CoreTrace VS Code Extension

CoreTrace VS Code is a powerful integration of the ctrace analyzer framework directly into your Visual Studio Code environment. It provides seamless static and dynamic analysis for C and C++ projects, surfacing complex diagnostics exactly where you need them.

🚀 Features

1. Unified Diagnostics Panel

We automatically ingest, parse, and unify results from multiple analysis tools run by ctrace into a single VS Code interface:

• Standard SARIF formats from static analyzers (CppCheck, Flawfinder, TSCancode, Ikos, etc.).
• Stack Analyzer alerts detailing infinite recursions, uninitialized variables, and large local scopes.
• Clang/GCC Compiler warnings intercepted locally and upgraded into standard VS Code diagnostics.

Clicking on any diagnostic in the custom Sidebar or native 'Problems' view will automatically jump you to the correct file and line, gracefully handling absolute file:// URIs and relative workspace paths.

2. Workspace-wide Analysis

Toggle between analyzing a single active file or scanning your entire workspace. The extension automatically orchestrates the analysis without you needing to do it manually.

3. Intelligent compile_commands.json Resolution

To provide precise C/C++ analysis across complex codebases (with specific #include paths or macros), the extension automatically locates your compile_commands.json database.

It looks for the file in the following specific order:

1. The root of your workspace (/compile_commands.json).
2. Directly via your CMake Tools configuration (honoring custom cmake.buildDirectory settings and VS Code variable substitutions).
3. The default build directory (/build/compile_commands.json).

💡 Tip for CMake users: By default, the Microsoft CMake Tools extension automatically configures this database. If you build manually via terminal, ensure your CMake configuration generates the compilation database by adding this to your CMakeLists.txt:

set(CMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS ON)

Or pass the flag during generation: cmake -B build -S . -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON

4. Smart Caching

No need to wait for a full re-scan. CoreTrace caches file hashes across the entire workspace. During subsequent runs, it only re-analyzes C/C++ files whose contents have changed since your last run, massively speeding up your workflow.

🛠️ Usage

1. Open a C/C++ project in VS Code.
2. Click on the CoreTrace Sidebar (via the icon in the Activity Bar).
3. Choose your target Scope:
   • File: Analyze the currently active editor file.
   • Workspace: Analyze every modified source file in the project.
4. Click Run Analysis to execute ctrace. All findings will appear instantly in the panel and directly in your code editor as error/warning highlights.

⚙️ Requirements

• The extension automatically downloads and installs the latest ctrace / coretrace CLI binaries from GitHub Releases during its first activation. You do not need to install them manually in your PATH. It will also periodically check for and download binary updates automatically in the background.
• Recommended: For accurate analysis in complex codebases, it is advised to generate a compile_commands.json (e.g. via cmake -DCMAKE_EXPORT_COMPILE_COMMANDS=ON) in your workspace root or build directory.