breakpoints in client side javascript not hit in express project

Environment (please complete the following information):

• OS (e.g., Windows 10):macOS 12.1
• Extension version (e.g., 1.2.3): v1.4.5

Describe the bug:

I set a break point in a self invoking anonymous function and it was not hit.

Repro steps:

1. use npx express-generator --no-view to create an express static site
2. cd into the new project directory
3. execute npm install
4. launch the express server DEBUG=bug-express:* npm start
5. Generate a launch.json file with the standard launch edge and open dev tools configuration.
6. update configuration url entry to http://localhost:3000/
7. While in the launch.json file add an edge launch configuration and update the url for that too.
8. Add a script block to the projects default index.html file:

<script>
  (function () {
    console.log("not going to work")
  })()
</script>

1. set a break point on the console.log line
2. Using your Launch Edge configuration launch edge
3. notice that Edge launches, and the page is displayed. Notice that the console log message appears in the console.

Expected behavior:

I expected my break point would be hit.

Additional context:

If you use npx reload -d public -p 3000 to serve the index page, the break point is also not hit.

Also, if you copy the html and launch.json file to a newly initialized node project npm init -y it also does work.

I was sure I’d seen this actually work before, so I deleted the node package.json file, but that did not help.

Finally, I have noticed that if you launch edge, then bring up the dev tools from the browser and set the break point using those tools (i.e. go into sources, find index.html, set a breakpoint) then the break point is hit and the file is opened in vs code. Oddly the file opened contains only the contents of the script tag, and the rest of the file is empty.

[chris-miner]

Based on #896 I got the idea to try the headless option on my edge launch config. That didn’t help me at all, but it did lead to me changing my "webRoot": "${workspaceFolder}" entry to "webRoot": "${workspaceFolder}/public". And now my breakpoint is hit.

[codepo8]

This looks to me more like an issue of JS debug, let’s find out more about that. Thanks for bringing it up.