Feature preview: File-system project folders

The next version of PyScripter will add file-system project folders, a much requested feature.  In PyScripter Project Explorer you will be able to use two types of file folders:

• Virtual folders:  These folders allow you to organize your project files in a logical manner. For example you can have a folder for source files, another one for documentation files and another one for configuration files. These folders are just collections of files and not necessarily correspond to physical folders on disk. They may contain subfolders. You can create virtual folders using the Add commands of the folder context menu.  This is what we currently have in PyScripter.
• File-system folders:  These folders mirror the directory structure on disk. Their content reflects the content of the physical folders and they are auto-updating when the contents of the folders on disk change, e.g. when files are added, deleted or renamed. They are created using the Import Directory folder context menu. They may also contain subfolders.

The Project Explorer uses different icons to distinguish between these two types of folder nodes. For example in the picture below, "Doc" is a virtual folder and "rpyc" a file-system one.

The updated "Import Directory" dialog box

This dialog box is accessible from the folder context menu. It allows you to import a directory into the project. In the file masks field, you can provide one or more masks separated by semi-colon that determines which file types will be imported into the project. If "Recursive" is checked subfolders will be imported too. If "Auto-update" is checked then a file-system folder will be created that will automatically refresh, whenever a change in the specified directory takes place. Otherwise, a virtual folder will be created. Finally, you have the option to add the specified directory to the project's "Extra Python Path", so that the python interpreter can find and import modules in this directory.