Includes errors in CDT after plugins

[jarsudsco]

I've been an Eclipse user for many years and I really like it - when it works. I use it for coding in C/C++, Python and Java targeted at Windows, Linux, Arduino and standalone AVR's, ESP8266 and most recently CH55x chips using SDCC, all in the one installation.

I quickly learned two things; firstly to dread the quarterly updates which often trashed my installation, and secondly, perhaps as a consequence of the frequent re-installs, to never store my code in the workspace. It's stored in a code folder on my NAS and backed up to Backblaze so I care much less if the workspace gets corrupted. (I wish I didn't always have to uncheck "use default location" and browse the full path to my code folder whenever I create a new project.)

Almost a year ago, after I'd spent a lot of time getting SDCC working smoothly I decided to disable Eclipse from updating itself so I've been using 2024-09 (maybe 12) since and I've had no issues. Recently I had need to look at developing for the ESP32, and tried a few things in the Arduino IDE which I don't really like but it's usually quick and easy to get things set up. I then decided to set up the ESP-IDF on Eclipse.

I don't remember exactly what happened but for whatever reason something needed updated and I must have unintentionally enabled Eclipse updates again and promptly got updated to 2025-09 which equally promptly failed to start fully. I was annoyed but as it was so long since I'd updated I decided it was maybe time for a clean install.

A new install of 2025-09 started fine and I started adding plugins. I got to DevStyle and Eclipse failed to start again. There was a warning that appeared with a workaround that I believe I followed but I found other posts making me question using DevStyle which is bad as I really don't like the default colour schemes but that's minor.

Another clean install and test of CDT C++ went ok. I then installed ESP-IDF and that seemed to go ok but I noticed that the IDE editor was indicating errors for includes and other items in the C++ example. The "include" folder in the C++ example had acquired an ESPRESSIF context menu and appeared to be trying to access the ESP32/xtensa includes instead of the MinGW64 includes. Strangely though the example still compiled and ran fine. I tried to fix this including starting again but no luck.

I started installing older versions, 2025-06 and 2025-03 had the same problem. 2024-12 wouldn't let me install ESP-IDF. So now I'm in a situation where I don't seem to be to have everything I'd like in one working installation.

As I said I really like Eclipse but it's just too much effort to keep it working. I think it's very lax that I'm allowed to install plugins that can break the installation and that updates are glibly applied against incompatible plugins.

I honestly don't know what do to now.

[jarsudsco]

Further:

I did another new install and created a make based C++Hello World example - it worked fine.

I installed the ESP-IDF using the repository rather than the marketplace. The Hello World example remained fine, I thought the issue was resolved.

I created a second make based C++ Hello World example, the error highlights returned but it too compiled and ran fine. I'm attaching an image showing both projects onscreen.

I suspect that ESP-IDF has stopped CDT indexing from working as even if I ask to re-index, the usual message on the status bar does not appear. That's just a guess on my part. (On removing ESP-IDF indexing works again.)

[jarsudsco]

Further:

Installed the Sloeber plugin, and now an Arduino blink example shows errors in the editor even after re-indexing but compiles fine.

Am I just wasting my time?

Time to download PlatformIO maybe.

[jonahgraham]

I think it's very lax that I'm allowed to install plugins that can break the installation and that updates are glibly applied against incompatible plugins.

I think this is a source of a lot of your problems - 3rd party plug-ins (like Devstyle + ESP-IDF + Sloeber) may be advertising themselves as compatible with much wider ranges of CDT than they are actually compatible with.

Unfortunately, there is not much CDT can do if 3rd parties say they are compatible and then aren't really.

For things that can be reproduced with CDT (eg. Eclipse IDE for C/C++ Developers or Eclipse IDE for Embedded C/C++ Developers) are much easier to deal with for the CDT project. For almost all the issues you have discussed here you (unfortunately) have to direct your bug reports to those providers and/or follow what the document (as opposed to enforce) as supported versions.

