REditorSupport / REditorSupport/vscode-R

Opening Find in an unrelated webview activates vscode-R and shows `R: (not attached)` in non-R workspaces

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bug
Dominant language
TypeScript
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Description

Describe the bug

The R extension activates and shows its session status bar item R: (not attached)
even in a workspace with no R files, simply because I triggered the Find widget
in an unrelated webview, such as a Markdown preview.

On my Windows machine, R itself is not installed at all — I only installed the
vscode-R extension. That alone is enough for R: (not attached) to show up once Find
is opened in an unrelated webview, so this is purely about extension activation, not
about any R file, R session, or R runtime.

The likely trigger is that package.json contributes the built-in command
editor.action.webvieweditor.showFind (titled "R: Find in WebView"). This command is
then used in editor/title menus gated by r.browser.active / r.helpPanel.active.

Since VS Code 1.74.0, a command contributed in package.json implicitly activates the
extension when that command is invoked. Because editor.action.webvieweditor.showFind
is the shared built-in webview Find command, invoking Find in any webview
(Markdown preview, release notes, etc.) activates vscode-R, not just R's own
help/browser panels.

Confirmed in exthost.log:

ExtensionService#_doActivateExtension REditorSupport.r, startup: false,
  activationEvent: 'onCommand:editor.action.webvieweditor.showFind'

To Reproduce

  1. Open a folder that contains no R-related files (.R, .Rmd, .Rproj, etc.).
  2. Open a webview-based editor with a Find widget, e.g. a Markdown preview.
  3. Focus that preview and press Cmd+F on macOS / Ctrl+F on Windows or Linux.
    In my environment, this invokes the built-in editor.action.webvieweditor.showFind.
  4. The vscode-R extension activates and R: (not attached) appears in the status
    bar, despite no R file or R session being present. It stays visible until the
    window is reloaded.

I have reproduced this on both macOS (Cmd+F) and Windows (Ctrl+F), so it does
not appear to be platform-specific.

Can you fix this issue by yourself? (We appreciate the help)

No, but I am happy to test a fix or provide more logs.

(If yes,) can we assist you with anything?

N/A

(If applicable) Please attach setting.json

On macOS, the only R setting I customized is:

"r.rpath.mac": "/usr/local/bin/R"

r.sessionWatcher is left at its default value, true.

On Windows, my settings.json has no r.* keys at all, and R is not installed.
Only the vscode-R extension is present. The bug still reproduces.

Expected behavior

The extension should not activate, and the session status bar item should not appear,
merely because Find was opened in an unrelated webview.

The "R: Find in WebView" action should be scoped to R's own webviews only, without
contributing the shared built-in webview Find command id in a way that causes global
activation from unrelated webviews.

Possible approaches:

  • avoid contributing the built-in command id editor.action.webvieweditor.showFind
    directly in contributes.commands;
  • use a vscode-R wrapper command that is only exposed for R webviews and internally
    calls the built-in Find command;
  • or hide the session status bar item unless an R-related editor, workspace, session,
    or webview is actually relevant.

This seems related in spirit to #1572 / #1579, where R UI was made conditional so it
does not appear in unrelated workspaces.

Screenshots

The status bar shows R: (not attached) in a workspace with no R files. I can attach
a screenshot if useful.

Environment (please complete the following information):

  • OS: reproduced on both macOS and Windows
  • VS Code Version: 1.122.1
  • R Version: N/A — reproduces with no R session involved. On Windows, R is not even
    installed; only the vscode-R extension is present.
  • vscode-R version: 2.8.8

Additional context

When r.sessionWatcher is enabled, which is the default, activation creates and shows
the session status bar item. Therefore, once vscode-R is activated by the unrelated
webview Find command, R: (not attached) remains visible for the rest of the window
session, even though the current workspace/editor is unrelated to R.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with package.json and the editor/title menu contributions for editor.action.webvieweditor.showFind, then reproduce the activation from a Markdown preview using the reported Find shortcut. Check exthost.log for the activation event; done means an unrelated webview no longer activates vscode-R or shows R: (not attached), while R webviews retain their Find action.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
typescript, vscode
Domain
developer-experience, tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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