Fix dotCover parameter syntax by flaviolazzarini · Pull Request #4899 · cake-build/cake

flaviolazzarini · 2026-06-18T12:20:40Z

As of dotCover 2025.2 JetBrains made significant changes to the parameter syntax of dotCover. Some changes where already made in #4670. Unfortunately not all commands and parameters have been covered. This pull request adds compatibility for the following commands:

merge
report

analyse has not been covered, as it's not a supported command anymore.

For a complete list of the commands and their parameters see https://www.jetbrains.com/help/dotcover/dotCover__Console_Runner_Commands.html#help

This fixes #4096

flaviolazzarini · 2026-06-18T13:50:13Z

@microsoft-github-policy-service agree company="exanicAG"

devlead

The direction looks sound and aligns with #4670, but I found one blocking regression and some medium/minor things that should be fixed before merge.

Blocking

DotCoverReport ignores outputFile in new syntax (the default path)

With UseLegacySyntax = false (default), the 3-arg API Report(sourceFile, outputFile, settings) never passes outputFile to the CLI. GenerateArguments only emits --snapshot-source and optional JsonReportOutput / XmlReportOutput from settings.

This breaks the common call pattern:

DotCoverReport(source, new FilePath("./result.xml"), new DotCoverReportSettings());

Previously, this produced /Output=...; now it runs with no output path. The new-syntax tests always set OutputFile = null, so there's no coverage for the default fixture path with a non-null output file.

Suggested fix: When !UseLegacySyntax && outputFile != null, map to the appropriate new flag (e.g., --xml-report-output for default ReportType.XML, --json-report-output for ReportType.JSON). I'd also add a test for that path.

Medium

Legacy filters are silently dropped on cover: Scope, Filters, AttributeFilters, ProcessFilters, and DisableDefaultFilters are ignored in the new syntax. Scripts using .WithFilter(...) without .WithLegacySyntax() will lose filters with no warning. I'd document this in the release notes and consider a runtime warning when legacy filter collections are populated, but UseLegacySyntax is false.
HTML / DetailedXML / NDependXML are legacy-only: New report syntax only supports --json-report-output and --xml-report-output. The new DotCoverReport alias example still shows ReportType = HTML, which won't work without legacy syntax.

Minor

DotCoverReportSettings: XmlReportOutput / XmlReportCoveringTestsScope XML comments say "JSON report" (looks like copy-paste).
DotCoverReporter.Report(source, settings) XML doc says "Cover" instead of "Report".
Test regions: typo "Paramter" → "Parameter".
No DotCoverMerge alias for optional output (tool-level overload exists).
analyse unchanged, fine with me if that's acknowledged and the command is deprecated in dotCover 2025.2+.

What looks good

merge / report new syntax (--snapshot-source, --snapshot-output, --temporary-directory, --log-file) looks correct to me.
Moving UseLegacySyntax to base DotCoverSettings makes sense.
Lowercase command names match the 2025.2 convention.
Good legacy vs new test split; build and unit tests pass locally on my machine.

Summary

Area	My take
`merge`	Good
`report`	Please fix `outputFile` regression
`cover`	OK, I'd document filter migration
Tests	Missing main report output case

… feature/fix-dot-cover-tool

devlead

Thanks for addressing the June review. The outputFile mapping, filter warnings, XML examples, comment typos, and merge-without-output overloads look good.

A few remaining items before merge:

Blocking

analyse + LogFile: GetArguments now emits --log-file unless UseLegacySyntax is true. DotCoverAnalyse still always uses legacy /Target* /Output flags, so the default path mixes syntax. The analyser test was updated to set UseLegacySyntax = true rather than keeping analyse on /LogFile.
Unsupported ReportType: HTML / DetailedXML / NDependXML silently map to --xml-report-output.
Settings mutation: mapping outputFile writes into the caller's XmlReportOutput / JsonReportOutput.

Medium

DotCoverMerge(sourceFiles, settings) is missing [CakeMethodAlias] (and the usual null checks), so Cake scripts will not see that overload.
The new 2-arg report example uses DotCoverReportType.Xml (invalid; enum is XML).
WithLegacySyntax() is still cover-only even though the flag now lives on DotCoverSettings.
The existing DotCoverCover example still uses .WithFilter(...) without .WithLegacySyntax() or --exclude-assemblies, so it documents the drop-and-warn path.

Process

CI on this PR is red (looks like the original June run). Please re-run after the follow-up.
Please call out in release notes: default 2025.2 syntax, filter → --exclude-*, report types XML/JSON only, optional merge output, analyse remaining legacy-only.

merge / report new flags look correct against current JetBrains docs.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

+                if (settings.UseLegacySyntax)
+                {
+                    var logFilePath = settings.LogFile.MakeAbsolute(_environment);
+                    builder.AppendSwitch("/LogFile", "=", logFilePath.FullPath.Quote());
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    var logFilePath = settings.LogFile.MakeAbsolute(_environment);
+                    builder.AppendSwitch("--log-file", logFilePath.FullPath.Quote());
+                }


DotCoverAnalyse always emits legacy /TargetExecutable, /Output, etc., then calls this helper. With the default UseLegacySyntax = false, LogFile becomes --log-file mixed into an otherwise legacy command line.

