Paul Krill
Editor at Large

Visual Studio Code adds split editor capability

news
Oct 14, 20212 mins

New ‘Split in Group’ command allows Visual Studio Code users to work in two editors side by side, vertically or horizontally, on the same file.

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Visual Studio Code 1.61, introduced October 7, introduces the ability to open side-by-side editors for the same file.

The new split editor functionality is enabled by a “Split in Group” command, which splits an editor into two sides without needing a second editor group. Developers also can toggle the layout between splitting vertically or horizontally via the Toggle Layout button.

Visual Studio Code 1.61, also known as the September 2021 release, can be downloaded from the Visual Studio website. Other capabilities in Visual Studio Code 1.61 include:

  • Improved display of deleted and read-only files.
  • Support for rudimentary bracket pair guides, for displaying vertical guides to link matching bracket pairs.
  • Fixed terminal dimensions, enabling developers to set an active terminal’s width and height.
  • For locked editor groups, the settings experience has been improved to easily select an editor that should lock a group automatically when opening.
  • Platform-specific extensions, with the ability to publish different extensions for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. These extensions are useful if an extension has platform-specific libraries or dependencies.
  • A Virtual Workspaces extension guide helps extension authors test and update their extension when VS Code is running in virtual environments.
  • Documentation for advanced container configuration provides tips and code examples for setting up development containers.

Visual Studio Code 1.60, published September 2, brought capabilities such as automatic language detection. A multi-purpose editor intended to help developers start coding quickly, Visual Studio Code supports programming languages including Python, Java, C#, C/C++, JavaScript, and many others.

Paul Krill

Paul Krill is editor at large at InfoWorld. Paul has been covering computer technology as a news and feature reporter for more than 35 years, including 30 years at InfoWorld. He has specialized in coverage of software development tools and technologies since the 1990s, and he continues to lead InfoWorld’s news coverage of software development platforms including Java and .NET and programming languages including JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, and Go. Long trusted as a reporter who prioritizes accuracy, integrity, and the best interests of readers, Paul is sought out by technology companies and industry organizations who want to reach InfoWorld’s audience of software developers and other information technology professionals. Paul has won a “Best Technology News Coverage” award from IDG.

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