Focus Folder

A dedicated folder viewer for VS Code that lets you focus on specific folders in a separate panel.

What does this extension do?

Focus Folder adds a new view panel in your VS Code Explorer sidebar. This panel allows you to display and navigate through a specific folder, completely independent from your main Explorer view.

Think of it as having a second Explorer window that you can point to any folder in your workspace, with its own navigation history.

🎯 Key Features

• 📁 Dedicated Folder View: A separate "Focus Folder" panel in your Explorer sidebar
• ➡️ Quick Focus: Right-click any folder in your standard Explorer and select "Focus Folder" to display it in the dedicated panel
• 🔄 Independent Navigation: Navigate through folders in the Focus view without affecting your main Explorer
• ⬅️ Back Button: Navigate backward through your folder history using the arrow button in the panel title
• 📂 Recursive Browsing: Click into subfolders within the Focus panel to go deeper
• 🔀 Dual View: Keep both your main Explorer and the focused folder view open simultaneously

How to Use

1️⃣ Opening the Focus Panel

The Focus Folder view appears automatically in your Explorer sidebar when the extension is active. Look for the "FOCUS FOLDER" section below your standard file tree.

2️⃣ Focusing on a Folder

Method 1: Right-click on any folder in your standard Explorer → Select "Focus Folder"

Method 2: Use Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) → Type "Focus Folder"

3️⃣ Navigating Back

Click the ← arrow button in the Focus Folder panel title bar to return to the previous folder in your navigation history.

Use Cases

This extension is particularly useful for:

• Large projects/monorepos: Focus on a specific module or package while keeping the full project tree visible
• Deep folder structures: Quickly access nested folders without collapsing/expanding the main tree
• Dual-folder workflow: Work with two different parts of your project simultaneously
• Reducing clutter: Isolate a specific folder to focus on its contents without visual distractions

How It Works

The extension creates a separate tree view panel alongside your standard VS Code Explorer. Both views coexist:

• Your standard Explorer shows your full workspace as usual
• The Focus Folder panel shows only the selected folder and its contents

When you open a file from the Focus panel, it opens in the editor without revealing or selecting it in your standard Explorer, keeping both views independent.

Requirements

• VS Code version 1.107.0 or higher

Commands

• focusFolder.focus: Focus on the selected folder in the dedicated panel
• focusFolder.goBack: Navigate back to the previous folder in history

Known Issues

None at the moment. If you encounter any issues, please report them on the GitHub repository.

Enjoy your focused navigation!