Find Step Usages command results in doubled list of steps

[clrudolphi]

Used Visual Studio

Visual Studio 2026

Are the latest Visual Studio updates installed?

Yes

Content of reqnroll.json (if present)

none

Issue Description

The Find Step Usages command results in a double listing of steps.

Steps to Reproduce

Create a new VS Reqnroll project using the VS Extension wizard.
Upgrade the Reqnroll package to latest.
Compile.
Navigate to the example calculator step definitions.
Right click a step definition method and select Find Step Definition Usages

Link to a project repository that reproduces the issue

No response

[clrudolphi]

It seems to me that the issue was introduced with Reqnroll release 3.3.0.

[clrudolphi]

Further investigation:
Added a line of logging to the FindStepUsages command code:

    private async Task FindUsagesInternalAsync(IProjectScope[] reqnrollTestProjects, string fileName,
        SnapshotPoint triggerPoint, IAsyncContextMenu asyncContextMenu, CancellationToken cancellationToken,
        FindUsagesSummary summary)
    {
        foreach (var project in reqnrollTestProjects)
        {
            if (cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
                break;

            var stepDefinitions = await GetStepDefinitionsAsync(project, fileName, triggerPoint);
            summary.FoundStepDefinitions += stepDefinitions.Length;
            if (stepDefinitions.Length == 0)
                continue;

            var featureFiles = project.GetProjectFiles(".feature");
            foreach (var featureFile in featureFiles)
            {
                Logger.LogInfo($"Found feature file: {project.ProjectFullName} {featureFile}.");
            }
            var configuration = project.GetDeveroomConfiguration();
            var projectUsages = _stepDefinitionUsageFinder.FindUsages(stepDefinitions, featureFiles, configuration);
            foreach (var usage in projectUsages)
            {
                if (cancellationToken.IsCancellationRequested)
                    break;

                //await Task.Delay(500);
                asyncContextMenu.AddItems(CreateMenuItem(usage, project));
                summary.UsagesFound++;
            }

            summary.ScannedFeatureFiles += featureFiles.Length;
        }
    }

When the above is run on a sample project that has three feature files, it reports six feature files found, each repeated twice.

Info: OnActivityStarted: Starting Visual Studio Extension...
Info: CreateProjectScope: Initializing project: Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled
Info: OnSettingsInitialized: Project settings initialized: .NETCoreApp,Version=v8.0,Reqnroll:3.3.0
Info: GetDotNetExecCommand: Invoking 'Reqnroll-Generic-net8.0\reqnroll-vs.dll'...
Info: ThenImportBindings: 4 step definitions and 0 hooks discovered for project Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled
Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync: Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Calculator.feature.
Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync: Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Calculator.feature.
Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync: Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Second.feature.
Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync: Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Second.feature.
Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync: Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Third.feature.
Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync: Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Third.feature.
Info: FindUsagesInProjectsAsync: Found 6 usages in 6 feature files

This is not specific to NUnit (same behavior with MsTest as the test framework).

It does seem that the IProjectScope has been populated with each feature twice. I haven't yet found the root cause.
I also remained completely stumped by the observation that this problem does not occur prior to v3.3.0 of Reqnroll - I'm not understanding how the version would influence how the VisualStudio project system would be influenced by that.

[304NotModified]

Is it really the v3.3 update? Or could it be a VS update? Or maybe a sln+slnx (just a guess)

Maybe also add some logging to vsutils , for example this method:

Reqnroll.VisualStudio/Reqnroll.VisualStudio.Package/VsUtils.cs

Line 492 in b80f37c

private static IEnumerable<ProjectItem> GetProjectItems(ProjectItems projectItems)

[clrudolphi]

Is it really the v3.3 update? Or could it be a VS update?

V3.3 is at least part of it. When I downgrade to v3.2.1 the problem goes away.

Would you mind trying to reproduce this? Just to confirm that it is not just my VS instance?

[clrudolphi]

Maybe also add some logging to vsutils

Here is result of logging the Name and Kind of the ProjectItems as they are enumerated by the VsUtils.GetProjectItems() method:

ReqnrollVs: Verbose: PreExec:Find Step Definition Usages
ReqnrollVs: Verbose: PreExec:Find Step Definition Usages:PreExec: project loaded
Found project item: Features; Kind: {6BB5F8EF-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Calculator.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
ReqnrollVs: Verbose: ShowContextMenu:Caret screen position: 409:440
ReqnrollVs: Verbose: Exec:00:00:00.0889065 PreExec FindStepDefinitionUsagesCommand handled:True in C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Editor\Commands\Infrastructure\DeveroomEditorCommandBroker.cs: line 128
ReqnrollVs: Verbose: Exec:00:00:00.0907329 PostExec FindStepDefinitionUsagesCommand handled:False in C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Reqnroll.VisualStudio\Editor\Commands\Infrastructure\DeveroomEditorCommandBroker.cs: line 140
Found project item: Features; Kind: {6BB5F8EF-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Calculator.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Calculator.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Calculator.feature.cs; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Second.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Second.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Second.feature.cs; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Third.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Third.feature; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: Third.feature.cs; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: StepDefinitions; Kind: {6BB5F8EF-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: CalculatorStepDefinitions.cs; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: .gitignore; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: nunit.engine.api.dll; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: nunit.engine.core.dll; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: nunit.engine.dll; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: NUnit3.TestAdapter.dll; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: NUnit3.TestAdapter.pdb; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: testcentric.engine.metadata.dll; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: testhost.dll; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
Found project item: testhost.exe; Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync:Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Calculator.feature.
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync:Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Calculator.feature.
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync:Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Second.feature.
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync:Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Second.feature.
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync:Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Third.feature.
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInternalAsync:Found feature file: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled.csproj C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Third.feature.
The thread 53604 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 59156 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 75176 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 57148 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 60980 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 58372 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 70388 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
The thread 69456 has exited with code 0 (0x0).
ReqnrollVs: Info: FindUsagesInProjectsAsync:Found 6 usages in 6 feature files

It reconfirms that the VS project system thinks they are duplicated. It doesn't help me explain why. Would there be any other property of each ProjectItem that I should be logging that would help?

