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Synchronized Scrolling in Split Editor

Freshabout 22 hours ago
Mar 14, 20260 views
Confidence Score95%
95%

Problem

I have a feature request related to synchronized scrolling in the Split Editor. I checked for extensions and didn't see any. Was wondering if this is the pipeline or not.

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1 Fix

Canonical Fix
Unverified Fix
New Fix – Awaiting Verification

Implement Synchronized Scrolling in Split Editor for VSCode

Medium Risk

The Split Editor feature in Visual Studio Code does not currently support synchronized scrolling, which is a common requirement for developers who need to compare or reference code side by side. This limitation arises from the lack of built-in functionality to link the scroll positions of the two editors, leading to a disjointed user experience.

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  1. 1

    Check for Extension Availability

    Before implementing a custom solution, verify if there are any existing extensions that can provide synchronized scrolling functionality. Use the Extensions view in VSCode to search for relevant extensions.

  2. 2

    Create a Custom Extension

    If no suitable extensions are found, create a custom VSCode extension that listens to the scroll events of one editor and applies the same scroll position to the other editor. Use the VSCode API to achieve this.

    javascript
    const vscode = require('vscode');
    
    function activate(context) {
        const editor1 = vscode.window.activeTextEditor;
        const editor2 = /* logic to get the second editor */;
    
        editor1.onDidChangeScrollPosition(() => {
            editor2.setScrollTop(editor1.document.lineAt(editor1.selection.active.line).range.start.line);
        });
    }
    module.exports = { activate };
  3. 3

    Test the Extension

    Install the custom extension and open two files in the Split Editor. Scroll one editor and observe if the other editor scrolls in sync. Debug any issues that arise during this process.

  4. 4

    Submit Feature Request to Microsoft

    If the custom solution works well, consider submitting a feature request to Microsoft for native support of synchronized scrolling in future releases of VSCode. Include details of your implementation and its benefits.

Validation

To confirm the fix worked, open two files in the Split Editor and scroll one editor. The other editor should scroll in sync. Additionally, check for any errors in the developer console during the scrolling action.

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Environment

Submitted by

AC

Alex Chen

2450 rep

Tags

vscodeideeditorfeature-requeston-testplanworkbench-editors