Cannot disable file auto save if configured in workspace

[thiemeljiri]

I cannot disable file auto save.

I cannot uncheck "Auto Save" under "File" menu. I disabled it in User settings but this option is still checked in file menu.

Restarting VS Code has no effect. I tried running VS Code without extensions and it behaves exactly the same. So it's very likely not related to any extension.

[vscodebot]

(Experimental duplicate detection)
Thanks for submitting this issue. Please also check if it is already covered by an existing one, like:

• Custom editor save issues (#96503)

[bpasero]

Can you try to reproduce with our nightly insider builds? You can give our preview releases a try from: https://code.visualstudio.com/insiders/

[thiemeljiri]

Hi @bpasero, I've just tried and it behaves exactly the same. In VS Code Insiders I couldn't untick the "auto save" under file menu. This time it was fresh installation I did from the link you provided. I didn't have VS Code Insiders installed before. This is really annoying and should should be investigated from your side. Thanks.

[bpasero]

@thiemeljiri what OS is this?

[thiemeljiri]

@bpasero Windows 10 Enterprise 64bit

[bpasero]

Does it reproduce when you configure "window.titleBarStyle": "native"

[thiemeljiri]

@bpasero Yes. And now I can see that clicking on "Auto Save" under "File" menu actually does some changes in settings.json - "files.autoSave" chnages its value between "off" and "afterDelay". But the tick remains and even when it's set to "off" the files are still save automatically.

[bpasero]

I wonder if this issue is being caused by an installed extension. Can you try to run VS Code without extensions? From the command line (NOT the integrated terminal in Code), execute: code --disable-extensions and try your steps again to see if it reproduces. If you see it is an issue with the extension, please file it against the extension repository itself.

[thiemeljiri]

As I mentioned in the original comment, I have already tried that. And as for VSC Insiders - I have no extensions there.

As for "window.titleBarStyle": "native", I've tried that only in VSC Insiders with no effect.

[bpasero]

I cannot explain this, unless maybe your settings file is not valid. Does it show errors when you open it as JSON file?

[thiemeljiri]

No, it doesn't. It is valid. And it happens even if it's completely empty.

[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!

[thiemeljiri]

Hi @bpasero.

Ok, I've found out what was the issue. And it was very puzzling to me. I tried both scenarios on the same project. And now I've found out that there is also a .vscode folder with settings.json in this project which I haven't seen there before.

I don't have any experience with this kind of settings, but I don't like the current behavior. Settings in this file is forced to the editor and you cannot change it unless you modify this file. But it seems to me a bit puzzling.

I'd expect probably some of these scenarios as a user:

1. When project editor settings file is present, the options it overrides should be either disabled and/or somehow marked as overridden by project editor settings file.
2. When project editor settings file is present and the user tries to change the options it overrides in the UI, these changes are reflected in the project editor settings file, or both, in project and user settings file. Currently only user settings file is modified leaving the user puzzled why it's not working.

Please, let UX designers or other responsible people in your team know about this. Encountering something like this for the first time is extremely frustrating.

Thanks!

BR,
thiemeljiri

[bpasero]

@thiemeljiri great catch, we should be able to handle that case better.

[bpasero]

Opening up for a PR, the code that needs to be looked at is:

vscode/src/vs/workbench/services/filesConfiguration/common/filesConfigurationService.ts

Lines 186 to 201 in cadabab

	async toggleAutoSave(): Promise<void> {
	const setting = this.configurationService.inspect('files.autoSave');
	let userAutoSaveConfig = setting.userValue;
	if (isUndefinedOrNull(userAutoSaveConfig)) {
	userAutoSaveConfig = setting.defaultValue; // use default if setting not defined
	}
	let newAutoSaveValue: string;
	if ([AutoSaveConfiguration.AFTER_DELAY, AutoSaveConfiguration.ON_FOCUS_CHANGE, AutoSaveConfiguration.ON_WINDOW_CHANGE].some(s => s === userAutoSaveConfig)) {
	newAutoSaveValue = AutoSaveConfiguration.OFF;
	} else {
	newAutoSaveValue = AutoSaveConfiguration.AFTER_DELAY;
	}
	return this.configurationService.updateValue('files.autoSave', newAutoSaveValue, ConfigurationTarget.USER);
	}

[jeanp413]

I'll take a look at this

[bpasero]

Verification: verify auto save can be turned on and off via File > Auto Save toggle in main menu. Verify this also works if files.autoSave is configured as workspace setting and then is updated inside the workspace.

[github-actions]

This bug has been fixed in to the latest release of VS Code Insiders!

@thiemeljiri, you can help us out by confirming things are working as expected in the latest Insiders release. If things look good, please leave a comment with the text /verified to let us know. If not, please ensure you're on version e5c0007 of Insiders (today's or later - you can use Help: About in the command pallete to check), and leave a comment letting us know what isn't working as expected.

Happy Coding!