eclipse-theia/theia

vscode.window.visibleTextEditors does not work correctly when opening a webview

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#10189 opened on Sep 29, 2021

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Description

Bug Description:

Hi, I am building a vscode extension to be used in Theia, and I think the vscode.window.visibleTextEditors does not work as expected. Once opening a non-text editor tab (custom editor OR any web view or just the getting started page for example), and then trying to fetch the visibleTextEditors, I still get the last INVISIBLE text editor!

I need this functionality in order to post a message to the active/visible editor that could be a normal text editor or any web-view, but from both vscode.window.activeTextEditor and vscode.window.visibleTextEditors APIs I can't determine the type of the currently opened tab (I can manage my custom editor visibility by used the onDidChangeViewState event).

Also, the visible/active editor changer should affect the status bar and the scode.window.onDidChangeVisibleTextEditors event.

Steps to Reproduce:

  1. regester a command that executes this code: vscode.window.visibleTextEditors.forEach(e=>vscode.window.showInformationMessage(e.document.uri.fsPath));
  2. open 2 text editors
  3. call the command, you will get the visible editor path
  4. open the Preferences tab or the Getting started page, and then call the command again, you will get the last active text editor tab although it is not visible.

Additional Information

  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Theia Version: Theia 1.16

Contributor guide

Tech stack
typescriptnodejs
Domain
developer experience
Issue type
bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
half day
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
needs investigation
Prerequisites
Understanding of VS Code extension APIKnowledge of Theia plugin system
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
The issue reports that vscode.window.visibleTextEditors returns the last invisible text editor when a webview is opened. The cause likely lies in how Theia's plugin API implements visibleTextEditors. Investigate the relevant source files, such as 'packages/plugin/src/theia plugin api.ts' or 'packages/plugin ext/src/main/browser/main context.ts', to understand how visible editors are tracked. Compare with VS Code's behavior to identify the discrepancy. Look for comments or linked PRs for prior work.