How can I automatically convert Visual Studio .coverage files to XML or Cobertura format for use in CI pipelines?

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I tried the third-party tools you suggested for converting Visual Studio's .coverage files into HTML reports. When attempting to use them, the tools themselves indicated that the .coverage files first need to be converted to XML format using CodeCoverage.exe before they can be processed. The log message is that "It seems that the report file .coverage' is a binary format generated by a Visual Studio code coverage tool. Please convert to XML format with 'CodeCoverage.exe". Since CodeCoverage.exe is deprecated, is there any other tool I can use for this conversion purpose?

Thanks for reaching out. Since Code Coverage is deprecated, and its replacement, Microsoft.CodeCoverage.Console.exe (or dotnetcoverage) does not support the .coverage -> Cobertura path, we need to focus on using the modern, supported Microsoft tools to complete that first conversion step.

Recommended solution:

Two-step Conversion Pipeline

The modern Microsoft tool to replace CodeCoverage.exe for analysis/conversion is Microsoft.CodeCoverage.Console.exe. While it doesn’t output Cobertura directly. It can convert the binary . coverage file into a visual studio XML format (.coveragexml or just .xml), which ReportGeneartor can then easily use.

This two-step process is the most reliable way to bridge the gap in an automated CI/CD pipeline for C++ projects.

Step-1: Convert the Binary .coverage to an XML Format

Use the modern, supported Microsoft tool, Microsoft.CodeCoverage.Console.exe, to perform the conversion. This tool is often available on build agents that have visual studio installed, or it can be obtained via the Microsoft.CodeCoverage Nuget package.

In you CI pipeline, add a step that executes this command after your tests have run:

            #This command replaces the deprecated CodeCoverage.exe analyze command

            # The output file MUST have an XML extension, and often works best with .coveragexml

            Microsoft.CodeCoverage.Console.exe

             Merge -f xml -o merged.coverage.xml /path/tp/TestResults/**/coverage.coverage

  Key Notes on the Command:

·         Merge: This command is used to combine and analyze coverage data. When you only provide one .coverage file, it effectively performs the analysis and conversion.

·         -f xml: This explicitly tells the tool to output the result in a Visual Studio XML format.

·         -o merged_coverage.xml: Specifies the output file name and path.

Step 2: Convert the XML to Cobertura XML using ReportGenerator

Once you have the merged_coverage.xml file, you can then use ReportGenerator (the recommended third-party tool) to convert the XML format into the standardized Cobertura XML format required for GitHub Actions:

First, ensure ReportGenerator is installed:

           Dotnet tool install -g dotnet-reportgenerator-globaltool


Next, perform the final conversion:

            Reportgenerator -reports:merged_coverage.xml -targetdir:coverage-report -reporttypes:Cobertura

The resulting file, located at coverage-report/cobertura.xml, is now in the format suitable for publishing via GitHub Actions or any other CI/CD platform.

Summary Pipeline Steps

1.      Run Tests: Execute C++ unit tests to produce the binary .coverage file.

2.      Convert to XML: Use Microsoft.CodeCoverage.Console.exe merge -f xml … to get merged_coverage.xml.

3.      Convert to Cobertura: Use reportgenerator -reports:merged_coverage.xml -reporttypes:Cobertura to get Cobertura.xml.

4.      Publish: Use a GitHub Action (like codecov/codecov-action) to publish the Cobertura.xml.

This updated approach avoids the deprecated CodeCoverage.exe entirely and utilizes the correct combination of current Microsoft tools for the initial conversion, ensuring a robust and future-proof pipeline. Please try these specific commands and let us know if you encounter any further issues!