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Merged
zadjii-msft merged 19 commits into from
Jun 4, 2026
Merged

Add support for "workspaces" based on window names #20162

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0c0a16e
Add support for "workspaces" based on window names
zadjii-msft Apr 28, 2026
ee1601e
Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into dev/migrie/workspaces…
zadjii-msft May 5, 2026
7dd7783
wle
zadjii-msft May 5, 2026
d5d4f99
fix ci
zadjii-msft May 5, 2026
00aa707
don't crash when closing the last pane in a workspace
zadjii-msft May 6, 2026
79d681e
focus the window renamer better
zadjii-msft May 6, 2026
b9896f5
delete workspaces ; better padding
zadjii-msft May 7, 2026
12e2daa
actions are good for our keyboard inclined
zadjii-msft May 7, 2026
afe42d4
format
zadjii-msft May 7, 2026
74b740c
format, for real
zadjii-msft May 8, 2026
b17589b
Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into dev/migrie/workspaces…
zadjii-msft May 14, 2026
e581216
Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into dev/migrie/workspaces…
zadjii-msft May 15, 2026
a6ab65c
Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into dev/migrie/workspaces…
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
1a67ec9
Most of the PR nits
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
aa4c6dd
another good nit
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
bfa3a9c
format?
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
74a7d67
spaces too
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
6038db0
last nits
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
27b2200
I don't trust you formatter
zadjii-msft Jun 4, 2026
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32 changes: 32 additions & 0 deletions doc/cascadia/profiles.schema.json
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Expand Up @@ -441,6 +441,7 @@
"openTabColorPicker",
"openTabRenamer",
"openWindowRenamer",
"openWorkspace",
"paste",
"prevTab",
"quakeMode",
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -479,6 +480,7 @@
"toggleReadOnlyMode",
"toggleShaderEffects",
"toggleSplitOrientation",
"workspaces",
"wt",
"unbound"
],
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1721,6 +1723,28 @@
}
]
},
"OpenWorkspaceAction": {
"description": "Arguments corresponding to an openWorkspace Action",
"allOf": [
{
"$ref": "#/$defs/ShortcutAction"
},
{
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"action": {
"type": "string",
"const": "openWorkspace"
},
"name": {
"type": "string",
"default": "",
"description": "The name of the workspace to open. If omitted, the workspaces UI will be shown so the user can pick one."
}
}
}
]
},
"FocusPaneAction": {
"description": "Arguments corresponding to a focusPane Action",
"allOf": [
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -2040,6 +2064,11 @@
"unfocusedFrame": {
"description": "The color of the window frame when the window is inactive. This only works on Windows 11",
"$ref": "#/$defs/ThemeColor"
},
"showWorkspacesButton": {
"description": "When set to true, the workspaces button will be shown in the tab row.",
"type": "boolean",
"default": true
}
}
},
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -2208,6 +2237,9 @@
{
"$ref": "#/$defs/RenameWindowAction"
},
{
"$ref": "#/$defs/OpenWorkspaceAction"
},
{
"$ref": "#/$defs/FocusPaneAction"
},
Expand Down
56 changes: 56 additions & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/AppActionHandlers.cpp
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Expand Up @@ -938,6 +938,30 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
co_return;
}

// Launch `wt -w <name>` so the monarch can either summon an existing
// window with that name or restore a persisted workspace.
safe_void_coroutine TerminalPage::_OpenWorkspaceWindow(const winrt::hstring name)
{
co_await winrt::resume_background();

const auto exePath{ GetWtExePath() };
// Quote/escape the window name so that ShellExecute -> CommandLineToArgvW
// round-trips it as a single argument even when it contains spaces or
// other characters that need escaping.
const auto cmdline = fmt::format(FMT_COMPILE(L"-w {}"), QuoteAndEscapeCommandlineArg(std::wstring_view{ name }));

SHELLEXECUTEINFOW seInfo{ 0 };
seInfo.cbSize = sizeof(seInfo);
seInfo.fMask = SEE_MASK_NOASYNC;
seInfo.lpVerb = L"open";
seInfo.lpFile = exePath.c_str();
seInfo.lpParameters = cmdline.c_str();
seInfo.nShow = SW_SHOWNORMAL;
LOG_IF_WIN32_BOOL_FALSE(ShellExecuteExW(&seInfo));

@DHowett DHowett Jun 4, 2026

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Why are doing this to ourselves? We are literally calling from inside the process, and we are spawning wt TO SPAWN WindowsTerminal to send a commandline back to ourselves. Why.

