IntelliSense using too much memory and resetting pch

[sean-mcmanus]

Ok, got it.

Your PCH some logic has issues. I have 2 files PawnTank.h and PawnTank.cpp. If in PawnTank.ccp when I do a look up (hover with with left mouse button held down) cpptools.srv goes up as high as 2GB Real Mem then generates a 1.7GB PCH cache file for PawnTank.h. This takes about 50 seconds. If I close PawnTank.cpp, then reopen it, the whole process takes another 60 seconds as PawnTank.h PCH is regenerated unnecessarily yet again.

You're building a huge in memory cache structure, then dumping it when the file is closed. I recommend some sort've memory mapped DB that is local plus better cache invalidation logic.

The UE4 tutorial "Toon Tanks" is here https://gitlab.com/GameDevTV/UnrealCourse/ToonTanks. Install UE4, clone "Toon Tanks", build and step around, you'll see.

I didn't want this to be a career move so I'm going to live with what I've got.

I switched C_Cpp Tag Parser and for the time being, it works like a charm.

Originally posted by @magwa101 in #7143 (comment)

[sean-mcmanus]

@magwa101 The pch file is memory mapped and it's not supposed to be recreated unless the header file is changed. It sounds like there's some bug or memory issue going on.

[v-ericawu]

@magwa101, sorry for we failed to repro your issue, could you help to confirm 3 questions?

1. Could you help to confirm whether our repro steps is correct or not?

• Install UE4
• Clone "Toon Tanks": https://gitlab.com/GameDevTV/UnrealCourse/ToonTanks
• Build the project
• After build completed, hover with with left mouse button held down, check cpptools.srv goes up as high as 2GB Real Mem then generates a 1.7GB PCH cache file for PawnTank.h

2. Once our steps is correct, could you help to confirm whether we missed anything when clone "Toon Tanks"?

• As we can't find some files which listed in "includePath" of "c_cpp_properties.json":
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Currently, we failed to build project with error:
  Windows:
  
  Mac:
  

3. Could you help to confirm your OS is Windows or Mac? We tried to build the project on Mac, while we are not sure how to set the correct platform? (For windows, the value is "Win32", "Win64")

[magwa101]

Mac OSX: 10.15.7
Build target can be "ToonTanksEditor Mac Development Build". This will avoid the error about the type of the "engine distribution".

After build, poke around the project code to provoke intellisense into "indexing". Watch for reported issues in memory growth related to cached file sizes.

Thanks your diligence.

[v-ericawu]

@magwa101 We are trying to build the project on Mac and there is still 3 issues need confirm with you:

1. Just as we previous mentioned on Windows, there is some paths do not exist which listed in "includePath" of "c_cpp_properties.json", could you help to confirm how to fix them or could we skip that directly?
   

2. We updated the build target args as below, while still build failed, could you help to confirm whether we used the correct args?
   
   args status on Mac:
   

3. Some header files error:
   

Can you help to confirm that the above error is caused by a non-existent path on Mac OS?

[boocs]

I believe the Debug config is for the full UE4 source. Use DebugGame if you don't have the full source version of UE4.

Usually I use Development config for nominal builds and DebugGame for debugging.

[magwa101]

Yes, use the Development Bulid that's fine, or probably, DebugGame is probably fine too.

However my understanding is the Intellisense has it's own 'compilation' phase that exists outside of the particular programs build system. So, do you need to build the game? Anyway, if you build it successfully, double click on toontank.uproject and have a go with the tanks.

[v-ericawu]

@magwa101 Could you help to confirm two questions after build successfully?
1.Double-click ToonTanks.uproject, and the code is not colored：

Do you have a similar problem, if not, can you help to confirm the cause of the problem?
2.Open PawnTank.cpp and hover with left mouse button held down, The cpptools.srv memory will not reach 2G:

If the step is incorrect, can you share the detailed steps?

[magwa101]

It was growing when trying to generate precompiled header files (PCH).

After you double click on the uproject file you will see a compile button inside the UE interface, in the toolbar near the top. Go ahead and hit compile, everything should build from within UE. This will generate all their complex header files that are then precompiled. Then go into PawnTank.cpp and bounce around to different functions, in particular, F12 "Go to definition" within the UE source code.

BTW, do you consider using clang with intellisense?