open-webui / open-webui/computer

feat: Add a persistent file explorer on wide screens

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Dominant language
Python
Stars
569
Forks
79
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Description

The workspace file explorer is currently implemented as a permanent editor tab. On wide screens, this makes it difficult to browse files while keeping code visible at the same time.

Even when the Files tab is moved into its own split pane, selecting a file opens it in that active pane and replaces the visible file tree. The user must switch back to Files after every selection.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Open a workspace on a wide screen.
  2. Split the editor so the Files tab is visible beside a code tab.
  3. Click another file in the file tree.
  4. Observe that the Files pane switches to the selected file and the tree is hidden.

Suggested behavior

On wide screens, render the workspace file explorer as a persistent panel outside the editor tab and split layout:

  • show it by default beside the editor;
  • allow the panel to be resized and collapsed;
  • open selected files in the last focused editor group without hiding the tree;
  • keep the existing Files tab behavior on narrow screens where a persistent panel would consume too much space.

This would make the workspace behave more like desktop editors while preserving the current mobile interaction.

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

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

No files, tests, or entry points are named. Start by locating the workspace file explorer and Files tab implementation, then inspect the responsive layout and editor split focus handling. Done means a resizable, collapsible persistent explorer appears by default on wide screens, while narrow screens retain the existing tab behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
frontend, web-dev
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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