[Feature] Local Workspace settings

[firelizzard18]

I would like to be able to configure settings that are specific to my user and to a particular workspace. So, 'local' workspace settings?

So there would be three locations for settings (for a single-folder workspace):

• user settings
• ${workspaceRoot}/.vscode/settings.json
• ${workspaceRoot}/.vscode/settings.local.json

This way, I can add .vscode/settings.json to git, and share project settings such as "exclude node_modules" but I can gitignore .vscode/settings.local.json and add things specific to that project that I don't want to share, such as git autofetch.

I originally thought to suggest .vscode/settings.user.json, similar to how VS Pro handles similar configuration, but that might be confusing.

[sandy081]

@firelizzard18

We have released a new Multi-root Workspace Feature where you can open multiple folders in a workspace. This introduces a new abstraction in settings.

User -> Workspace -> Folder

Settings under .vscode folder are called now Folder settings in a Multi-root workspace. You also have Workspace settings those get applied for complete workspace. For more information refer here.

You can open a folder in a workspace as follows and can use Workspace settings here as user specific workspace settings for the folder.

• Open an empty window and add the folder to it.

Please try it out and let us know if that solves your issue

[firelizzard18]

Using a multi-root workspace, even with only one open root/folder, adds a layer of unnecessary complexity. I'm looking for an additional config file that works with a single-root workspace, so I can have the main workspace config file checked in to source control and the additional workspace config file ignored.

[Aloisius]

Instead of creating new local workplace settings, perhaps keeping settings.json as the local workspace settings file and creating a new shared workplace settings file makes more sense?

That way the extension api #43226 wouldn't need to change and extensions would continue to work as they are currently written.

The only change necessary, I imagine, would be to check to see if .vscode/shared.json (or whatever) existed, load it first, then load .vscode/settings.json.

In my case, the issue is that the python extension writes the python path to settings.json which is different for every developer using virtualenv. The settings I'd like to add to version control and share between devs are files to ignore, unit testing and linting.

[sandy081]

Currently .vscode/settings.json is shared as it is part of .vscode folder. So it cannot be treated as non shareable one

[borekb]

Related issue with some additional use cases: Local settings overrides (settings.local.json) #37519

[segevfiner]

The VS Code Python extension saves python.pythonPath in the settings.json (Outside a multi-root workspace). This is a problem when you want to commit settings.json to share settings, and there are likely other settings extensions might want to customize and save per repository.

It would really make sense to add such a local settings file to solve this. Even better will be to support this for the other json files in VS Code too, allowing you to keep local tasks, debug configurations and such without editing possibly committed files.

It might require some restructuring of the way VS Code handles editing those files. Personally it would make sense for it to edit the local ones by default, requiring you to explicitly move stuff to the shared ones in order to share/commit them.

[lehni]

The suggestion in #37519 to use a workspace doesn't work for all kinds of settings. For example, I can't seem to control "editor.formatOnSave" from the workspace level, only from the folder level.

Having the option to provide settings.local.json would still add a lot of advantages over workspaces.