VS Code ignores Java formatter XML file

Question

I'm trying to get the VS Code Redhat Java formatter (from the "Language Support for Java(TM) by Red Hat" extension) to work with a custom .xml, but nothing seems to work. I've tried:

• setting "java.format.settings.url": "D:\Others\formatter.xml" in the workspace (.vscode) settings.json file
• setting it in the global settings JSON
• restarting VS Code and reloading the window
• placing the file in %APPDATA%\Roaming\Code\User and using a relative path in "java.format.settings.url"
• placing the file locally in .vscode
• used "file:" when specifying the path

The formatting is always the same, regardless of the settings in the XML file. The base XML file is the one mentioned here: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/java/java-linting. Am I missing something?

Answer 1

It seems that double backward slash \\ should be used as the windows path splitor. So your setting should be D:\\Others\\formatter.xml.

Besides, the path which is relatd to the workspace folder is supported, e.g., .vscode\\formatter.xml points to profile formatter.xml in .vscode folder from workspace folder. No need to use URI format.

I suggest to use command Java: Open Java Formatter Settings to automatically generate a formatting profile for you. After that, you can find it in workspace (if exists) settings.json. If you want to custom formatter rules, just to replace the content in that file.