Test: out-of-workspace file watching from extensions

[bpasero]

Refs: #3025

• macOS @sandy081
• linux @karthiknadig
• windows @rchiodo
• wsl @rebornix

Complexity: 4

Create Issue

---

The existing API vscode.workspace.createFileSystemWatcher was changed to enable extensions to watch paths that are outside the opened workspace.

Note: when you open an empty window, any path is considered to be "out of workspace". Otherwise, a path is "out of workspace" when it is not within any of the opened folders.

Testing

• read through the updated JSDoc of vscode.workspace.createFileSystemWatcher and report back if you cannot understand the behaviour or have suggestions for how to improve it
• verify a watched folder path that is outside of workspace reports events when changing child files (with a non-recursive glob pattern)
• verify a watched folder path that is outside of workspace reports events when changing any child files within (with a recursive glob pattern)
• verify a watched file path that is outside of workspace reports events when the file
• verify that using just a string for createFileSystemWatcher only emits changes for workspace files and not for any other watched path outside the workspace
• verify that your events stop reporting when you dispose the watcher
• watch out for error messages in devtools or the shared process devtools (that is where all watchers run)
• ensure filewatcher processes are not hanging around, i.e. exit when the window closes (there will be one file watcher process per opened window)

[karthiknadig]

This worked really well on linux and windows. On windows i specifically wanted to test the windows store location. that is a special folder where the files are actually 'reparse points', and it works really well there too. Fantastic work.

[sandy081]

Good job 👏. Works very nice.

[bpasero]

Thanks, credits to Windows team though for implementing the best OS file watcher across all operating systems. ReadDirectoryChangesW is awesome and is used by the file watcher library we use.