Support MacOS Sierra application tabs for multiple windows

[PhoenixWright]

Hi vscode,

I wanted to ask about MacOS Sierra's tab support for applications - from Apple marketing, we hear that tabs for applications should "just work".

For some applications, when multiple windows are open, the option appears in the menu bar under Window -> Merge All Windows. It would be awesome to manage multiple Code windows in this way, if the implementation is a config change or similar.

This is slightly related to #396, but ultimately serves a different purpose.

EDIT: While using the application, I realized that Cmd+Opt+Shift+N is actually able to create a new tab today - perhaps there is no extra work needed after all!

[PhoenixWright]

Here are some examples as documented at: http://www.howtogeek.com/275155/how-to-add-tabs-to-almost-any-app-in-macos-sierra/

[TwisterMc]

Related, if you setup your Mac to always use tabs (System Preferences -> Dock -> Prefer tabs when opening documents: Always) you'll end up with two tab bars in Visual Studio Code. It'd be great if the app could detect this setting and then disable the editors tabs.

Screenshot: https://cloudup.com/c0RsWsriDC5

[nicdoye]

@PhoenixWright File->New Window (Shift-Cmd-N) has opened new tabs for a while. (Perhaps only since 1.7.0 though).

However, when there's an update to VSCode, and it asks to restart, it then opens all the windows as separate windows, and not tabs. (I shall have to check if there's a "Merge All Windows" at this point (but I doubt it)). This is clearly inconsistent behaviour.

@TwisterMc For your idea, when you split the editor pane into multiple panes, I don't believe the Mac window/tab paradigm would work. In my opinion that's why the current system (where it works by having one project per window/tab) is the way it is. Using macOS' windows-as-tabs feature interferes little with the Electron app; recoding the top-level UI to use macOS interface would.

[eggbit]

Related: The -n switch opens files and directories in a new window but behaves differently than File->New Window where it creates a new tab in the current window. It would be nice if they both had the same behaviour.

[kavehv]

@TwisterMc I actually prefer it this way, at least until VS Code supports opening multiple folders as part of one project. This is the only way I have to open multiple folders in one window.

[bkniffler]

Just installed osX 10.12.2 (had 10.12.1 before with no issues) and vscode tabs disappeared. New windows won't appear as tabs, the "Window" menu item hasn't any tabs related stuff, nothing there. Other programs (like textEdit.app) still work with tabs. Anyone else suffering from this issue?

[pafffkata]

+1 ^ Exactly the same behaviour - just updated to MacOS 10.12.2 and am experiencing the same symptoms as the described above. Tabs were working until that moment.

[nunovieira]

I'm still on macOS 10.12.1, but updated to vscode 1.8.0 and no longer can open multiple projects in tabs. It was possible on vscode 1.7.x...

[andrewatwood]

Yup they used to work perfectly! Super confusing and disappointing.

[kavehv]

I miss these too, but if they are fixed, can we request that the option to merge all windows be presented under the Window menu? It wasn't before.

[eliprand]

One thing I would like to clarify here is that this is classified as a feature request. As mentioned by @bkniffler and subsequent entries, this was working with 1.7.x and stopped working with 1.8.0. We may want to reclassify it.

[aakrem]

Cmd+Shift+N is not creating a new tab in macOS Sierra v10.12.1 with Code v1.8
It's working in Code v1.7.2 with the same macOS version.

[alasdairhurst]

@eliprand

We may want to reclassify it.

Definitely! It's a regression, and should be prioritised as such.

[chenjie4255]

same problem as you guys macOS Sierra v10.12.1 with Code v1.8 latest, this make me hard to switch project between workspaces.

hope this could be fixed ASAP.... /cry

[bkniffler]

Any progress? Working on multiple projects on my small macbook has become a pain ever since this doesn't work (nearly 2 months now!). Please fix this!

[eliprand]

That's apparently a NO since 1.9.0 came out and still broken. What really rubs me the wrong way is that people who insist on labeling this a "feature-request" are ignoring the fact that it was working just fine until someone (either on the VS Code team or the underlying framework), changed something that made it stop working too.
Like many people on this thread, I work with several projects at once (yes, my API is in a different project than my Angular code, it's called "good practices"). And having to cycle through the open windows is a serious productivity killer.
Furthermore, the lack of actual communication (all I see from people involved in the project are a bunch of status updates, labels, issues closed, duplicates, etc.). Can someone on the project please take 5 minutes and tell us why this is so hard and when they think it's going to be fixed?

