Use newer vcpkg version

[HansSchneebauer]

Type: Feature Request

1. The current Arm Tools Environment Manager version 1.6.0 installs version 2023-11-16-4c1df40a3c5c5e18de299a99e9accb03c2a82e1e of vcpkg.exe, and not the latest one. This version seems to be hard-coded. Can this be changed to install the latest version?
2. Under Windows, vcpkg is currently installed into the folder:
   C:\Users<user>.vscode\extensions\arm.environment-manager-1.6.0-win32-x64\tools\vcpkg
   Why is that? Why is vcpkg not installed into the same folder as if you would install it from the command line. This would be:
   C:\Users<user>.vcpkg
   Multiple instances of vcpkg can cause confusion and inconsistencies for the customer.

[thegecko]

The environment manager utilises a specific, tested version of vcpkg and is designed to work standalone from any other vcpkg installation. Bootstrapping an installer and tooling for vcpkg would be complicated and require shipping a node runtime with the extension or need the user to set this up manually.

This behaviour is as intended, but I would be keen to know if there is any specific reason you need a newer version.

We could also consider adding a setting to use the system vcpkg if one has been set up.

[HansSchneebauer]

Our customer has a mandatory proxy in their network. It was not possible to download the tools (ninja, CMSIS-Toolbox, AC6 Arm Debugger etc.) from our artifactory with the vcpkg version we provided. By manually installing the latest vcpkg, this problem was solved. This problem was probably solved in vcpkg version 2024.07.12, which is about half year old.

We could also consider adding a setting to use the system vcpkg if one has been set up.
Yes, this would be a good option.

[thegecko]

Thanks, we can look into whether we can upgrade to that version.

[HansSchneebauer]

If you upgrade to a newer version, it probably makes sense to use the latest version which is currently 2024.12.16.

[thegecko]

We've tried more recent versions already and they no longer work without shipping a dependency on cmake (and a bunch of work)

[thegecko]

Just checked and any upgrade is blocked on this added back in November 2023:

microsoft/vcpkg#35429

We'll look into allowing the user to use their own vcpkg installation as a workaround

[brondani]

Another reason for upgrading vcpkg: reactivate does not unset environment variables.
ARM-software/vscode-cmsis-csolution#169
Probably fixed in microsoft/vcpkg#36025

[thegecko]

The latest release allows users to utilise a vcpkg installed on their system rather than the one shipped with environment manager