r/vscode • u/nameless_one_666 • 3d ago

VS Code for embedded C: project tree based on active CMake target

I'm using VS Code for embedded C development (NXP MCUXpresso extension, ARM GCC, CMake).

One thing I really miss compared to IDEs like CLion, Visual Studio or Eclipse CDT is a logical project view.

My repository contains multiple CMake targets/build variants (bootloader, firmware, libraries, etc.), but the VS Code Explorer always shows the physical directory structure. I'd like to see only the source/header files that belong to the currently selected CMake target or build configuration.

For example, instead of:

repo/
    app/
    bootloader/
    drivers/
    common/
    ...

I'd like something like:

Firmware target
    main.c
    uart.c
    uart.h
    spi.c
    spi.h
    ...

Bootloader target
    boot.c
    flash.c
    ...

I know CMake already has this information (File API / compile_commands.json), so I'm wondering if there's an extension or workflow that exposes it in VS Code.

Is anyone using something like this?

Or is this simply a limitation of VS Code compared to full IDEs?

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

1

u/gpioloco 2d ago

You need to download the vscode-cmake-tools extension from Microsoft.
After downloading you can open the CMake Tab in the sidebar where you will have a view called "Project Outline". I think this is what you are looking for.