Local file system access
Introduce the capability to browse and open local filesystem directories, as available in vscode.dev, where users can open directories and not just individual files, directly from the browser interface.
Current behavior in vscode.dev: Users can interact with the local filesystem through the browser, opening folders and files as if working locally, without uploading content to the server, which effectively bridges local and cloud development environments.
Impact: Implementing this would reduce context-switching and improve user experience by providing a seamless development workflow that integrates local and cloud-based resources.
Technical Suggestion: Adopt a File System Access API strategy to enable secure and straightforward access to the local filesystem across various platforms, streamlining the development process within Project IDX.
Reference: A comparable feature has garnered community support in similar platforms, underscoring the demand for such integration. Please see https://github.com/coder/code-server/issues/4710 for more details.
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Alix Brunet (Malix) commented
This is very much needed, since it's required to import a profile from VSCode
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Matt McDonagh commented
This would greatly increase the surface area of what we can do with IDX
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Brian commented
This is 100% critical. The idea this was released without the ability to open a file is absurd.
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K B commented
I agree with the suggestion, if possible; a workaround for Android devices would be awesome. (showDirectoryPicker is not supported in Android web browser, so maybe ability to create virtual workspaces with adding files into it? VScode in Android is kinda useless right now)
https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/194231 -
Hi Anirban - thanks for this very detailed feedback. We'll explore supporting the local file system in the future.
Cheers,
Kirupa