PANEL TYPES

File Explorer

A directory browser panel for navigating project files, opening them in the editor, and keeping an overview of your project structure without leaving the workspace.

The file explorer panel provides a tree view of a directory on your file system. It reads the directory contents through the Rust backend, so file listings are fast and do not block the UI. The explorer is particularly useful alongside terminal and editor panels — browse your project tree in one panel while editing files or running commands in adjacent panels.

Browsing Directories

The file explorer displays the contents of its root directory as an expandable tree. Each entry in the tree is either a folder or a file:

• Folders — Displayed with a folder icon and an expand/collapse chevron. Click the chevron or double-click the folder name to toggle it open or closed. When expanded, the folder's children are indented and listed below it.
• Files — Displayed with a file icon that reflects the file type (e.g., TypeScript files show a TS icon, JSON files show a JSON icon). Files are sorted alphabetically within their parent folder, with folders listed before files.

The tree supports arbitrary nesting depth. Large directories are loaded lazily — child contents are fetched from the backend only when a folder is expanded for the first time. This keeps the initial load fast even for projects with thousands of files.

Opening Files

Click any file in the tree to open it in the Code Editor. The editor panel that receives the file depends on your current layout:

• If an editor panel already exists in the workspace, the file opens there as a new tab.
• If no editor panel exists, Rift Panel splits the file explorer panel and creates an editor panel in the new child to display the file.

Double-clicking a file pins it in the editor tab bar. Single-clicking opens it in preview mode — the tab is replaced if you single-click a different file. This matches the preview behavior familiar from VS Code, so you can quickly scan through files without accumulating dozens of tabs.

Navigation

The file explorer provides several navigation aids to help you move around your project:

• Breadcrumb path — A breadcrumb bar at the top of the explorer shows the full path to the current root directory. Each segment of the path is clickable, allowing you to jump up to any parent directory instantly.
• Back button — Click the back arrow in the explorer toolbar to return to the previously viewed directory. This is useful when you navigate into a deeply nested folder and want to quickly return to where you started.
• Path input — Click the breadcrumb bar to transform it into an editable path input. Type or paste an absolute path and press Enter to navigate directly to that directory. Press Escape to cancel and restore the breadcrumb view.