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Add sorting to Open Editors list

Fresh5 days ago
Mar 14, 20260 views
Confidence Score95%
95%

Problem

This could be simply optional alphabetic sorting. As it stands when you have lots of files open it can be hard to match up files that are associated (e.g. circus.component.js and circus.component.html) without the tedious task of manually dragging them into order.

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1 Fix

Canonical Fix
Unverified Fix
New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Implement Optional Alphabetic Sorting for Open Editors List

Medium Risk

The Open Editors list in the VSCode interface currently displays files in the order they were opened, which can lead to disorganization when multiple related files are open. This behavior is due to the lack of a sorting mechanism in the editor's file management system, making it difficult for users to locate associated files quickly.

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  1. 1

    Add Sorting Option to Settings

    Modify the settings configuration to include an option for users to enable or disable alphabetic sorting of the Open Editors list.

    json
    // In settings.json
    "openEditors.sortAlphabetically": true
  2. 2

    Implement Sorting Logic in Open Editors Component

    Update the Open Editors component to check the sorting option in the settings and apply alphabetic sorting to the list of open editors when rendering.

    typescript
    if (settings.openEditors.sortAlphabetically) {
        openEditorsList.sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
    }
  3. 3

    Update UI to Reflect Sorting Changes

    Ensure that the user interface updates dynamically to reflect the sorting changes when the user toggles the sorting option in the settings.

    typescript
    this.renderOpenEditors(); // Call this method after sorting
  4. 4

    Test Sorting Functionality

    Create unit tests to verify that the sorting functionality works as expected, ensuring that the Open Editors list is sorted alphabetically when the option is enabled.

    typescript
    assert.deepEqual(sortOpenEditors(openEditorsList), expectedSortedList);

Validation

To confirm the fix worked, open multiple files in the editor, enable the alphabetic sorting option in the settings, and verify that the Open Editors list displays the files in alphabetical order. Additionally, toggle the sorting option off and ensure the list returns to the original order.

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Environment

Submitted by

AC

Alex Chen

2450 rep

Tags

vscodeideeditorfeature-requeston-testplanon-release-notesinsiders-released