VS Extension - Unable to start program

[Brian]

After installing the AppBuilder extension in Visual Studio I get the error "Unable to start program" when I try to run any sites.  I repaired Visual Studio, as the error message suggests, and the problem went away.  As soon as I reinstalled the AppBuilder VS extension the problem returned.

I tried to search the forum and known issues and I didn't see anyone with this issue, however a coworker has the same issue so I assume there are others with this issue.

I'm using the newest version of Visual Studio 2017 and the newest version of AppBuilder.  The bug also affects solutions that don't even have a mobile project so it's really cramping my style.  Let me know how I can provide more info and I will.  Thanks in advance.

[Garo]

Hello Brian,

I cannot reproduce this faulty behavior when installing the AppBuilder extension in Visual Studio 2017. Without being able to recreate the issue I can only give you suggestions on how to resolve it.

1) Open Windows explorer, navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\VisualStudio\<version> and delete the ComponentModelCache folder located there.
2) Attempt to repair Visual Studio while the AppBuilder extension is still installed.
3) Clear the AppBuilder VS extension cache.

Regards,
Garo
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[Brian]

Thanks for getting back to me Garo.  As a developer I know it's frustrating when you can't re-create the issue a user reports.  Thanks for helping me.

I tried all recommended steps (with one caveat) and I'm still having this issue.

The caveat is that when I repair visual studio 2017 it automatically removes the appbuilder extension.

Immediately after the repair is done the error goes away, but the appbuilder extension is also gone.  When I re-install the appbuilder extension the error returns.

Any other ideas?  Are there any error logs that would give us better insight into what's actually going wrong?

[Tom]

I had the exact same issue.  All of a sudden my web site projects started throwing the "Unable to start program..." message.  Some of the projects don't have anything to do with mobile functionality.  I can run the projects without debugging and they start correctly.  However, when I try to debug in Visual Studio, I get the error.

If I disable the AppBuilder Extension in "Extensions and Updates...", I am able to debug properly.

[Brian]

Update:  A coworker said he was having the same problem but was able to fix the issue by disabling "JavaScript debugging for ASP.NET".  Debug -> Options -> Debugging -> General

It fixed my issue, and I don't use JavaScript debugging in Visual Studio so I'm a happy camper.

[Brian]

Update:  A coworker said he was having the same issue and he fixed it by disabling "Enable JavaScript debugging for ASP.NET".  Debug -> Options -> Debugging -> General

It fixed the issue for me as well.  I don't use JavaScript debugging in Visual Studio anyway so I'm a happy camper.

[Garo]

Hello Brian,

I am glad to hear that you were able to resolve the issue. Thank you for telling us what was causing this unexpected behavior. I have forwarded this information to the responsible development team and they will investigate further what is the connection between JavaScript debugging for ASP.NET and AppBuilder.

Regards,
Garo
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