[nikhil2611]

Description

This PR combines CHEF-33964 and CHEF-33965 to address the VSCode vs CLI linting conflicts issue.

Problem

The VSCode extension was giving different linting suggestions than command-line Cookstyle, particularly around array formatting (["a", "b"] vs %w[a b]). This was caused by shipping an outdated Cookstyle version (< 8.6.10 with RuboCop 1.25) while users' CLI had newer versions.

Solution

1. Enforce Minimum Cookstyle Version (CHEF-33964)

• Added version check requiring Cookstyle 8.6.10 or later
• Shows warning message with upgrade instructions if outdated version detected
• Ensures VSCode and CLI use the same modern RuboCop version for consistent behavior

2. Document Customization Options (CHEF-33965)

• Added README documentation for customizing Cookstyle/RuboCop behavior
• Documented two methods:
  • Creating .rubocop.yml in workspace root (auto-discovered)
  • Using rubocop.configFile VSCode setting for custom config path
• Included examples for preventing %-escaped literals for users who prefer bracket-style arrays

Testing

✅ Verified both customization methods work correctly with Cookstyle 8.6.10:

• Workspace .rubocop.yml is automatically discovered by Cookstyle
• --config flag properly applies custom configuration files
• Both VSCode and CLI show identical linting behavior

Changes

• extension.ts: Added checkCookstyleVersion() function with minimum version enforcement
• README.md: Added "Customizing Cookstyle Behavior" section with examples

Fixes

• CHEF-33964: Upgrade Cookstyle to Latest Version
• CHEF-33965: Resolve RuboCop–Cookstyle Conflicts (%-escaped literals)
• EPIC - https://progresssoftware.atlassian.net/browse/CHEF-33906

---

Note: This PR replaces #271 and #272 with a cleaner commit history.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR aims to eliminate VS Code vs CLI Cookstyle/RuboCop linting discrepancies by enforcing a minimum Cookstyle version in the extension and documenting how users can customize Cookstyle behavior via configuration.

Changes:

• Add a Cookstyle version check on extension activation to warn when the installed linter is below Cookstyle 8.6.10.
• Update README with minimum Cookstyle requirements and instructions/examples for customizing rules via .rubocop.yml and rubocop.configFile.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 3 comments.

File	Description
README.md	Documents Cookstyle minimum version requirement and configuration/customization options.
extension.ts	Adds runtime Cookstyle version detection and warning messaging on activation.

Suppressed comments (2)

extension.ts:101

• If the version check throws, cookstyleVersionChecked never gets set to true, so the warning dialog can be re-shown on subsequent triggers (e.g., configuration watcher calling validation paths). Mark the check as completed in the error path as well.

	} catch (err) {
		console.log("Could not check Cookstyle version:", err);
		vscode.window.showWarningMessage(

README.md:30

• This bullet also calls 26.1.0 the “Latest version”, which will quickly go stale in documentation.

- Latest version (26.1.0) includes Cookstyle 8.7.6 and all Chef tools

---

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[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

Suppressed comments (4)

extension.ts:86

• The version comparison assumes the parsed version has exactly 3 numeric components. If cookstyle --version ever returns a shorter/atypical string (e.g., missing patch, pre-release, or additional text that makes parsing produce NaN), parts[i] comparisons will be unreliable and can incorrectly treat an old/unparseable version as compatible.

				// Parse version components
				let parts = version.split('.').map(Number);
				let minParts = MINIMUM_COOKSTYLE_VERSION.split('.').map(Number);
				
				// Check if version is below minimum
				let isOldVersion = false;
				for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
					if (parts[i] < minParts[i]) {
						isOldVersion = true;
						break;
					} else if (parts[i] > minParts[i]) {
						break;
					}
				}

extension.ts:113

• The warning in the catch block always suggests installing Chef Workstation, but this path is also hit when rubocop.path is configured incorrectly or points to a non-executable file. Including the configured path (and hinting at rubocop.path) would make this actionable for users who install Cookstyle via a gem or non-default location.

		console.log("Could not check Cookstyle version:", err);
		vscode.window.showWarningMessage(
			`Chef extension could not detect Cookstyle. Install the latest Chef Workstation for linting features.`,
			"Download Chef Workstation"
		).then(selection => {
			if (selection === "Download Chef Workstation") {
				vscode.env.openExternal(vscode.Uri.parse("https://downloads.chef.io/chef-workstation"));
			}
		});

README.md:36

• The README suggests installing Cookstyle via gem install cookstyle, but the extension defaults to the Chef Workstation binary path and won’t automatically use the gem-installed executable unless users also set rubocop.path (or set it to a PATH-resolvable cookstyle). Adding that step avoids users following Option 2 and still getting a startup warning / no linting.

