Filter go to definition results based on active CMake project configuration

[briankendall]

Brief Issue Summary

I have a CMake Tools / cpptools project that's utilizing configure presets to allow building for different targets. In my project are some symbols that are defined multiple times, once for each target. If I right click on one of those symbols and pick "Go to Definition", a box opens up asking me which symbol I want to go to, even though only one of those files is actually currently configured to be compiled. This can get annoying as I try to follow symbols around -- I think it should automatically know which one I want to follow based on the current configuration preset.

I've attached a zip file containing a minimal example of this issue. If you expand the zip and open symbol-demo in VSCode, set it to use either configuration preset, and then right click on platform_name on line 6 of main.c and pick "Go to Definition", it will query for the definition in either platform1.c or platform2.c, even though only one of those files will ever be configured to be compiled.

I'm not sure if this is a bug or intended behavior, and if it's a bug whether it's an issue with CMake Tools or cpptools, but I figured this is the logical place to start.

symbol-demo.zip

CMake Tools Diagnostics

{
  "os": "darwin",
  "vscodeVersion": "1.101.0",
  "cmtVersion": "1.20.53",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "folder": "/Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo",
      "cmakeVersion": "3.31.3",
      "configured": true,
      "generator": "Unix Makefiles",
      "usesPresets": true,
      "compilers": {
        "C": "/Applications/Xcode-14.3.1.app/Contents/Developer/Toolchains/XcodeDefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/cc"
      }
    }
  ],
  "cpptoolsIntegration": {
    "isReady": true,
    "hasCodeModel": true,
    "activeBuildType": "",
    "buildTypesSeen": [
      ""
    ],
    "requests": [
      "file:///Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/main.c",
      "file:///Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/platform1.c"
    ],
    "responses": [
      {
        "uri": "file:///Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/main.c",
        "configuration": {
          "includePath": [],
          "defines": [],
          "compilerPath": "/applications/xcode-14.3.1.app/contents/developer/toolchains/xcodedefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/cc",
          "compilerArgs": [],
          "compilerFragments": [
            " -isysroot /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX13.3.sdk"
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "uri": "file:///Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/platform1.c",
        "configuration": {
          "includePath": [],
          "defines": [],
          "compilerPath": "/applications/xcode-14.3.1.app/contents/developer/toolchains/xcodedefault.xctoolchain/usr/bin/cc",
          "compilerArgs": [],
          "compilerFragments": [
            " -isysroot /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer/Platforms/MacOSX.platform/Developer/SDKs/MacOSX13.3.sdk"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "partialMatches": [],
    "targetCount": 1,
    "executablesCount": 1,
    "librariesCount": 0,
    "targets": [
      {
        "name": "symbol_demo",
        "type": "EXECUTABLE"
      }
    ]
  },
  "settings": [
    {
      "communicationMode": "automatic",
      "useCMakePresets": "auto",
      "configureOnOpen": true
    }
  ]
}

Debug Log

Configure:
[main] Configuring project: symbol-demo 
[main] Saving open files before configure/build
[driver] Start configure 
[driver] Running pre-configure checks and steps
[cmakefileapi-driver] Configuring using preset
[cmakefileapi-driver] Invoking CMake /opt/local/bin/cmake with arguments ["-DPLATFORM_NAME=platform1","-S/Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo","-B/Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1"]
[proc] Executing command: /opt/local/bin/cmake -DPLATFORM_NAME=platform1 -S/Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo -B/Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1
[proc]   with environment: [redacted]
[cmake] -- Configuring done (0.0s)
[cmake] -- Generating done (0.0s)
[cmake] -- Build files have been written to: /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1
[cmakefileapi-parser] Read reply folder: /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1/.cmake/api/v1/reply
[cmakefileapi-parser] Found index files: ["cache-v2-8fa3956c785132dde167.json","cmakeFiles-v1-fe1bf9891ff6be181776.json","codemodel-v2-8982237f9622d9423818.json","directory-.-f5ebdc15457944623624.json","index-2025-06-17T00-54-00-0052.json","target-symbol_demo-fd4730cf5d600f8bb4e4.json","toolchains-v1-2928f2eaa272260a2590.json"]
[cache] Reading CMake cache file /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1/CMakeCache.txt
[cache] Parsing CMake cache string
[extension] [1644] cmake.configure finished (returned 0)
[cache] Reading CMake cache file /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1/CMakeCache.txt
[cache] Parsing CMake cache string

Build:
[main] Building folder: /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1 
[main] Saving open files before configure/build
[build] Starting build
[driver] Start build 
[proc] Executing command: /opt/local/bin/cmake --build /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1 --parallel 18 --
[proc]   with environment: [redacted]
[build] [100%] Built target symbol_demo
[driver] Build completed: 00:00:00.287
[cmakefileapi-parser] Read reply folder: /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1/.cmake/api/v1/reply
[cmakefileapi-parser] Found index files: ["cache-v2-8fa3956c785132dde167.json","cmakeFiles-v1-fe1bf9891ff6be181776.json","codemodel-v2-8982237f9622d9423818.json","directory-.-f5ebdc15457944623624.json","index-2025-06-17T00-54-00-0052.json","target-symbol_demo-fd4730cf5d600f8bb4e4.json","toolchains-v1-2928f2eaa272260a2590.json"]
[cache] Reading CMake cache file /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1/CMakeCache.txt
[cache] Parsing CMake cache string
[build] Build finished with exit code 0
[cache] Reading CMake cache file /Users/username/Desktop/symbol-demo/out/build/platform1/CMakeCache.txt
[extension] [7053] cmake.build finished (returned 0)
[cache] Parsing CMake cache string

Additional Information

No response

[briankendall]

I see now that this is currently not possible with CMake Tools and cpptools as they currently operate: microsoft/vscode-cmake-tools#4486

Should this issue be closed?

[bobbrow]

@briankendall I think we'd want to track this somewhere so let's keep it open as a feature request, but CMake Tools wouldn't be the one to implement the source filtering part - it would just need to subscribe to an API update that included the grouping. I think the majority of the work involved belongs to cpptools. I will move it there.