[clrudolphi]

After a bit more digging, I think have a proximate cause, but not root cause. The feature file items are included in the ProjectItems collection twice, each with a different 'parent':

Name: Calculator.feature, Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}, File: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Calculator.feature, Parent: Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.VS.Implementation.Package.Automation.OAFolderItem
Name: Calculator.feature, Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}, File: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Calculator.feature, Parent: Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.VS.Implementation.Package.Automation.OAProjectItem
Name: Second.feature, Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}, File: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Second.feature, Parent: Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.VS.Implementation.Package.Automation.OAFolderItem
Name: Second.feature, Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}, File: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Second.feature, Parent: Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.VS.Implementation.Package.Automation.OAProjectItem
Name: Third.feature, Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}, File: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Third.feature, Parent: Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.VS.Implementation.Package.Automation.OAFolderItem
Name: Third.feature, Kind: {6BB5F8EE-4483-11D3-8BCF-00C04F8EC28C}, File: C:\Users\clrud\source\repos\repros\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Repro_FindStepDefUsages_doubled\Features\Third.feature, Parent: Microsoft.VisualStudio.ProjectSystem.VS.Implementation.Package.Automation.OAProjectItem

Once as belonging to the 'Features' folder and once belonging to the project directly.

It's possible that the changes we made in Reqnroll v3.3.0 (perhaps in the MsBuild Generator) changed the population of an <ItemGroup> or a logical link got created/changed with the wrong parent. Continuing the investigation there.

[clrudolphi]

When I switch between v3.2.1 and v3.3.0 and use the MSBuild Structured Log Viewer to see how Item groups were resolved, the big difference between them is that with the v3.3.0 release there is a <None> group present that includes all the feature files. This item group is not present under v3.2.1. When I modify a .csproj file that is using v3.3.0 to explicitly eliminate the feature files from the None group, such as with:

<ItemGroup>
  <None Remove="**\*.feature" />
</ItemGroup>

The problem is no longer present.

Adding an exclusion pattern like this to the Reqnroll.Tools.MsBuild.Generation.targets file also solves the problem.

I haven't found a specific change yet that would have caused this. Still looking.

[clrudolphi]

I think I have a root cause.

In PR#941 the Reqnroll.Tools.MSBuild.Generation.prpps file was changed and line 51 was removed:

    <DefaultItemExcludes>$(DefaultItemExcludes);**/*.feature</DefaultItemExcludes>

When I add that back into the props file, my example project no longer exhibits the problem of duplicate feature files.

@gasparnagy What do you think? Is that line safe to add back in to the props file? Will that interfere with the build in other ways?

[gasparnagy]

I think I have a root cause.

In PR#941 the Reqnroll.Tools.MSBuild.Generation.prpps file was changed and line 51 was removed:

<DefaultItemExcludes>$(DefaultItemExcludes);**/*.feature</DefaultItemExcludes>

When I add that back into the props file, my example project no longer exhibits the problem of duplicate feature files.

@gasparnagy What do you think? Is that line safe to add back in to the props file? Will that interfere with the build in other ways?

Thanks for the intensive analysis on this.

I have removed this line as part of the cleanup process of the MsBuild settings. The <DefaultItemExcludes> setting should contain things that are generally not belonging to the project (similar to .gitignore), the default value excludes ./bin and ./obj folders. So "by design" of MsBuild (if I understand MsBuild docs correctly), feature files should not be listed there.

I think what the problem might be is that we add the feature files to multiple groups (like None, but maybe some other too), and remove them from one of these. But this needs further analysis (and a very extensive testing, including up-to-date checks). MsBuild settings are pretty magical.

I know that it is the harder and maybe not the nicest way 🙁, but could we just de-duplicate them in the VS extension command?

[clrudolphi]

I know that it is the harder and maybe not the nicest way 🙁, but could we just de-duplicate them in the VS extension command?

Yes, we can do this. It's not ideal IMO; treating a symptom rather than the root cause. But as a temporary measure it will be effective. I'll add that logic and we can remove it in a subsequent release when we've had time to do the thorough analysis needed.

[gasparnagy]

I know that it is the harder and maybe not the nicest way 🙁, but could we just de-duplicate them in the VS extension command?

Yes, we can do this. It's not ideal IMO; treating a symptom rather than the root cause. But as a temporary measure it will be effective. I'll add that logic and we can remove it in a subsequent release when we've had time to do the thorough analysis needed.

I have reviewed the MsBuild stuff and we do not include the feature files to any other collections. It is only in the <ReqnrollFeatureFile>... So I have no idea why they are listed twice and why <DefaultItemExcludes> would fix this.

One more: Could you please try what happens if you enable ReqnrollUseIntermediateOutputPathForCodeBehind? (After enable, make sure you rebuild and then restart VS before you test)