How to attach VS Code Debugger to Internet Explorer 11 for JavaScript/HTML

Question

I am trying to add a debug configuration that will allow me debug a normal JavaScript application. There is no server-side code or server, just a .html file with vanilla JavaScript.

I would like to be able to use the VS Code debugger, breakpoints, etc. and preview in Internet Explorer 11 by simply pressing F5.

I was able to get my launch.json configuration to run Chrome, but it doesn't seem attach to the process the same way that normal Visual Studio does. I would like to know how to do this with iexplore.exe:

            {
                "version": "0.2.0",
                "configurations": [
                    {
                        "type": "chrome",
                        "request": "launch",
                        "name": "Launch Chrome against localhost",
                        "url": "${file}",
                        "webRoot": "${workspaceRoot}"
                    }
                ]
            }

I cannot find any documentation for how to set these values. Everything I've found talks about nodejs. I don't use Node. I'm also not interested in downloading extensions because this is basic stuff and should be configurable being these are both Microsoft products. I'm sure someone has solved this already.

Answer 1

The reason you're able to attach to Chrome is that you have a debugger extension installed. There are extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, but not IE.

If you'd like to use a JavaScript debugger for IE you'll have to install Visual Studio instead. The Community Edition is free if you meet the criteria (personal use, or corporate for learning purposes only).