**Option 2: Install Cookstyle gem directly**
```bash
gem install cookstyle  # Installs latest version

**README.md:19**
* Typo: VS Code calls this the “Command Palette”, not “Command Pallette”.

• You may lint the entire workspace, even if it is larger than the above threshold, using the Chef: Validate Entire Workspace command from the Command Pallette.

</details>

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

Suppressed comments (3)

extension.ts:40

• checkCookstyleVersion() runs a spawnSync (up to 5s timeout) during activation, which can block the extension host and delay VS Code startup. Consider deferring the version check and re-running it when the workspace becomes trusted.

		checkCookstyleVersion();
		updateRubyFileCountAndValidate(true);

README.md:20

• The README says Chef Workstation is required, but the same section immediately lists installing the Cookstyle gem directly as an alternative. Consider wording this as a Cookstyle 8.6.10+ requirement (with Chef Workstation as the recommended way to get it) to avoid conflicting guidance.

* **Requirements**: This extension requires [Chef Workstation](https://downloads.chef.io/chef-workstation) installed with [Cookstyle](https://github.com/chef/cookstyle) **8.6.10 or later**. For example, Chef Workstation 26.1.0 includes Cookstyle 8.7.6. Linting should "just work" on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

extension.ts:91

• The version comparison assumes a 3-component semver. If Cookstyle ever reports a version like "8.6" (or anything that parses to NaN), the current logic will treat it as compatible because comparisons against NaN are always false. Normalizing to 3 components and treating parse failures as "old" avoids silently skipping the minimum-version enforcement.

				let parts = version.split('.').map(Number);
				let minParts = MINIMUM_COOKSTYLE_VERSION.split('.').map(Number);
				
				// Check if version is below minimum
				let isOldVersion = false;

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

Suppressed comments (3)

extension.ts:66

• spawnSync blocks the extension host event loop; running it during activation can noticeably delay startup (up to the 5s timeout). Consider switching to an async execFile/spawn-based version check (or deferring it) so activation stays responsive.

		let spawn = require("child_process").spawnSync;
		let result = spawn(rubocopPath, ["--version"], { encoding: "utf-8", timeout: 5000, windowsHide: true });

extension.ts:42

• If the workspace starts out untrusted, checkCookstyleVersion() returns early and the version check will never run later (it’s only called once during activation). That means the minimum Cookstyle enforcement can be skipped entirely for users who trust the workspace after opening it.

	if (vscode.workspace.getConfiguration("rubocop").enable) {
		checkCookstyleVersion();
		updateRubyFileCountAndValidate(true);
		context.subscriptions.push(startLintingOnSaveWatcher());
		context.subscriptions.push(startLintingOnConfigurationChangeWatcher());

extension.ts:106

• When cookstyle --version outputs stdout but the version regex doesn’t match, the code falls through without warning and still marks the version check as done. That means minimum-version enforcement can be silently skipped if the output format changes.

				} else {
					console.log(`Cookstyle version ${version} is compatible (minimum: ${MINIMUM_COOKSTYLE_VERSION})`);
				}
			}
		}

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated no new comments.

Suppressed comments (3)

extension.ts:40

• checkCookstyleVersion() uses spawnSync, which blocks the extension host during activation (up to the 5s timeout). Deferring the check avoids delaying activation/UI responsiveness; longer-term, consider switching the version check to an async exec instead of sync spawn.

	if (vscode.workspace.getConfiguration("rubocop").enable) {
		checkCookstyleVersion();
		updateRubyFileCountAndValidate(true);

README.md:20

• The Requirements bullet says the extension "requires Chef Workstation" but the README also documents installing the Cookstyle gem directly (Option 2). This is contradictory; the requirement should be phrased as requiring Cookstyle 8.6.10+ (via Workstation or gem).

* **Requirements**: This extension requires [Chef Workstation](https://docs.chef.io/workstation/install/) installed with [Cookstyle](https://github.com/chef/cookstyle) **8.6.10 or later**. For example, Chef Workstation 26.1.0 includes Cookstyle 8.7.6. Linting should "just work" on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

extension.ts:76

• This version parsing will treat any --version output that contains a x.y.z as a Cookstyle version. If rubocop.path points to non-Cookstyle (or Cookstyle prints version to stderr), the regex can mis-detect and incorrectly warn that Cookstyle is below 8.6.10. Consider validating that the output looks like Cookstyle and using stdout/stderr consistently before comparing versions.

		if (result.stdout) {
			let versionMatch = result.stdout.match(/(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)/);
			if (versionMatch) {
				let version = versionMatch[1];
				console.log(`Detected Cookstyle version: ${version}`);