regression: java.format.settings.url no longer loads project .xml file

Some of our teammates just upgraded to the latest version of this extension and noticed that the formatter’s behavior has changed.

Before upgrading extension:

• open a file, run Format document – no diff

After upgrading extension:

• open a file, run Format document – large diff

Our formatter configuration is and has been set from an .xml config file. Our .vscode/settings.json looks like this:

  "java.format.settings.url": "path/to/code-style.xml",

I opened the project in Eclipse and imported the same code-style.xml file, and verified that the Eclipse formatter running with that config produces no diff.

I’ve concluded the formatter on the most recent version of this extension has regressed.

Environment

• Operating System: MacOS 11.2.1
• JDK version: openjdk version "15.0.1" 2020-10-20
• Visual Studio Code version: 1.54.1
• Java extension version: v0.76.0

Steps To Reproduce

1. Create custom code style .xml file
2. Configure via .vscode/settings.json
3. Run Format document

Current Result

Formatter generating unwanted diffs on newest extension version.

Expected Result

No formatting diffs on files that were formatted with prior extension version.

[rothfels]

Edit: I discovered it works with a (relative) file URL (absolute doesn’t work because ${workspaceFolder} is not interpolated).

  "java.format.settings.url": "file:path/to/code-style.xml",

Fwiw, the documentation for this setting says it can be a path. Maybe you want to fix? https://github.com/redhat-developer/vscode-java/wiki/Formatter-settings

[lpedrosa]

I guess I should’ve read @rothfels answer more carefully 😅, since it is mentioned that the URI could be relative to the ${workspaceFolder}.

A workaround for the scenario I’ve described above is to set the java.format.settings.url property like:

# assuming your formatter xml file in on ${workspaceFolder}
# and is called 'eclipse-formatter.xml'
"java.format.settings.url": "file:./eclipse-formatter.xml"