Running test causes repeated Java rebuilds

[kropptrevor]

The problem is that when running a test, for some reason, this causes the Java build server to rebuild repeatedly. Every time that happens, it causes the tests to reload also.

On larger projects, this rebuild gets rather violent. I suspect this may be because the rebuild is trigger for each subproject, as the time between rebuilds is much shorter on larger projects. This requires a cleaning of the Java workspace entirely, as it will slow down the system to a crawl.

This might be related to #1787.

Sample project to replicate:

• project.zip
• logs.log

Steps to replicate:

• Install the extensions
• Clean the Java workspace
• Open LinkedListTest.java
• Run any test
• Observe the Testing tab

Workaround:

• Set "java.gradle.buildServer.enabled": "off",

Other problems I noticed:

• Missing classpath entries had to be fixed with java.test.config (in the sample project, {workspace}/sample-file/build/custom-libs/sample.jar was missing which works when running the test from the command line)
• Sometimes a classpath entry will be truncated to be incorrect absolute paths, e.g., /sample-bad-classpath/list/bin

Setup:

• Java 21 (Corretto)
• Gradle 9.3.1
• WSL 2.6.3.0
• Ubuntu 24.04.4
• VSCode 1.109.5
• WSL VSCode Extensions:
  • Container Tools - ms-azuretools.vscode-containers - version 2.4.1
  • Debugger for Java - vscjava.vscode-java-debug - version 0.58.5
  • Gradle for Java - vscjava.vscode-gradle - version 3.17.2
  • Language Support for Java(TM) by Red Hat - redhat.java - version 1.52.0
  • Partial Diff - ryu1kn.partial-diff - version 1.4.3
  • Test Runner for Java - vscjava.vscode-java-test - version 0.44.0
  • XML - redhat.vscode-xml - version 0.29.0
• Windows VSCode Extensions:
  • vscode-icons - vscode-icons-team.vscode-icons - version 12.17.0
  • WSL - ms-vscode-remote.remote-wsl - version 0.104.3

Remote settings.json:

    "[java]": {
        "editor.pasteAs.enabled": false,
    },
    "java.configuration.runtimes": [
        {
            "name": "JavaSE-17",
            "path": "/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-amazon-corretto"
        },
        {
            "name": "JavaSE-21",
            "path": "/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto"
        },
    ],
    "java.jdt.ls.java.home": "/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto",
    "java.import.gradle.java.home": "/usr/lib/jvm/java-21-amazon-corretto",

Please let me know if I need to create the issue on another repository instead.

[github-actions]

Hi @kropptrevor, I'm an AI Support assistant here to help with your issue. While the team reviews your request, I wanted to provide some possible tips and documentation that might help you in the meantime.

Possible Solutions

• Disable VS Code’s auto-build before running tests. Add to your settings:

  "java.autobuild.enabled": false

  This stops Gradle projects from rebuilding on each test invocation (you’ll need to rebuild manually).

• Try enabling the Gradle Build Server (instead of Buildship) to see if it reduces per-subproject rebuild churn:

  "java.gradle.buildServer.enabled": "on"

  Then run Java: Clean Java Language Server Workspace and reload the window.

• Open only the module containing your tests (rather than the full multi-project workspace) when running tests.

Duplicate Issue

This appears to be the same root problem as:

• Running a test (or debugging) constantly churns and never starts (#1038)

Other references with low confidence

• Gradle projects add test compile path in the launcher configuration: suggests using the new Gradle Build Server pre-release (#507)

The team will respond to your issue shortly. I hope these suggestions are helpful in the meantime. If this comment helped you, please give it a 👍. If the suggestion was not helpful or incorrect, please give it a 👎. Your feedback helps us improve!