Getting InvalidExtensionManifestException while installing the developed vscode extension.

[sairaja]

Logs:

6/23/2025 10:02:15 PM - Microsoft VSIX Installer
6/23/2025 10:02:15 PM - -------------------------------------------
6/23/2025 10:02:16 PM - Initializing Install...
6/23/2025 10:02:16 PM - Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.InvalidExtensionManifestException: Element 'Identity' has invalid value for attribute 'Version' ---> System.FormatException: Input string was not in a correct format.
at System.Version.VersionResult.SetFailure(ParseFailureKind failure, String argument)
at System.Version.TryParseComponent(String component, String componentName, VersionResult& result, Int32& parsedComponent)
at System.Version.TryParseVersion(String version, VersionResult& result)
at System.Version.Parse(String input)
at System.Version..ctor(String version)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionImpl.<>c.b__68_1(String s)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionImpl.VerifyStringValue[T](String value, ErrorInfo info, Func2 selector, Boolean isRequired, Int32 maxLength, T defaultValue) --- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown --- at Microsoft.VisualStudio.Telemetry.WindowsErrorReporting.WatsonReport.GetClrWatsonExceptionInfo(Exception exceptionObject) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionImpl.VerifyStringValue[T](String value, ErrorInfo info, Func2 selector, Boolean isRequired, Int32 maxLength, T defaultValue)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionImpl.ExtractManifestData(PackageManifest manifest)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionImpl.ReadPackageManifest(XmlReader reader)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionImpl.ReadManifest(Stream manifestStream)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.InstallableExtensionImpl.ReadVSIXManifestFromPackage(Stream stream, CultureInfo preferredCulture)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.InstallableExtensionImpl..ctor(String path, CultureInfo preferredCulture)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionEngineImpl.CreateInstallableExtension(String extensionPath, CultureInfo preferredCulture)
at Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.ExtensionEngineImpl.CreateInstallableExtension(String extensionPath)
at VSIXInstaller.ExtensionService.GetInstallableData(String vsixPath, String extensionPackParentName, Boolean isRepairSupported, IStateData stateData, IEnumerable1& skuData) at VSIXInstaller.ExtensionPackService.IsExtensionPack(IStateData stateData, Boolean isRepairSupported) at VSIXInstaller.ExtensionPackService.ExpandExtensionPackToInstall(IStateData stateData, Boolean isRepairSupported) at VSIXInstaller.App.Initialize(Boolean isRepairSupported) at VSIXInstaller.App.Initialize() at System.Threading.Tasks.Task1.InnerInvoke()
at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Execute()

I would like to find the root cause of this issue.

1. This is an intermittent issue occurs rarely. But I need to find on which scenario this exception get's triggered.

Installed via all the three ways still unable to reproduce the issue.

Install via extensions.
right click on .vsix - Install Extension VSIX
code --install-extension .\extension-2.0.0.vsix

[theReynald]

Hi @sairaja,

I worked with copilot on this one and it returned an explanation along with a series of steps to try out. Let me know if the following helped & if not, reopen.

The error log you've provided points to a Microsoft.VisualStudio.ExtensionManager.InvalidExtensionManifestException, specifically mentioning that the Identity element has an invalid value for the Version attribute. This exception is thrown during the parsing of the extension's manifest file (.vsixmanifest), indicating that the version string provided does not conform to the expected format.

Root Cause Analysis

1. Invalid Version Format: The core of the issue lies in the Version attribute of the Identity element within the .vsixmanifest file. The System.Version class in .NET, which is likely used under the hood by the VSIX Installer, expects version strings to be in a specific format. The expected format is [major].[minor].[build].[revision], where each component is an integer. If any component is missing or contains non-numeric characters, it will result in a FormatException.

2. Intermittent Nature: The intermittent nature of the issue suggests that the problem might not be with the version string's format per se but could be related to how and when the version string is generated or modified. Possible scenarios include:

   • Conditional Versioning Logic: If there's logic in your build or release process that conditionally modifies the version string, it might occasionally produce formats that are not compatible.

   • Environmental Differences: Different build environments or tools might interpret or modify the version string differently, leading to occasional format issues.

   • Manual Intervention: Manual edits or overrides of the version string during the release process could introduce inconsistencies.

Steps to Diagnose and Fix

1. Review .vsixmanifest: Directly inspect the .vsixmanifest file of the failing VSIX package. Look for the Identity element and check the Version attribute's format.

2. Audit Versioning Logic: If your build or release process includes scripts or tools that generate or modify the version string, review this logic to ensure it always produces a valid format.

3. Consistency Across Environments: Ensure that all environments where the VSIX package might be built or modified use the same tools and versions of those tools to avoid discrepancies in how version strings are handled.

4. Validate Before Release: Implement a validation step in your release process that checks the version string format against the expected pattern. This can be a simple script that parses the .vsixmanifest file and validates the Version attribute.

5. Reproduce in a Controlled Environment: Since the issue is intermittent, try to identify any patterns or common factors between occurrences. This might involve specific build agents, manual release steps, or particular versions of dependencies.

Given the details, focusing on the version string's generation and modification process, along with a thorough review of the .vsixmanifest file in different build scenarios, should help isolate and resolve the issue.