Vscode: Allow to drag a file out of the window to open a new window

[bpasero]

There are some issues with this approach:

• we need to explore if we can even detect a DND operation out of the window given we run in a HTML context
• we do not have a good story for having a single file open in a separate window because the entire project context is missing and the window has its own set of extension host and language services. as such this operation is not as lightweight as one might expect

[eyalsk]

@bpasero DND can be pretty great but how about starting from something more primitive? like right click on a tab and create a new window? right click on a folder in the explorer and create a new window? I imagine you can pass all the information you need through IPC (Inter-Process Communication) but first you need to have this infrastructure.

[bpasero]

Yes, all related scenarios.

[eyalsk]

Okay, thanks. :)

[lostpebble]

As far as IDE's go, this is a very important feature for me.

"Split Editor" doesn't cut it because one screen is two small and stretching the entire VS Code app across multiple screens is rather messy (code getting cut in the gutter of screens etc.)

I've been using the new instance method (Ctrl + Shift + N) and dragging windows into that - except it seems my settings and project context gets lost which makes it not a real a solution at the moment.

I understand there may be window management limitations with Electron holding this back (I remember Atom having this problem too), but I feel it at least warrants a comment and hope that there is a still a push to resolve this.

[WhatIfWeDigDeeper]

The work-around I discovered was to open a sub-directory first, like src, and then open the main directory, so you get two instances of VS Code so as to have the same project open in multiple windows. This also works for single files like > code readme.md. It's important to open the file or subdirectory first, otherwise Code is smart enough to detect that it is under the same project that is already open so it will not open another instance.

If you did implement this feature, I agree with @eyalsk that having an option on the right click menu of the tab to open in a new instance would be a lot more doable than detecting drag & drop outside the electron app.

[siriuscc]

I have the same problem, and now dragging tab causes files to be copied, which is not what I want at all.

[tiagosiebler]

Shameless bump - any plans on getting this added. I'd even be happy with a "right-click -> open tab in new window" item. For anyone looking to make this easier in the meantime, found an extension from @takkaO that adds this right-click option - works well enough: https://github.com/takkaO/VSCode-OpenWindowTabContext

[saulotoledo]

The extension suggested by @tiagosiebler above is helpful. However, you still lose context. The debugger, for example, does not work.

I understand there may be limitations to implement this feature, but I also vote for it. Working with multiple screens in VSCode is still painful. I have no experience with the project's source code, but ... would something like this be useful as a good start?

_Edit:_
This discussion is in progress at https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/10121.

@bpasero I suggest to close this issue in favor of https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/10121.

[WhatIfWeDigDeeper]

As a work-around, see this stackoverflow answer. I'm on a Mac and it works for me. I haven't tested Windows.

"On Windows and Linux, press Ctrl+K, then release the keys and press O (the letter O, not Zero).

On macOS, press command+K, then O (without holding command).

This will open the active file tab in a new window/instance."

[yihuang995]

As a work-around, see this stackoverflow answer. I'm on a Mac and it works for me. I haven't tested Windows.

"On Windows and Linux, press Ctrl+K, then release the keys and press O (the letter O, not Zero).

On macOS, press command+K, then O (without holding command).

This will open the active file tab in a new window/instance."

Thanks, it is an alternative way but not best.

For example, when I use the official Extension Remote - SSH, these operations will create a new SSH connection, which produce new processing and need litlle time for connecting. And the development environment is initialized to default setting but not us currently used.