[jarsudsco]

@jonahgraham

Thanks for responding to my post, I do appreciate what you say but I have had working installations that have been trashed by CDT upgrades - that's why I stopped them for so long, But it feels like an abdication of responsibility to simply say take it up with the developers when Eclipse is providing and changing the underlying system. Surely it's not beyond imagination to keep a cross referenced list of Eclipse versions versus plugin versions and only offer an update if everything was compatible. Actually I'd settle for being OFFERED each update rather than it just happening, at least that way I could do a backup before trying the update. I guess I'm expecting a lot.

As it happens, the post I made in relation to Sloeber may have been misleading - those indexing errors only appear when using the "new editing experience", turn that off again and the error marks go away. I've literally only just realised that and was busy researching this LSP editor experience and what benefits I might get - I haven't found any yet other than IMHO the default colours are better. I'm assuming this is an inherent part of CDT? And I have seen references to this issue but not found a resolution yet.

Perhaps I'm missing something? How does the CDT team suggest approaching the need to develop in multiple languages across a range of devices? The amount of time I've wasted recently is depressing.

[jonahgraham]

Actually I'd settle for being OFFERED each update rather than it just happening, at least that way I could do a backup before trying the update.

I am not aware of CDT (Eclipse really) updating without prompting you first - perhaps there is a setting I am unaware of, this is the main settings page:

Surely it's not beyond imagination to keep a cross referenced list of Eclipse versions versus plugin versions and only offer an update if everything was compatible.

Not beyond imagination, but beyond our capability. I don't even know what the third-party bundles out there today are, but I do know that there are dozens of them. The problem of misadvertising versions is a problem facing most systems with plug-in/extensible architectures. In CDT (Eclipse) case it is much more complicated because there are sooo many versions (version of CDT feature, individual versions for each bundle in a feature, same applies to Eclipse Platform, Git integration, etc.)

IMHO the default colours are better.

Ironically others have specifically complained about the colours.

LSP editor experience and what benefits I might get

It is primarily to support newer C and C++ standards. See https://github.com/eclipse-cdt/cdt-lsp?tab=readme-ov-file#eclipse-cdt-lsp---lsp-based-cc-editor

However IIUC ESP-IDF are pushing all users to use it.

Perhaps I'm missing something?

I think you need to follow the install instructions depending on what you want to use - for example, if you want to use espressif they have these instructions:

https://docs.espressif.com/projects/espressif-ide/en/latest/windowsofflineinstaller.html#windowsofflineinstaller

Sloeber:

https://eclipse.baeyens.it/stable.php?OS=Windows

Eclipse IDE for Embedded Developers:

https://eclipse-embed-cdt.github.io/plugins/install/

And many more.

How does the CDT team suggest approaching the need to develop in multiple languages across a range of devices?

I personally recommend relying on the device manufacturers to provide you tools for their devices. Most embedded vendors have (or have had) an Eclipse CDT based tool.

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Don't get me wrong - the onboarding for new users in CDT for various embedded targets is very complicated, and getting ranges of different devices working with a single version of CDT is difficult. This is largely why vendors package up their own known good collection of tools as a single download (as linked above)

[jarsudsco]

@jonahgraham

Thanks so much for taking the time to put together that answer, I'm still working my way through it, but first thoughts...

I'd disabled the version upgrades through the manage software sites config, I thought... (the installation that failed is long gone) and I'd not paid much attention to the automatic updates page you included. I'm wondering if there is a difference between run of the mill updates, bug fixes, security updates etc which I would probably want and version updates which I didn't. Absolutely I did not realise 2024-09 was being upgraded to 2025-09 until I saw the splash screen just before it crashed. But that's water under the bridge.

I'm working my way through your list of links, I'm not sure I would like having multiple versions of Eclipse installed, all needing configured to suit me. Case in point...

Ironically others have specifically complained about the colours

Lol, that doesn't surprise me, the more options there are for personalisation, the more people will disagree about them :-)

I'll see how far I get. I might not need a CDT only install at all as writing C/C++ for the host machine is a rarity.

One final point if I may, does the LSP environment NEED the project to be a Cmake project? Is the reason I was seeing the false include "errors" because they were CDT managed build projects?

I appreciate the time you've taken to help, many thanks.