vs code hangs for while when pressing the tab key for the first time

[M-Zuber]

• VSCode Version: 1.1.1
• OS Version: Win 10 home

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Open vs code
2. Press the tab key
3. Wait a second or two
4. Get control back
5. Go crazy as it won't happen again until a new instance is opened or an indeterminate amount of time has passed

[scottste]

I've noticed this as well even after doing code-insiders --disable-extensions.

• VSCode Version 1.1.1-insider
• OS Version: OS X 10.11.5

[aeschli]

@M-Zuber Which view has the focus when you press tab? If it is in an editor, what type of file is it (JavaScript, HTML...)?

[M-Zuber]

On a clean open of Code, blank file with focus on the file.
But it happens with almost any extension - js, ts, html, cs

[M-Zuber]

Just to reiterate, it happens to me on any type of file - usually only for the first time I press tab after opening vscode (but sometimes also in the middle of working)

[egamma]

When it is the tab key and happens on first time, then this is the loading of the emmet node module.

https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/blob/master/src/vs/workbench/parts/emmet/node/emmetActions.ts#L26

or an indeterminate amount of time has passed

however this doesn't explain this, since the emmet module is loaded only once into the renderer process.

@alexandrudima any other ideas what could go on?

[alexdima]

usually only for the first time I press tab after opening vscode

Yes this is caused by emmet loading the first time it is invoked.

@M-Zuber once the May release comes out you can use the following rule in your keybindings.json to remove that Tab loads and executes emmet:

{ "key": "tab", "command": "-editor.emmet.action.expandAbbreviation" }

Here I am loading emmet (typing tab for the first time in a html file) on my quite powerful desktop at home: 488ms to load.

I think the way forward here is to move emmet to an extension, thus the 500ms loading hit will be taken by the extension host.

[M-Zuber]

Thank you for the help.
As I use emmet snippet expansion quite heavily (More than once I've built a 30+ char snippet :)), I'll deal with the one time hit.

or an indeterminate amount of time has passed

I played around a bit, and it would seem that it only happens either on first use in a new instance of code, or after leaving an open instance run idle for a while (I leave my machine on overnight most nights). @egamma are the modules cached in any way?

[alexdima]

emmet loading...

[ramya-rao-a]

#21943 looks into having emmet features come from an extension rather than the tightly coupled in built way it is integrated today.

Closing this issue as the work done in #21943 will have a better user experience.

If #21943 doesn't pan out, then we will get back to see if there is something we can do to improve the first time experience.