Files pane UX: tree + tabs + go to file (VS Code model) #37

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2026-10-08T01:31:25-04:00

jared commented

2026-10-08 01:31:25 -04:00

User feedback, 2026-10-08: "the file explorer seems to work and stuff but it is not the best user experience".

Walkthrough on the devdesk repo at 1440×900 showed:

Opening a file replaces the list; every other file is back → find → click (each a 200–700 ms round trip).
No tree: folders drill down and replace the view; no expand/collapse, no sense of place.
No tabs: flipping between two files means navigating each time.
No go to file by name.
Looks like a text dump: no file-type icons, node_modules/build/dist as prominent as source, changes only as a small letter.

Rework (VS Code model):

Pane = explorer column (tree, resizable, collapsible) + editor area with tabs; on narrow panes/phones the explorer becomes a slide-over.
Tree: inline expand/collapse, keyboard (↑↓←→ Enter), reveal the open file, git colours on names (modified/new/deleted), Claude badge, change dots on folders, gitignored entries dimmed, file-type icons.
Listings cached and revalidated in the background; open tabs keep their content, so switching is instant.
Go to file (Ctrl+P inside the pane, ⌕ button, palette): fuzzy search over git ls-files (or a capped find).
Explorer / Changes as two views of the left column; diffs open as tabs.
Per-session memory: expanded folders, open tabs, active tab, widths.
Empty state with recent files and the change count.

_User feedback, 2026-10-08: "the file explorer seems to work and stuff but it is not the best user experience"._ Walkthrough on the devdesk repo at 1440×900 showed: - Opening a file **replaces the list**; every other file is back → find → click (each a 200–700 ms round trip). - No **tree**: folders drill down and replace the view; no expand/collapse, no sense of place. - No **tabs**: flipping between two files means navigating each time. - No **go to file** by name. - Looks like a text dump: no file-type icons, `node_modules`/`build`/`dist` as prominent as source, changes only as a small letter. **Rework (VS Code model):** - [ ] Pane = explorer column (tree, resizable, collapsible) + editor area with **tabs**; on narrow panes/phones the explorer becomes a slide-over. - [ ] Tree: inline expand/collapse, keyboard (↑↓←→ Enter), reveal the open file, git colours on names (modified/new/deleted), Claude badge, change dots on folders, **gitignored entries dimmed**, file-type icons. - [ ] Listings cached and revalidated in the background; open tabs keep their content, so switching is instant. - [ ] **Go to file** (Ctrl+P inside the pane, ⌕ button, palette): fuzzy search over `git ls-files` (or a capped `find`). - [ ] Explorer / Changes as two views of the left column; diffs open as tabs. - [ ] Per-session memory: expanded folders, open tabs, active tab, widths. - [ ] Empty state with recent files and the change count.

jared added this to the v0.7.0 file viewer milestone 2026-10-08 01:31:25 -04:00

jared added the ux feature labels 2026-10-08 01:31:25 -04:00

jared referenced this issue from a commit

2026-10-08 01:40:49 -04:00

feat: files pane like VS Code: tree, tabs, go to file

jared closed this issue

2026-10-08 01:40:49 -04:00

jared referenced this issue from a commit

2026-10-08 01:50:52 -04:00

fix: go to file in big non-git folders; linear reply handling

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