retain input in question carousel

[meganrogge]

fixes #297406

retain-answers.mov

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR fixes loss of in-progress ask_questions inputs when the chat UI is re-created (e.g., moving Chat into the editor area) by persisting draft question/answer state on the underlying ChatQuestionCarouselData model rather than only in the widget.

Changes:

• Add transient draft fields (draftAnswers, draftCurrentIndex) to ChatQuestionCarouselData and ensure they are not serialized.
• Persist draft state from ChatQuestionCarouselPart into the model during interaction, and clear draft state once the carousel is submitted/auto-finalized.
• Add unit and browser tests to cover draft retention across widget recreation and serialization behavior.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 5 out of 5 changed files in this pull request and generated 1 comment.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/common/model/chatProgressTypes/chatQuestionCarouselData.ts	Adds transient draft fields for in-memory retention; toJSON remains serialization-safe.
src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/widget/chatContentParts/chatQuestionCarouselPart.ts	Restores/persists draft state to the model during interaction; saves on dispose; clears on submit paths via renderer.
src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/browser/widget/chatListRenderer.ts	Clears draft state on submit/auto-finalize and ensures data/isUsed are set consistently.
src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/test/common/model/chatQuestionCarouselData.test.ts	Extends serialization test to ensure draft fields are not included in toJSON.
src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/test/browser/widget/chatContentParts/chatQuestionCarouselPart.test.ts	Adds coverage for draft retention across widget disposal/recreation.

Comments suppressed due to low confidence (1)

src/vs/workbench/contrib/chat/common/model/chatProgressTypes/chatQuestionCarouselData.ts:18

• The class doc comment says toJSON strips only the completion promise, but the class now also has transient draft state (draftAnswers / draftCurrentIndex) that is intentionally not serialized. Consider updating the comment to reflect that toJSON excludes all transient runtime fields (completion + draft state).

export class ChatQuestionCarouselData implements IChatQuestionCarousel {
	public readonly kind = 'questionCarousel' as const;
	public readonly completion = new DeferredPromise<{ answers: Record<string, unknown> | undefined }>();
	public draftAnswers: Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
	public draftCurrentIndex: number | undefined;