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.