Make panel position configurable

[indiejames]

I just upgraded to VS Code 0.10.8 and I see that the debug console is now at the bottom of the window. I can see how some people might prefer this, but I actually preferred having it on the right side. The position (right/bottom) should be configurable in settings.

[TheLevenCreations]

+1

[felixfbecker]

I would prefer a button right at the window in addition to a default setting. Also, previously you could have the debug console take 100% of the space by closing other windows. Now, this is not possible anymore. It would be better if all windows shared the same behaviour, so every window (file, debug console or task output) could be docked vertically, horizontally or maximized to 100%.

[bgashler1]

@felixfbecker thanks for your feedback!

We made the console horizontal so that long output could be seen without being clipped at the end. Since you prefer the vertical console, I'm interested in how you made the vertical console work when the output was wider than could be displayed. Could you share what you did in situations like that?

When we made the debug console horizontal we wanted to make sure it would not be confused with same functionality of a text editor that has focus—thus avoiding making users think that clicking on a file in the Explorer viewlet will focused on the console can replace the console with the open file. This was a problem previously—the vertical debug console was often replaced with a file when opened because it had focus.

We are exploring making it possible to split text editors horizontally and vertically, as well as allowing the console to be either horizontally or vertically. We also want to keep a distinction between the console and editors to avoid people thinking that it can be replaced with a text editor.

Does this sound like it will resolve your concerns?

[felixfbecker]

@bgashler1

TL;DR highlight the currently focused window better, make all windows behave the same

I'm a bit on the fence wether I prefer vertical or horizontal. But many use 16:9 monitors, and I certainly notice that editing files with the horizontal console open is not fun because there is not enough space for the editor. I catch myself closing the console as soon as I scroll through some file while debugging so my eyes can scan it more easily.

We made the console horizontal so that long output could be seen without being clipped at the end. Since you prefer the vertical console, I'm interested in how you made the vertical console work when the output was wider than could be displayed. Could you share what you did in situations like that?

When the console output did not fit, I just resized the window or even closed the open file so I had a full-width debug console. I then went back to the file with Ctrl+Tab. One thing I would like to see is a button in the console to toggle wrapping of long lines, because sometimes it is beneficial (for ultra-long string outputs) and sometimes it is annoying and breaks formatting (for stack traces). Being able to disable wrapping in certain cases would also reduce the need for a horizontal console.

When we made the debug console horizontal we wanted to make sure it would not be confused with same functionality of a text editor that has focus—thus avoiding making users think that clicking on a file in the Explorer viewlet will focused on the console can replace the console with the open file. This was a problem previously—the vertical debug console was often replaced with a file when opened because it had focus.

Yes, that was sometimes confusing, but I think the reason was that there are not many visual indicators what window has focus. In the January release there was a lot of work for accessibility. For example, the debug section now has slick blue outlines that indicate when a panel is focused:

Maybe you could add a similar outline around the current window so it is clear what window gets replaced when a file is opened?

We are exploring making it possible to split text editors horizontally and vertically, as well as allowing the console to be either horizontally or vertically. We also want to keep a distinction between the console and editors to avoid people thinking that it can be replaced with a text editor.

Im definitely +1 for "universal" window management, where every window can get docked vertically or horizontally - as a bonus I would even like to see undocking of windows to drag the console on a second monitor. But I have the feeling that this distinction would get messy. How will you make that distinction visible if the windows have the same features and buttons? I think all windows should behave the same.

[bgashler1]

@felixfbecker thanks so much for sharing! This is great feedback. I'm going to discuss it with the team. We really want to improve this experience.

[AnthonyWC]

+1 This is really a basic and needed feature that would improve UX for everyone; even a maximize button would be better than nothing.

[kontomondo]

+1 Modern computer screens' ratio of 16:9 means that there's considerably less vertical space, no point in wasting it.