[andrewatwood]

No kidding! That re-labeling ruined this and has really dragged it out

Hi VSCode team this is not a new feature! This is a bug! A pretty big one! Ok thanks ;)

[bpasero]

VS Code is using Electron as framework for all UI related concerns and that includes things like macOS Sierra tabs. There is no way we could support this without helping Electron to support this feature. They already have an issue logged for this here: electron/electron#6124

It is true that for one version we saw Sierra tabs enabled in VS Code but that was only the case because the Sierra update came in and just added tabs support without Electron being aware of it (macOS just added a new menu entry under the view menu and hijacked the "New Window" action to add a new tab if you are in full screen mode).

Now, until Electron provides proper API to support all aspects of this new OS feature, they decided to disable it in Electron 1.4.2 (see Hide Show Tab Bar menu item on macOS Sierra. electron/electron#7415). VS Code has since updated to Electron 1.4.x so we saw this fix coming in to VS Code a couple of months ago.

I suggest that people put their energy of this topic into the Electron issue because that is the place where we should discuss how this feature can come back 👍

[bkniffler]

Just in case anyone wants to revert to version 1.7.2 that has functional tabs for Mac Sierra:
https://az764295.vo.msecnd.net/stable/7ba55c5860b152d999dda59393ca3ebeb1b5c85f/VSCode-darwin-stable.zip

[DomVinyard]

I have reverted, i can't think of any features introduced since then that are as important as this.

[bkniffler]

Hey, there's just been native tabs feature merged into electron: electron/electron#9052

Yay!

[bkniffler]

Since this been closed without a commit linked, has this been solved @bpasero? Is there a configuration option now?

[bpasero]

@bkniffler there is a commit linked: 094800e

the setting is called "window.nativeTabs": true

[bpasero]

That said, I wonder if the setting name actually is a good one, feedback welcome :)

[bkniffler]

Oh, I'm blind, have been looking from your comment downwards, thanks for highlighting the commit! Just tested, seems to work fine. For anyone who wants to update, the Insider Version 1.12.0 works with "window.nativeTabs": true

Thanks @bpasero!

[chenjie4255]

@bpasero thanks for your wonderful work, but I think VSCode is missing a switch windows command, current "Switch Windows " command is used in a windows, It seems that there is no way to switch window in nativebar?

[bpasero]

@chenjie4255 is this a native macOS command, can you show where other apps have it?

[chenjie4255]

@bpasero the MD editor Typora have it (in Window->show next tab/show previous tab), But I am not sure if it is a native bar feature.

[bpasero]

Unfortunately we do not have API in Electron for tab management for actions like that.

[chenjie4255]

It is a pity for that, I think I could goto Electron project for help.

[Borongaj]

Version 1.12.1 doesn't works with "window.nativeTabs": true on my macOS Sierra 10.12.4.

View -> Show Tab Bar doesn't exists...

My OS tabs settings are ok.

[commarla]

1.12.1 on sierra 10.12.4 works fine for me.

[Borongaj]

Crazy!

1.12.1 doesn't show the Tab Bar, but 1.13 Insiders show it normaly.

I'm not alone : #25919

[Borongaj]

Seems to be some window params conflict with the new window.nativeTabs option.

[pi0]

Anyone noticed that native tabs are broken again with 1.13-* ~> 1.14.* ? 😭

UPDATE Seems fixed in 1.15 insider builds not found exaxt commit. :D

[cschiewek]

It works fine for me @ 1.14.0

[chenjie4255]

It works fine for me too with 1.14.0
@pi0 Try close all the windows and open vscode again.

[pi0]

But i swear it was broken :)) Will try upgrading vscode on another mac to make sure it wasn't false positive :))

[yoyo930021]

Have Window -> Show Tabbar when Start.

but broken when Open new Window

with vscode 1.14.0

[yeliex]

the same @yoyo930021

[chenjie4255]

:(
It seems like it broken again when I upgrade macOS to mac high sierra, the click the command 'merge all windows ' doesn't have any effects.
vscode verison:1.17.0

[Borongaj]

Changelog :

"Note: Native tabs on macOS High Sierra (10.13) are currently only partially supported. We are working on a fix, stay tuned!"

[nantaphop]

1.17.1 worked after set windows.nativeTab to true.

[chenjie4255]

@nantaphop
No, It still no work on macOS High Sierra (10.13)...

[nantaphop]

@chenjie4255 i'm on Sierra 10.12.6 btw.

[sebrandon1]

Any updates for High Sierra support yet? Miss my multiple tabs in the same window.........

[chenjie4255]

the latest version(1.18.0) still can't work properly with mac's native bar.. :(

[andrewatwood]

Yep still a problem!

Anyone who wants to still attempt to use it, the window switch shortcut works pretty well in terms of making do, gives you a dropdown to pick from. Not quite as nice but it's much better than going up to the menu bar.