This is worse than "we serialize the tab to JSON to tell the other part of the app to launch it anew". Why.

Why.

@zadjii-msft zadjii-msft Jun 8, 2026

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this is literally what openWindow already does literally 20 lines above this. I copypasted that code cause it just worked.

We can refactor that one too... but it seemed like the parity between the two implementations was the easiest path.

@carlos-zamora carlos-zamora Jun 9, 2026

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Fair enough. Do we want to re-open this PR then? Sorry for the back and forth.

@DHowett DHowett Jun 9, 2026

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Nope, we're working on the correct solution


co_return;
}

void TerminalPage::_HandleNewWindow(const IInspectable& /*sender*/,
const ActionEventArgs& actionArgs)
{
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1058,6 +1082,7 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
// Fun!
// WindowRenamerTextBox().Focus(FocusState::Programmatic);
_renamerLayoutUpdatedRevoker.revoke();
_renamerLayoutCount = 0;
_renamerLayoutUpdatedRevoker = WindowRenamerTextBox().LayoutUpdated(winrt::auto_revoke, [weakThis = get_weak()](auto&&, auto&&) {
if (auto self{ weakThis.get() })
{
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -1633,4 +1658,35 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
args.Handled(handled);
}
}

void TerminalPage::_HandleOpenWorkspace(const IInspectable& /*sender*/,
const ActionEventArgs& args)
{
// Open (or summon) a named window. We launch a new `wt -w <name>`
// process which the monarch will route to the correct live window or
// restore from a persisted workspace.
if (args)
{
if (const auto& realArgs = args.ActionArgs().try_as<OpenWorkspaceArgs>())
{
const auto name = realArgs.Name();
if (!name.empty())
{
_OpenWorkspaceWindow(name);
}
args.Handled(true);
}
}
}

void TerminalPage::_HandleWorkspaces(const IInspectable& /*sender*/,
const ActionEventArgs& args)
{
if (_workspaceFlyout && _workspaceDropdown)
{
_workspaceFlyout.ShowAt(_workspaceDropdown);
}
args.Handled(true);
}

}
4 changes: 4 additions & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Pane.cpp
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Expand Up @@ -92,6 +92,10 @@ INewContentArgs Pane::GetTerminalArgsForPane(BuildStartupKind kind) const
{
// Leaves are the only things that have controls
assert(_IsLeaf());
if (!_content)
{
return nullptr;
}
return _content.GetNewTerminalArgs(kind);
}

Expand Down
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Remoting.h
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Expand Up @@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
WINRT_PROPERTY(TerminalApp::CommandlineArgs, Command, nullptr);
WINRT_PROPERTY(winrt::hstring, Content);
WINRT_PROPERTY(Windows::Foundation::IReference<Windows::Foundation::Rect>, InitialBounds);
WINRT_PROPERTY(winrt::Microsoft::Terminal::Settings::Model::WindowLayout, PersistedLayout, nullptr);
};
}

