Feature: Add sessionName debug setting to allow different PS for temp console (#5208)

JustinGrote · web-flow · commit 58aa029b811f · 2025-06-09T14:46:46.000-07:00
* Add sessionName debug option to specify PowerShell Session for temporary console

* Fix old name reference
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
@@ -519,7 +519,7 @@
             }
           },
           {
-            "label": "Run Pester Tests (Binary Module)",
+            "label": "PowerShell: Run Pester Tests (Binary Module)",
             "description": "Debug a .NET binary or hybrid module by running Pester tests. Breakpoints you set in your .NET (C#/F#/VB/etc.) code will be hit upon command execution. You may want to add a compile or watch action as a pre-launch task to this configuration.",
             "body": {
               "name": "PowerShell: Binary Module Pester Tests",
@@ -529,6 +529,16 @@
               "createTemporaryIntegratedConsole": true,
               "attachDotnetDebugger": true
             }
+          },
+          {
+            "label": "PowerShell: Windows PowerShell",
+            "description": "(Windows Only) Launch a temporary Windows PowerShell console for debugging. This is useful for debugging legacy scripts that require Windows PowerShell.",
+            "body": {
+              "name": "PowerShell: Windows PowerShell",
+              "type": "PowerShell",
+              "request": "launch",
+              "sessionName": "Windows PowerShell (x64)"
+            }
           }
         ],
         "configurationAttributes": {
@@ -556,6 +566,14 @@
                 "description": "Determines whether a temporary PowerShell Extension Terminal is created for each debugging session, useful for debugging PowerShell classes and binary modules.  Overrides the user setting 'powershell.debugging.createTemporaryIntegratedConsole'.",
                 "default": false
               },
+              "sessionName": {
+                "type": [
+                  "string",
+                  "null"
+                ],
+                "description": "If specified, uses the PowerShell session name to launch the debug configuration. Will always launch in a temporary console if specified.",
+                "default": null
+              },
               "attachDotnetDebugger": {
                 "type": "boolean",
                 "description": "If specified, a C# debug session will be started and attached to the new temporary extension terminal. This does nothing unless 'powershell.debugging.createTemporaryIntegratedConsole' is also specified.",
diff --git a/src/features/DebugSession.ts b/src/features/DebugSession.ts
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ export enum DebugConfig {
     ModuleInteractiveSession,
     BinaryModule,
     BinaryModulePester,
+    WindowsPowerShell,
 }
 
 /** Make the implicit behavior of undefined and null in the debug api more explicit  */
@@ -126,6 +127,12 @@ export const DebugConfigurations: Record<DebugConfig, DebugConfiguration> = {
         createTemporaryIntegratedConsole: true,
         attachDotnetDebugger: true,
     },
+    [DebugConfig.WindowsPowerShell]: {
+        name: "PowerShell: Windows PowerShell",
+        type: "PowerShell",
+        request: "launch",
+        sessionName: "Windows PowerShell (x64)",
+    },
 };
 
 export class DebugSessionFeature
@@ -271,13 +278,24 @@ export class DebugSessionFeature
                     "Debug a .NET binary or hybrid module loaded into a PowerShell session. Breakpoints you set in your .NET (C#/F#/VB/etc.) code will be hit upon command execution. You may want to add a compile or watch action as a pre-launch task to this configuration.",
             },
             {
-                id: DebugConfig.RunPester,
+                id: DebugConfig.BinaryModulePester,
                 label: "Run Pester Tests (Binary Module)",
                 description:
                     "Debug a .NET binary or hybrid module by running Pester tests. Breakpoints you set in your .NET (C#/F#/VB/etc.) code will be hit upon command execution. You may want to add a compile or watch action as a pre-launch task to this configuration.",
             },
         ];
 
+        // Only show the Windows PowerShell option if the platform is Windows
+        const platformDetails = getPlatformDetails();
+        if (platformDetails.operatingSystem === OperatingSystem.Windows) {
+            debugConfigPickItems.push({
+                id: DebugConfig.WindowsPowerShell,
+                label: "Windows PowerShell",
+                description:
+                    "Launch Windows PowerShell in a temporary integrated console for debugging",
+            });
+        }
+
         const launchSelection = await window.showQuickPick(
             debugConfigPickItems,
             { placeHolder: "Select a PowerShell debug configuration" },
@@ -440,6 +458,10 @@ export class DebugSessionFeature
             return PREVENT_DEBUG_START_AND_OPEN_DEBUGCONFIG;
         }
 
+        if (config.sessionName) {
+            config.createTemporaryIntegratedConsole = true;
+        }
+
         if (config.attachDotnetDebugger) {
             return this.resolveAttachDotnetDebugConfiguration(config);
         }
@@ -477,7 +499,10 @@ export class DebugSessionFeature
     ): Promise<IEditorServicesSessionDetails | undefined> {
         const settings = getSettings();
         this.tempDebugProcess =
-            await this.sessionManager.createDebugSessionProcess(settings);
+            await this.sessionManager.createDebugSessionProcess(
+                settings,
+                session.configuration.sessionName,
+            );
         // TODO: Maybe set a timeout on the cancellation token?
         const cancellationTokenSource = new CancellationTokenSource();
         this.tempSessionDetails = await this.tempDebugProcess.start(
diff --git a/src/session.ts b/src/session.ts
@@ -442,6 +442,7 @@ export class SessionManager implements Middleware {
 
     public async createDebugSessionProcess(
         settings: Settings,
+        powershellExeName?: string,
     ): Promise<PowerShellProcess> {
         // NOTE: We only support one temporary Extension Terminal at a time. To
         // support more, we need to track each separately, and tie the session
@@ -455,14 +456,20 @@ export class SessionManager implements Middleware {
             );
         }
 
+        const debugPowerShellExeDetails =
+            powershellExeName === undefined
+                ? this.PowerShellExeDetails
+                : ((await this.findPowerShell(powershellExeName)) ??
+                  this.PowerShellExeDetails);
+
         // TODO: It might not be totally necessary to update the session
         // settings here, but I don't want to accidentally change this behavior
         // just yet. Working on getting things to be more idempotent!
         this.sessionSettings = settings;
 
         const bundledModulesPath = await this.getBundledModulesPath();
         this.debugSessionProcess = new PowerShellProcess(
-            this.PowerShellExeDetails.exePath,
+            debugPowerShellExeDetails.exePath,
             bundledModulesPath,
             true,
             false,
@@ -716,7 +723,9 @@ export class SessionManager implements Middleware {
         ];
     }
 
-    private async findPowerShell(): Promise<IPowerShellExeDetails | undefined> {
+    private async findPowerShell(
+        wantedName?: string,
+    ): Promise<IPowerShellExeDetails | undefined> {
         this.logger.writeDebug("Finding PowerShell...");
         const powershellExeFinder = new PowerShellExeFinder(
             this.platformDetails,
@@ -727,7 +736,7 @@ export class SessionManager implements Middleware {
         let foundPowerShell: IPowerShellExeDetails | undefined;
         try {
             let defaultPowerShell: IPowerShellExeDetails | undefined;
-            const wantedName = this.sessionSettings.powerShellDefaultVersion;
+            wantedName ??= this.sessionSettings.powerShellDefaultVersion;
             if (wantedName !== "") {
                 for await (const details of powershellExeFinder.enumeratePowerShellInstallations()) {
                     // Need to compare names case-insensitively, from https://stackoverflow.com/a/2140723
