How to use installDslAsPrimarySource?

[LorenzoBettini]

I thought I knew how this option was supposed to work, especially by looking at the Javadoc of the maven plugin

	/**
	 * whether the DSL files should be registered as primary source files for
	 * debugging in the generated Java-class-files. If false, the Java source is
	 * registered as primary source and the DSL files are registered as
	 * secondary source via JSR-045 (SMAP).
	 * 
	 * This property is only support for languages using Xbase.
	 * 
	 * @property
	 */
	private boolean installDslAsPrimarySource = false;

I thought this was required if you want to debug your Xbase DSLs.

However, maybe it's required only for proper code coverage? At least, with this option set, the JaCoCo code coverage refers to the original DSL source for coloring.

I seem to understand that in the Xtext code base, we always set that property to false.

Instead, if set, it seems to break debugging.
If the DSL files are in a different project from the one where I debug (e.g., another project in the workspace or a binary dependency, provided with the companion source JAR), the debugger never hits the DSL source file.
I can open the DSL source file by looking for the Java type corresponding to that DSL source file (it correctly opens the DSL source file), but the debugger cannot find it.
The debugger insists on showing the generated Java file.
If I try to use "Show Sources...", the options I have are "Default", "Java", and "jdt". The last one is instead of the name of my DSL.

What is then the proper way to bundle JARs and source JARs so that it is possible to debug DSL source files when they are used as dependencies?

[cdietrich]

It should work with both. I guess you need to debug Java breakpoint handling and source lookup. We had a ton of bugs with absolute relative paths etc .. and jdt might swallow some problems

[LorenzoBettini]

I fixed the problems with generated absolute paths some time ago, and the paths are relative in the trace files.

It's not only that breakpoint is not hit. Even entering a method call corresponding to the DSL file still leads to the generated Java file.

The fact that the "show source" context menu shows "jdt" instead of the DSL name? Do you know what that relates to?

[cdietrich]

Hmm all to long ago but for xtend it also has a show xtend there

[LorenzoBettini]

In fact v when it works it shows the DSL name, when it doesn't it shows "jdt".

[cdietrich]

I did a shit tom debugging in that area 10 years ago on all the stratum breakpoint stuff. But it is too long ago to remember details

I also blogged somewhere one debugging non xbase stuff