Expand Down
1 change: 1 addition & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Remoting.idl
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Expand Up @@ -51,5 +51,6 @@ namespace TerminalApp
CommandlineArgs Command { get; };
String Content { get; };
Windows.Foundation.IReference<Windows.Foundation.Rect> InitialBounds { get; };
Microsoft.Terminal.Settings.Model.WindowLayout PersistedLayout;
};
}
39 changes: 39 additions & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/Resources/en-US/Resources.resw
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Expand Up @@ -743,6 +743,42 @@
<value>unnamed window</value>
<comment>text used to identify when a window hasn't been assigned a name by the user</comment>
</data>
<data name="NameThisWindowMenuItem" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Name this window...</value>
<comment>Menu item text shown when the current window has no name assigned</comment>
Comment thread
zadjii-msft marked this conversation as resolved.
</data>
<data name="RenameThisWindowMenuItem" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Rename this window...</value>
<comment>Menu item text shown when the current window already has a name</comment>
Comment thread
zadjii-msft marked this conversation as resolved.
</data>
<data name="WindowListUnnamedEntry" xml:space="preserve">
<value>#{0} (unnamed)</value>
<comment>{locked="{0}"}{0} is the window ID number. Shown in the workspace flyout for windows that have no name assigned.</comment>
</data>
<data name="DeleteWorkspaceMenuItem" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Delete workspace?</value>
<comment>Menu item text shown in the right-click context menu on a saved workspace</comment>
</data>
<data name="OpenWorkspaceMenuItem" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Open workspace</value>
<comment>Menu item text for opening a saved workspace</comment>
</data>
<data name="ConfirmDeleteWorkspaceTitle" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Delete "{0}"?</value>
<comment>{locked="{0}"}{0} is the workspace name. Shown as the title of a confirmation dialog when the user tries to delete a saved workspace.</comment>
</data>
<data name="ConfirmDeleteWorkspaceBody" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Are you sure you want to delete "{0}"? Sessions associated with this workspace will also be deleted.</value>
<comment>{locked="{0}"}{0} is the workspace name. Body text of the confirmation dialog shown when the user tries to delete a saved workspace.</comment>
</data>
<data name="ConfirmDeleteWorkspaceDelete" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Delete</value>
<comment>Primary button text on the delete workspace confirmation dialog</comment>
</data>
<data name="ConfirmDeleteWorkspaceCancel" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Cancel</value>
<comment>Cancel button text on the delete workspace confirmation dialog</comment>
</data>
<data name="WindowRenamer.Subtitle" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Enter a new name:</value>
</data>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -801,6 +837,9 @@
<data name="ElevationShield.[using:Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls]ToolTipService.ToolTip" xml:space="preserve">
<value>This Terminal window is running as administrator</value>
</data>
<data name="WorkspaceDropdown.[using:Windows.UI.Xaml.Controls]ToolTipService.ToolTip" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Workspaces</value>
</data>
<data name="CommandPalette_MatchesAvailable" xml:space="preserve">
<value>Suggestions found: {0}</value>
<comment>{0} will be replaced with a number.</comment>
Expand Down
46 changes: 46 additions & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/TabManagement.cpp
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Expand Up @@ -403,6 +403,22 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
_previouslyClosedPanesAndTabs.emplace_back(args);
}

// Method Description:
// - If this window has a name, persist its current workspace layout to
// ApplicationState. Intended to be called from the close-pane / close-tab
// paths while tab/pane content is still alive (before it gets torn down).
void TerminalPage::_SaveWorkspaceIfNeeded()
{
const auto& windowName = _WindowProperties.WindowName();
if (!windowName.empty())
{
if (const auto layout = GetWindowLayout())
{
ApplicationState::SharedInstance().SaveWorkspace(windowName, layout);
}
}
}

// Method Description:
// - Removes the tab (both TerminalControl and XAML) after prompting for approval
// Arguments:
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -450,6 +466,14 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
auto actions = t->BuildStartupActions(BuildStartupKind::None);
_AddPreviouslyClosedPaneOrTab(std::move(actions));

// If this is the last tab in a named window, persist the workspace
// layout now while tab content is still alive. After tab.Close()
// the pane content will be torn down by the time _RemoveTab runs.
if (_tabs.Size() == 1)
{
_SaveWorkspaceIfNeeded();
}

tab.Close();
}

Expand All @@ -471,6 +495,13 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation

const auto focusedTabIndex{ _GetFocusedTabIndex() };

// NOTE: Workspace persistence for named windows used to live here,
// but by the time _RemoveTab runs the pane content may already be
// torn down (e.g. from the close-pane path). Instead, workspace
// saves are handled earlier:
// - Close-pane (last pane): in _HandleClosePaneRequested
// - Close-tab: in _HandleCloseTabRequested

// Removing the tab from the collection should destroy its control and disconnect its connection,
// but it doesn't always do so. The UI tree may still be holding the control and preventing its destruction.
tab.Shutdown();
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -798,6 +829,21 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation
}
_AddPreviouslyClosedPaneOrTab(std::move(state.args));

