Add Getting Started Walkthrough

[Colengms]

Adds 'walkthrough' content to package.json. That content is currently in English. Because we don't expect to get localized strings before shipping 1.4.0, we plan to stick with English only content for now. (Also, I will need to update localization scripts to enable localization of the MD files). This walkthrough is mostly static, and the plan is to update it considerably as additional support we've requested is added to VS Code.

Currently VS Code Insiders is needed to see the Getting Started UI, as well as setting "workbench.welcomePage.experimental.extensionContributions": true .

Added args to Configuration UI/JSON commands to allow display within a specified ViewColumn. This allows opening of the Configuration UI 'beside' the walkthrough.

Added a CheckForCompiler command that is triggered by the walkthrough and displays a dialog listing found compilers, or a warning that no compilers were found.

Resolves #7273

[michelleangela]

Would it be possible to organize the files in the "walkthrough" folder so it's not a giant list of files? Perhaps create a separate folder for images or create a folder per instruction subject.

Example:

Walkthrough folder

• images (folder for images not used in any markdown files)
• installcompiler (folder for files and images for installing compiler)
• configure (folder for files/images for configuring intellisense)
• buildanddebug (folder for files and images for build and debug)

[jureid]

Can we use a different icon that is bigger and easier to see the C/C++ text? The C/C++ text is too small for me to read (GitHub is magnfiying the image):

Will reach out to design team and VS Code team for icons.

[jureid]

Would it be possible to organize the files in the "walkthrough" folder so it's not a giant list of files? Perhaps create a separate folder for images or create a folder per instruction subject.

Example:

Walkthrough folder

• images (folder for images not used in any markdown files)
• installcompiler (folder for files and images for installing compiler)
• configure (folder for files/images for configuring intellisense)
• buildanddebug (folder for files and images for build and debug)

Yes! I've been wanting to do this, too. I have a few screenshots to update based on Sean's feedback, so when I add those new screenshots I'll organize this folder.

[michelleangela]

Can we use a different icon that is bigger and easier to see the C/C++ text? The C/C++ text is too small for me to read (GitHub is magnfiying the image):

Will reach out to design team and VS Code team for icons.

If they're creating a new icon, can they make it so it's also visible for the tab icon?

[jureid]

Can we use a different icon that is bigger and easier to see the C/C++ text? The C/C++ text is too small for me to read (GitHub is magnfiying the image):

Will reach out to design team and VS Code team for icons.

If they're creating a new icon, can they make it so it's also visible for the tab icon?

Yup; I included the tab in the email I sent to them. For our extension page, we just have a generic icon in the tab. Maybe we can use that.

[sean-mcmanus]

Extension/walkthrough/msvc-build-active-file.png has a visually distracting orange character in the bottom left. Can you remove that?

[sean-mcmanus]

I'm hitting some issues when the walkthrough is used "too early". The Check Compilers button may not work or the configuration can be blank:

[sean-mcmanus]

I'm hitting some issues when the walkthrough is used "too early". The Check Compilers button may not work or the configuration can be blank:

Well, the Check Compilers behavior seems okay, but I repeatedly get a blank configuration -- that could be an unrelated bug with the configuration UI? It happens randomly or something even long after startup.

[sean-mcmanus]

I'm hitting some issues when the walkthrough is used "too early". The Check Compilers button may not work or the configuration can be blank:

Well, the Check Compilers behavior seems okay, but I repeatedly get a blank configuration -- that could be an unrelated bug with the configuration UI? It happens randomly or something even long after startup.

It appears to be an existing (?) bug that repros whenever the Configuration UI is opened -- i.e. it's randomly blank, but the repro probability seems a lot higher when invoked from the walkthrough.

[sean-mcmanus]

It appears to be an existing (?) bug that repros whenever the Configuration UI is opened -- i.e. it's randomly blank, but the repro probability seems a lot higher when invoked from the walkthrough.

Actually, the repro probability increases in the remote scenario, not with the walkthrough. I've opened bug #7523 .

[jureid]

It appears to be an existing (?) bug that repros whenever the Configuration UI is opened -- i.e. it's randomly blank, but the repro probability seems a lot higher when invoked from the walkthrough.

Actually, the repro probability increases in the remote scenario, not with the walkthrough. I've opened bug #7523 .

I'm seeing the same bug repro in the walkthrough locally