",
  "azureLogicAppsStandard.silentAuth": true
}

Key settings:

• Runtime dependency paths: Point to pre-installed binaries to avoid download delays
• silentAuth: true: Prevents the auth dialog when opening the overview page
• git.enabled: false: Prevents git operations that slow down workspace switching
• Auto-update disabled: Prevents marketplace extension replacement

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16. Pattern: Deterministic Task-Event Capture via a Fake Listener Extension (Phase 4.10)

Use this pattern when you need to assert which VS Code tasks the product invokes during a workflow (debug, build, deploy, etc.) without depending on the tasks producing real artifacts.

Why this pattern exists

vscode-extension-tester runs Mocha tests inside the extension host, but the Mocha process and the extension host run in different V8 isolates. Test code cannot subscribe to vscode.tasks.onDidStartTask / onDidEndTaskProcess from outside the extension host — only an extension can. Polling the VS Code UI for task progress is also unreliable (the Output panel scrolls, terminal IDs are unstable, and dotnet/func binaries hang the test for minutes if their feeds are slow).

The pattern

Ship a tiny test-only "recorder" extension alongside the product extension and observe its JSONL output from the Mocha test.

Files for Phase 4.10 (regression guard for pickFuncProcess skipping publishCodefulProject when the modern codeful csproj already populates lib/codeful via Build hooks):

• src/test/ui/codefulTaskRecorderExtension/package.json — publisher: la-e2e, name: la-e2e-codeful-task-recorder, activationEvents: ["onStartupFinished"].

• src/test/ui/codefulTaskRecorderExtension/main.js — CommonJS extension that:

  1. Writes an activate JSONL entry to ${LA_E2E_TASK_EVENTS_JSONL} synchronously on activation (acts as the "recorder is ready" signal).
  2. Subscribes to vscode.tasks.onDidStartTask, onDidEndTask, onDidStartTaskProcess, onDidEndTaskProcess and appends { phase, taskName, scopeFsPath, processId, exitCode, timestamp } for each.
  3. Polls ${LA_E2E_TRIGGER_DIR} every 500 ms for marker files (start-debug, stop-debug, ping); consumes (unlinks) them and dispatches.
  4. For start-debug: waits for azureLogicAppsStandard.debugLogicApp to appear in vscode.commands.getCommands(true), reads launch.json from disk (JSONC-stripped), picks the first type: 'logicapp' config, calls vscode.debug.startDebugging(folder, configName), and writes debugStarted / debugStartFailed accordingly.

• src/test/ui/createWorkspace.test.ts — Phase 4.10A creates real codeful workspaces through the Create Workspace webview and records them in the shared manifest.

• src/test/ui/codefulDebugTasks.test.ts — Mocha test that:

  1. Reads the JSONL file once for the activate entry (waits up to 90 s).
  2. Runs one variant per fresh Phase 4.10B session, with the generated .code-workspace passed as the startup resource.
  3. Waits for design-time evidence (workflow-designtime/), truncates the JSONL, drops a start-debug marker, and polls the JSONL for the expected task chain.
  4. Summarizes counts of processStart per task name and asserts the modern variant has publishStart === 0 and the legacy variant has publishStart === 1.

• src/test/ui/run-e2e.js:

Wire-up checklist

1. Package the recorder as a real extension. Real publisher, name, version, and activationEvents. Install it into <extDir>/<publisher>.<name>-<version>/ (note the dot between publisher and name in the folder name). Refresh extensions.json with rebuildExtensionsJson(extDir) so VS Code picks it up.
2. Use the activate JSONL entry as the readiness signal, NOT a command palette ping. The command palette is element not interactable right after a workspace switch. Drop the palette dependency entirely.
3. Use file-watcher triggers for test → recorder communication. Drop marker files via fs.writeFileSync and let the recorder poll. This bypasses ExTester's flaky workbench.executeCommand path.
4. Wait for azureLogicAppsStandard.debugLogicApp before calling vscode.debug.startDebugging. The LA extension's activate() registers the logicapp debug provider synchronously but only registers commands after several awaits (getResourceGroupsApi, startOnboarding, tasks.fetchTasks). Calling startDebugging before commands register fails with command 'azureLogicAppsStandard.debugLogicApp' not found.
5. Open the generated .code-workspace, NOT the project folder. Phase 4.10B passes the real .code-workspace created by Phase 4.10A as the runPhase() startup resource. Do not hand-write a wrapper or open only the project folder.
6. Use the generated tasks as-is for the modern control. The regression guard must exercise the real codeful launch/tasks shape produced by the Create Workspace flow.
7. Patch only the legacy control .csproj. To simulate the legacy template, change the generated CopyToCodefulFolder target from AfterTargets="Build;Publish" to AfterTargets="Publish"; do not synthesize project files or tasks.
8. Pre-set azureLogicAppsStandard.pickProcessTimeout: 15 in test settings. This bounds the debug process picker after the task chain has been dispatched.
9. activates every task-type provider (grunt, gulp, jake, npm) and waits for all of them. Combined with the LA extension's own awaits, the first event can arrive 4-10 minutes after is called.

Reusing this pattern

This pattern generalizes to any test that needs to observe extension-host-only events deterministically:

• Task events: as above (Phase 4.10).
• Debug session events: subscribe to vscode.debug.onDidStartDebugSession / onDidTerminateDebugSession.
• Workspace events: onDidChangeWorkspaceFolders, onDidChangeConfiguration.
• Command invocations (via commands.registerCommand shimming for assert-on-invocation): wrap a product command at registration and log invocations to JSONL.

Always:

• Put the recorder in src/test/ui/<feature>RecorderExtension/.
• Use a unique publisher (e.g., la-e2e) so it won't collide with the marketplace.
• Activate onStartupFinished.
• Write structured JSONL with a phase discriminator.
• Use file-watcher triggers for one-way test → recorder commands.

Anti-precedent flag

Synthetic codeful Phase 4.10 fixtures are prohibited by Rule 1 and D-001. Keep Phase 4.10 on the real Create Workspace + fresh reopen pattern; if the codeful wizard flow changes, update createWorkspace.test.ts helpers rather than writing project files directly to disk.

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Source: Azure/LogicAppsUX — distributed by TomeVault.