Visual Studio Code 1.33 released! Get excited by looking at the VSCode roadmap

Hello.
I'm Mandai, in charge of Wild on the development team.

Visual Studio Code (hereinafter referred to as VSCode) 1.33 has been released, so we would like to share with you the new features and updated content from a unique perspective.

 

I wanted to tell you...

There wasn't much that stuck with me in terms of functionality in this release, and the only thing that interested me was the ability to show/hide repositories displayed on the source control screen (this is I think this is great!)

However, if this is all there is to it, there is nothing I can tell you, and that's what bothers me as well.

``Hey, aren't the recent updates a bit small?'' `
`I think we've got most of the features we need.''
``The site description says that Visual Studio Code is a lightweight but powerful source code editor.'' , memory usage is heavy these days.''

I'm sure you all have a lot of things to think about.

Even though they're messing around with small updates (misspoken words), I'm sure they're preparing huge updates.

This time, I would like to share with you the kind of content that will get you excited as you read the roadmap and imagine the evolution of VSCode.

 

What is a roadmap?

The roadmap for VSCode Roadmap · Microsoft/vscode Wiki , which lists the features that will be added to VSCode in 2019 and the requests from users that will be supported.

It is not specified when and what features will be added, as there are technical hurdles to overcome and human resources, but we do not specify when new features will be added or bug fixes will be added. It's exciting just looking at them organized by genre.

Let's take a look at what features are planned to be added.

 

Floating window ranked first in user votes

The most popular request from users was to make the workbench floating.
If the workbench becomes floating, I think the way some people use VSCode will change completely.
Currently, I feel like I manage to organize the screen by switching panes and skillfully displaying/hiding them in a single window, but if I could float it, I could use more screen space. Masu.

I think many people use multi-display PCs for their coding environments, but if you can make it floating, you will be able to display the terminal on another screen and display the editor fully vertically, which will definitely speed up your work. None.

The writing style is such that it includes not only the floating workbench elements in the story, but also terminals, editors, etc., so I think the degree of freedom in configuring the screen will increase all at once.

I've been seeing requests for this feature for quite some time, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be implemented.
It seems that the underlying problem is not so much VSCode as it is caused by Electron, which runs under VSCode, or Chromium, which is included in Electron.

Roughly speaking, it is possible to launch a window, but since memory cannot be shared between each window, the situation is that it consumes the same resources as launching multiple VSCode.
If that happens, VSCode will no longer be a lightweight editor.

I wonder if some kind of workaround will be found, or if an API will be added to Electron to solve this problem.In any case, the part regarding memory sharing between windows is a problem that is related to the security mechanism of Chromium as a browser, so it is difficult to solve it. There seems to be a long way to go before this becomes a reality.

However, since VSCode has continued to add functions that surprise us, I am confident that someday a solution will be found and we will be able to code comfortably with multiple windows lined up on multiple displays. I'm doing it.

By the way, the second most requested user request was separating the terminal, and the third was eliminating the need to restart when adding extensions.
Regarding restarting when adding extensions, it was successfully reflected in the update around the time before last.

We are making progress in making it easier to try out extensions!

 

UX improvements

Although people tend to focus on the main parts such as the workbench and editor, it seems that small improvements have been made while also considering the UX.
For example, VSCode allows you to start multiple terminals at the same time, but switching between them is done using a drop-down menu.
Apparently there are plans to turn this into a tab.

With tabs, you can switch terminals by simply clicking on the desired tab, and it is also easier to see.

If there's one thing to worry about, it's conflict with existing tabs.
I hope I can somehow find a better solution and make it easier to use!

 

About extensions

For those who use extensions, searching for extensions can be quite a pain.
As I mentioned earlier, since it became possible to install extensions without rebooting, the psychological hurdles for trying them out have been significantly lowered, but I still have a long way to go when it comes to finding good extensions. I feel like it's a lot of work.

VSCode has extension recommendations, and it seems that improvements to this are planned.
I haven't written down the details of what I plan to improve and how, but I think I might have some new encounters.

There are some security concerns with the introduction of extensions, but it seems that a lot of things are being considered about this as well.

It also appears that the ability to uninstall only specific versions of extensions is on the cards.
What this means is that if you have a problem with a certain version of a certain extension, instead of uninstalling the extension itself, you can uninstall this version of the extension and the problem is resolved. , it seems to be a feature that will be automatically enabled after installing a new version of the extension.

It feels like uninstalling, or rather disabling, but the part that automatically installs a new version when the problem is resolved does not explain what is considered a solution, or what caused it in the first place. I would like to take a look at various aspects such as this when functions are added.

 

Coding improvements

I think many people use VSCode as a code editor, but I would like to introduce some improvements and new features related to coding.

First, let's expand the selection range.
It looks like there will be improvements to
the Extend Selection command ( Shift + Alt + → Specifically, what kind of improvement will be made is that it will be able to understand the meaning of different grammars and contexts depending on the programming language, and expand the selection range neatly in meaningful units. .

Additionally, the addition of the Language Server functionality necessary to analyze programming languages ​​and provide various functions such as code hints and formatting seems to be progressing smoothly.

 

summary

I was shocked by the update contents of 1.33, so I pulled out the roadmap. What do you think?
There are many other things going on, but I feel relieved that there are still so many updates that give me hope.

I will continue to compile additional features and improvements that I picked up based on my own judgment and bias when updating the version, so please continue to do so.

 
That's it.