Welcome screen doesn't open (endless progress reporting)

[dbaeumer]

Steps to Repro

• Start VS Code from fresh user data directory and extensions directory
• Reload Window
  🐛 Welcome page is broken

Sanity checking VSCodeSetup-ia32-1.78.0.

When launching VS Code the welcome screen opens but content never shows up

I tested the install in a Windows Sandbox

Workaround

• close the welcome screen
• close VS Code
• open VS Code again
• opens with working welcome screen.

[dbaeumer]

Closing VS Code and reopening it ended it the same endless loop in the welcome screen.

[dbaeumer]

Same behavior with the Zip install.

[dbaeumer]

Did not happen with the User install. May be some timing issue.

[dbaeumer]

Workaround

• close the welcome screen
• close VS Code
• open VS Code again
• opens with working welcome screen.

[dbaeumer]

Starting with a fresh Sandbox revealed the same behavior.

[sandy081]

Do you see any errors in the console?

[dbaeumer]

Nothing in the console

[dbaeumer]

Found this in the extension host log:

2023-05-03 12:37:03.810 [info] Extension host with pid 2812 started
2023-05-03 12:37:03.832 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.git-base, startup: true, activationEvent: '*', root cause: vscode.git
2023-05-03 12:37:03.837 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.git, startup: true, activationEvent: '*'
2023-05-03 12:37:03.883 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.github, startup: true, activationEvent: '*'
2023-05-03 12:37:03.941 [info] Eager extensions activated
2023-05-03 12:37:03.945 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.debug-auto-launch, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
2023-05-03 12:37:03.947 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.merge-conflict, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
2023-05-03 12:37:03.964 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl-recommender, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onStartupFinished'
2023-05-03 12:37:04.014 [error] ProxyResolver#getCaCertificates error Error: Cannot find module 'vscode-windows-ca-certs'
Require stack:
- c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\node_modules.asar\@vscode\proxy-agent\out\index.js
- c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\out\bootstrap-amd.js
- c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\out\bootstrap-fork.js
- 
	at Module._resolveFilename (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1010:15)
	at s._resolveFilename (node:electron/js2c/utility_init:2:2740)
	at Module._load (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:858:27)
	at f._load (node:electron/js2c/asar_bundle:2:13330)
	at b._load (c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\out\vs\workbench\api\node\extensionHostProcess.js:126:29948)
	at h._load (c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\out\vs\workbench\api\node\extensionHostProcess.js:126:26698)
	at I._load (c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\out\vs\workbench\api\node\extensionHostProcess.js:90:24489)
	at Module.require (node:internal/modules/cjs/loader:1082:19)
	at g (c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\out\vs\loader.js:4:647)
	at c:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft VS Code\resources\app\node_modules.asar\@vscode\proxy-agent\out\index.js:380:71
2023-05-03 12:37:05.488 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.github-authentication, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onAuthenticationRequest:github'
2023-05-03 12:37:05.529 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.microsoft-authentication, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onAuthenticationRequest:microsoft'
2023-05-03 12:39:20.088 [info] ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension vscode.emmet, startup: false, activationEvent: 'onLanguage'

[dbaeumer]

Exception is also present when Welcome page opens correctly.

[deepak1556]

@joaomoreno based on the error from #181400 (comment), looks like this commit microsoft/vscode-proxy-agent@f8fbc21 was not released and consumed in VSCode

[sandy081]

Created separate issue for module loading - #181404. I believe these two are unrelated.

[joaomoreno]

Yes I also believe those are unrelated: Welcome screen works well for me, but I can see the same console.log error in extension host.

[bpasero]

A custom version of vscode-bisect (that does not disable the welcome screen), hints to this commit range:

cbf3532...8f74fbf

[roblourens]

Some things I know

• It only happens when the welcome page is opening during startup- if you disable the welcome page and open it manually, it works
• It sometimes starts working, then doesn't break again (see Dirk's workaround above)
• It seems to usually work when I haven't disabled all my extensions

Here's what I see when I debug in devtools

• 64-bit build
  • at

    vscode/src/vs/workbench/contrib/welcomeGettingStarted/browser/gettingStarted.ts

    Line 874 in 79120c6

    if (this.editorInput.selectedCategory) {

    , this.editorInput.selectedCategory is undefined
• 32-bit build
  • this.editorInput.selectedCategory is "Setup"
  • this.gettingStartedCategories is empty
  • we wait on this.gettingStartedService.installedExtensionsRegistered, this never resolves
  • In the service at

    vscode/src/vs/workbench/contrib/welcomeGettingStarted/browser/gettingStartedService.ts

    Line 188 in 79120c6

    walkthroughsExtensionPoint.setHandler(async (_, { added, removed }) => {

    , this setHandler is never called, makes sense since there are no extensions. That code is suspicious