Please keep analyse on /LogFile unconditionally (or treat analyse as always-legacy). Updating the analyser test to set UseLegacySyntax = true hides the mixed-syntax default rather than fixing it.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

                // Given
                var fixture = new DotCoverAnalyserFixture();
                fixture.Settings.LogFile = "./logfile.log";
+                fixture.Settings.UseLegacySyntax = true;


This was added so the assertion still expects /LogFile=, but the real alias default never sets UseLegacySyntax. Prefer a test (and implementation) where analyse uses /LogFile without requiring this flag, plus a cover/merge/report test that --log-file is used on the new-syntax path.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

+            if (!settings.UseLegacySyntax && outputFile != null)
+            {
+                // map outputFile to new syntax parameters. Otherwise input is ignored
+                switch (settings.ReportType)
+                {
+                    case DotCoverReportType.XML:
+                        settings.XmlReportOutput = outputFile;
+                        break;
+                    case DotCoverReportType.JSON:
+                        settings.JsonReportOutput = outputFile;
+                        break;
+                    default:
+                        settings.XmlReportOutput = outputFile;
+                        break;
+                }


Two issues here:

This mutates the caller's settings (XmlReportOutput / JsonReportOutput), including overwriting values they already set. Map outputFile only when building arguments.

HTML / DetailedXML / NDependXML fall through default to --xml-report-output with no warning. Those types are legacy-only in 2025.2. Please throw or warn and require UseLegacySyntax instead of silently emitting XML.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

+        /// <code>
+        /// DotCoverReport(new FilePath("./result.dcvr"),
+        ///   new DotCoverReportSettings {
+        ///     ReportType = DotCoverReportType.Xml


DotCoverReportType.Xml does not exist (the enum member is XML). This example also still keys off ReportType, which the new-syntax 2-arg overload does not emit — prefer XmlReportOutput / JsonReportOutput here.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

+        public static void DotCoverMerge(
+            this ICakeContext context,
+            IEnumerable<FilePath> sourceFiles,
+            DotCoverMergeSettings settings)
+        {
+            var merger = new DotCoverMerger(
+                context.FileSystem, context.Environment,
+                context.ProcessRunner, context.Tools);
+            merger.Merge(sourceFiles, settings);
+        }


This overload is missing [CakeMethodAlias], [CakeAliasCategory("Merge")], and [CakeNamespaceImport(...)], so it will not be imported into Cake scripts. Please also null-check context / settings like the other merge aliases.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

+            // Set the Temporary directory.
+            if (settings.TemporaryDirectory != null)
+            {
+                settings.TemporaryDirectory = settings.TemporaryDirectory.MakeAbsolute(_environment);


Same mutation smell as report: this overwrites settings.TemporaryDirectory with the absolute path. Use a local MakeAbsolute result when appending the switch.

devlead · 2026-09-21T05:59:35Z

+        /// When false, uses new format like '--target-executable "/path"'.
+        /// Default is false (new format).
+        /// </summary>
+        public bool UseLegacySyntax { get; set; }


Moving this to the base class is the right call. WithLegacySyntax() is still only on DotCoverCoverSettings, so merge/report/analyse users have to set the property. A generic extension on DotCoverSettings would keep the fluent API consistent.

flaviolazzarini added 8 commits June 16, 2026 17:36

feat: added tests for legacy parameter syntax

a8057d9

feat: moved UseLegacySyntax property to DotCoverCoverSettings

b229df5

fix: removed legacy parameters from new GetCoverCoverageArguments fnc

2605cfb

feat: implemented new parameter syntax in DotCoverMerger

8e770b6

feat: merge output param is optional for new param syntax

21534db

feat: Added possibility to merge without specified outputfile

09aef54

feat: implemented new parameter syntax in DotCoverReporter

8a4e1bc

feat: fix lint errors

381c835

flaviolazzarini added 8 commits June 24, 2026 19:31

feat: added tests for legacy parameter syntax

b4d435e

feat: moved UseLegacySyntax property to DotCoverCoverSettings

36c068c

fix: removed legacy parameters from new GetCoverCoverageArguments fnc

f8bf9e2

feat: implemented new parameter syntax in DotCoverMerger

f3f3d5e

feat: merge output param is optional for new param syntax

286d468

feat: Added possibility to merge without specified outputfile

83218d5

feat: implemented new parameter syntax in DotCoverReporter

12ba348

feat: fix lint errors

8182caa

devlead force-pushed the feature/fix-dot-cover-tool branch from 381c835 to 8182caa Compare June 24, 2026 17:31

devlead requested changes Jun 24, 2026

View reviewed changes

flaviolazzarini added 5 commits August 11, 2026 08:12

Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/feature/fix-dot-cover-tool' into…

3f17dad

… feature/fix-dot-cover-tool

feat: DotCoverReport do not ignore outputFile in new syntax

76915aa

feat: warning when legacy filters are dropped in new DotCover format

941358c

feat: changed dotcover report examples to XML rather then HTML

e77b2bb

feat: fixed typos and added overload for DotCoverMerge alias

0863ad0

flaviolazzarini requested a review from devlead August 11, 2026 08:16

devlead requested changes Sep 21, 2026

View reviewed changes

devlead added the Waiting for issuer feedback label Sep 21, 2026

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Fix dotCover parameter syntax - #4899

Fix dotCover parameter syntax#4899
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