External file watcher fails for editors that do atomic saves

[jzeferino]

• VSCode Version: 1.7.1
• OS Version: osx 10.11.6

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create a file with random text.
2. Open it with vscode and TextEdit for example.
3. Edit the file in TextEdit and save it.
4. The file was refreshed in vscode.
5. Keep editing the file in TextEdit and save it.
6. vscode don't refresh the file only the first time, after that no more refresh occur.

side note: after editing the file in vscode and try to save it, and it shows a upper popup telling that the file has some diferences from the original and open a compare window.

[bpasero]

Please see if you can find any logged output that could help us find the source of the issue:

• run code --verbose from the command line and attach the output
• in Code select Help | Toggle Developer Tools and select the Console
• attach any output you see in the Console you can find

Thanks!

[jzeferino]

I did that and this is the output:

I've replicated exactly what I told above. Including the save in vscode after edited the file with external application, thats why the RED text appeared.

Full log here:

[bpasero]

@jzeferino and your settings?

[jzeferino]

@bpasero vscode settings? Or other settings?

[bpasero]

@jzeferino yeah your vscode settings.json (and if you have workspace settings in the .vscode folder). I wonder if you maybe configured the file watcher exclude rules.

[jzeferino]

@bpasero settings.json is empty and I didn't configured the file watcher exclude rules.

[bpasero]

I can reproduce and it is caused by the fact that TextEdit saves the file by first renaming it to another file (something that is called atomic save). The node file watcher we are using is probably stopping to watch at that time and gets disposed.

[bpasero]

I have an idea how to fix 👍

[jzeferino]

Good work. I was testing in on windows and it works good. There is any way to get a popup when the file is changed via external editor? Could I define it via settings?

[bpasero]

No, that is not supported atm.