window.visibleEditors & window.onDidChangeVisibleTextEditors return inconsistent results

[eamodio]

• VSCode Version: Code - Insiders 1.18.0-insider (4b01451, 2017-10-19T08:29:07.096Z)
• OS Version: Windows_NT x64 10.0.17017

---

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create (use) a simple extension that subscribes to window.onDidChangeVisibleTextEditors or polls window.visibleTextEditors
2. Watch/log the editors returned

Normal editors come and go as expected when their visibility changes, but other panels have inconsistent behavior.

• Problems & Terminal panes never appear in the list regardless of visibility
• Output & Debug Console panes will appear in the list when they first become visible, but never seem to leave the list regardless of visibility

I'm unsure why the Output & Debug Console panes ever appear in the list -- I would much prefer they didn't as they aren't really editors. Also if they are to stay in that list it feels like there should be some consistency with the Problems & Terminal panes as well, and they should certainly IMO be removed from the list when they aren't visible

I feel like this behavior has changed in 1.17, but I can't be sure.

Reproduces without extensions: No

[eamodio]

FYI, this is not a debug issue (as the "helpful" bot) labeled it

//cc @jrieken

[jrieken]

I feel like this behavior has changed in 1.17, but I can't be sure.

It has been like that since forever

I'm unsure why the Output & Debug Console panes ever appear in the list -- I would much prefer they didn't as they aren't really editors.

They are implemented as text editor, that's why. I am closing this as question.

[eamodio]

Shouldn't they at a minimum respect visibility? It is called visibleTextEditors

[jrieken]

Yeah, that's a bad name choice...

[eamodio]

And all other editors respect visibility to be in that list.

[eamodio]

@jrieken Can this be reopened then? Still seems like an issue to me

[jrieken]

Output & Debug Console panes will appear in the list when they first become visible, but never seem to leave the list regardless of visibility

Yeah, they should leave the list eventually...

[jrieken]

With @sandy081 recent work on output channels this got already a lot better. It's now just the debug console that stays alive forever and @isidorn might know why that is

[isidorn]

I can look into disposing the debug console input once it is hidden