[karai17]

This is definitely a big deal for me. I moved from a vertical 1080p screen to a horizontal 1440p screen and I am very much missing the vertical space I had when using vscode. Being able to reposition the output panel to take up some of that unused horizontal space would make working on a standard 16:9 screen a lot more comfortable.

With my current screen, I would be able to comfortably have 2 text buffers and the output panel open side-by-side-by-side. That would be great!

[jims]

Yeah, I really can't use vscode on my 16:9 1080p monitor anymore. Stuff that spans full-width is not very nice on landscape widescreen monitors :(

[Tyriar]

Adding the integrated terminal label so it's easier for me to find as it's one of the main use cases for this.

[heisian]

@AndrewHuffman giving you a thumbs up since most people coming to this thread are here to demand a non-trivial fix and become upset when it's not available.

Instead let's all go here like @ngryman mentioned: #34267
and start working on a solution.

[dkumar431]

+1 for vertical integrated terminal

[cookra]

+1 for having the option to chose where I want this and any panel, think Adobe's panel system;) Big ask granted

[alex-osman]

+1 for vertical integrated terminal

[gabrielbc]

the horizontal terminal doesnt bother me that much, but would be great to have a vertical debug console

[bhargavrpatel]

@arturosaco @heisian I usually opt to not criticize others. I understand that you do not need this as a vertical terminal. However, its also something others want. This is an open source community. You simply down voting every single request comes off a bit negative.

This is not a fix but a feature request. It is not trivial either. If it was, the issue would not have been so long.

I'd suggest a bit more empathy on your part. Down voting of this implies that you do not want this change as it hinders your workflow. I do not believe this to be a case. Its an option that the fine folks above are requesting.

[heisian]

@bhargavrpatel I would LOVE to have a side-panel Terminal. I would also LOVE to have a bottom-panel search area. I am NOT telling people to fuck off, I'm telling people to stop +1'ing this thread because it results in NO contribution whatsoever to resolving this feature request.

It's common practice to strongly encourage users to contribute rather than just stick a +1 to a thread because (especially at this point when it's obvious many people want this feature) it offers nothing to the discussion.

[clankill3r]

The best way to make this +1 madness stop is implementing... 2017-10-17 0:21 GMT+02:00 Tim <notifications@github.com>:

…

@bhargavrpatel <https://github.com/bhargavrpatel> I would LOVE to have a side-panel Terminal. I would also LOVE to have a bottom-panel search area. I am NOT telling people to fuck off, I'm telling people to stop +1'ing this thread because it results in NO contribution whatsoever to resolving this feature request. It's common practice to strongly encourage users to contribute rather than just stick a +1 to a thread because (especially at this point when it's obvious many people want this feature) it offers nothing to the discussion. — You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#2806 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAtFWufRwSbY1l1RflrkS3BgLqD5TjYEks5ss9bwgaJpZM4HWCNy> .

[hai5nguy]

+1

[ngryman]

I think you should lock this issue and point to the PR 😂

[isidorn]

Fixed via #36827
You can try it out in tomorrows vscode inisders https://code.visualstudio.com/insiders/
Or in the next stable release in about two weeks.

[clankill3r]

Someone please post a screenshot :)

[dkumar431]

[marekciel]

This is great and I was waiting for this option a long time. Great work and great add on I will be definitely switching to code now.
Just a quick question. Is there a plan to add a switch so the terminal would appear on the left not on the right and not to the bottom but to top?

[elkwood]

@cielakm looks like it's only bottom and right

https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/pull/36827/files#diff-402cec15e2885738e3c58be96e3a5651R227

[Domer79]

That is how it should be?

[dwdc529]

@Domer79 +1

[marekciel]

I have the same issue on the release and insiders.

[vamseekm]

Thanks, I will test drive it a little to see if I can ditch my current tmux and vim setup.

[AkashGutha]

I'm already using it and it's amazing

[rsmolkin]

Yes, well done. But it seems on Windows there is no X in the upper right corner to close it, while on a mac there is... Odd.