// If this is the last pane on the last tab of a named window, persist
// the workspace layout now while the pane content is still alive.
// We can't wait until _RemoveTab, because pane->Close() below will
// destroy the content before _RemoveTab is reached.
if (_tabs.Size() == 1)
{
if (const auto activeTab{ _GetFocusedTabImpl() })
{
if (activeTab->GetLeafPaneCount() == 1)
{
_SaveWorkspaceIfNeeded();
}
}
}

// If specified, detach before closing to directly update the pane structure
pane->Close();
}
Expand Down
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/TabRowControl.h
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Expand Up @@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ namespace winrt::TerminalApp::implementation

til::property_changed_event PropertyChanged;
WINRT_OBSERVABLE_PROPERTY(bool, ShowElevationShield, PropertyChanged.raise, false);
WINRT_OBSERVABLE_PROPERTY(bool, ShowWorkspacesButton, PropertyChanged.raise, true);
WINRT_OBSERVABLE_PROPERTY(winrt::hstring, WorkspaceName, PropertyChanged.raise, L"");
};
}

Expand Down
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/TabRowControl.idl
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Expand Up @@ -9,5 +9,7 @@ namespace TerminalApp
TabRowControl();
Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls.TabView TabView { get; };
Boolean ShowElevationShield;
Boolean ShowWorkspacesButton;
String WorkspaceName;
}
}
48 changes: 40 additions & 8 deletions src/cascadia/TerminalApp/TabRowControl.xaml
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Expand Up @@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
xmlns:d="http://schemas.microsoft.com/expression/blend/2008"
xmlns:local="using:TerminalApp"
xmlns:mc="http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006"
xmlns:mtu="using:Microsoft.Terminal.UI"
xmlns:mux="using:Microsoft.UI.Xaml.Controls"
Background="{ThemeResource TabViewBackground}"
mc:Ignorable="d">
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -35,14 +36,45 @@
TabWidthMode="Equal">

<mux:TabView.TabStripHeader>
<!-- EA18 is the "Shield" glyph -->
<FontIcon x:Uid="ElevationShield"
Margin="9,4,0,4"
FontFamily="{ThemeResource SymbolThemeFontFamily}"
FontSize="16"
Foreground="{ThemeResource SystemControlForegroundBaseMediumBrush}"
Glyph="&#xEA18;"
Visibility="{x:Bind ShowElevationShield, Mode=OneWay}" />
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal">
<!-- EA18 is the "Shield" glyph -->
<FontIcon x:Uid="ElevationShield"
Margin="9,4,0,4"
FontFamily="{ThemeResource SymbolThemeFontFamily}"
FontSize="16"
Foreground="{ThemeResource SystemControlForegroundBaseMediumBrush}"
Glyph="&#xEA18;"
Visibility="{x:Bind ShowElevationShield, Mode=OneWay}" />

<!-- Workspace/windows button -->
<Button x:Name="WorkspaceDropdown"
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x:Uid="WorkspaceDropdown"
Margin="4,0,0,4"
Padding="8,0,0,0"
VerticalAlignment="Stretch"
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Background="Transparent"
BorderThickness="0"
Visibility="{x:Bind ShowWorkspacesButton, Mode=OneWay}">
<Button.Content>
<StackPanel Orientation="Horizontal"
Spacing="8">
<!-- EE40 is the "TaskViewSettings" glyph -->
<FontIcon FontFamily="{ThemeResource SymbolThemeFontFamily}"
FontSize="12"
Glyph="&#xEE40;" />
<TextBlock x:Name="WorkspaceNameText"
Padding="0,0,8,0"
VerticalAlignment="Center"
FontSize="12"
Text="{x:Bind WorkspaceName, Mode=OneWay}"
Visibility="{x:Bind mtu:Converters.StringNotEmptyToVisibility(WorkspaceName), Mode=OneWay}" />
</StackPanel>
</Button.Content>
<Button.Flyout>
<MenuFlyout x:Name="WorkspaceFlyout" />
</Button.Flyout>
</Button>
</StackPanel>
</mux:TabView.TabStripHeader>

<mux:TabView.TabStripFooter>
Expand Down
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