How to Enable Java Assertions in Visual Studio Code

How can I enable Java assertions in Visual Studio Code?

To enable Java assertions in Visual Studio Code, you need to modify the run configuration settings for your Java application to allow assertions to be executed during runtime. By default, assertions are disabled in Java, so it is crucial to specify the '-ea' flag when running your application.

```json
{
    "type": "java",
    "name": "Launch Application",
    "request": "launch",
    "mainClass": "com.example.Main",
    "vmArgs": "-ea"
} 
```

Causes

• Assertions are disabled by default in Java, which can lead to confusion when debugging or validating code.
• Incorrect run configurations in Visual Studio Code may not include the necessary JVM arguments to enable assertions.

Solutions

• Open your Java project in Visual Studio Code.
• Go to the 'Run and Debug' view by clicking on the Run icon on the left sidebar.
• Click on 'create a launch.json file' if it does not exist yet, or select your existing configuration to edit it.
• In the 'configurations' section, add or modify the 'vmArgs' property by including '-ea' to enable assertions. For example:
• ```json
• {
• "type": "java",
• "name": "Launch Application",
• "request": "launch",
• "mainClass": "com.example.Main","
• "vmArgs": "-ea"
• }
• ```

Mistake: Forgetting to save changes after editing the launch.json file.

Solution: After adding the '-ea' flag, ensure that you save the launch.json file before running your application.

Mistake: Not using the correct main class in the launch configuration.

Solution: Double-check the 'mainClass' entry in your launch configuration matches the actual main class of your application.