Exploring Objects with View() or %view

Positron has a comprehensive Data Explorer for "data frame" type objects in R and Python. You can either launch the explorer from a "data frame" object in the Variables pane by clicking the table icon, or launch it using the View() command in an R Console, or the %view magic in a Python Console.

In #3028, users have asked for Positron to support exploring "list" types in the Data Explorer (because the Variables pane has limited functionality and also truncates child values).

Beyond lists, this issue is to capture a further request for View() or %view to handle objects in general. As to where the objects can be explored needs discussion.

Positron currently has a Variables Pane that summarizes objects of known types, but it heavily truncates information to fit into the pane. A starting compromise might be for View() and %view commands to focus and expand an object in the Variables Pane. However, users are ultimately looking for something like RStudio IDE's object explorer, that can scale beyond the limitations of Positron's existing Variables pane.

Start with the Variables pane and Data Explorer entry points, then read the related list-exploration discussion in #3028 and compare the requested behavior with RStudio's object explorer. Done requires a decided exploration location and a defined approach for View() and %view to inspect general objects beyond the current truncation limits.