Convert pasted files to file paths that work in R #9886

jennybc · 2025-10-10T06:31:51Z

(Partially) addresses #8393

RStudio users miss the feature where, if you have one or more files on the clipboard (and I really mean files), and you paste into an R context (an R script or the console), you get a quoted path, with \ converted to /.

In terms of 👍, this issue is ranked fourth among all issues with the os-windows label.

This PR implements this paste magic for R files, but not (yet?) for the R console. I note that it is also not working (yet?) for R chunks of .qmd or .Rmd documents.

file-paste.mp4

I also still want to make the path relative, e.g. ~~the current workspace root or user's home directory, if possible (as RStudio does)~~ now implemented. Ironically I haven't test driven this on macOS, because I'm still limping along on my Windows machine but that will change soon.

I'm looking for:

Feedback on the current implementation for editors associated with R
High-level guidance on how this should be implemented for the console. I've worked with Claude Code on this and we have had a working implementation for the console. I just thought the design was unsatisfying and I backed out of this. How should an extension contribute to paste behaviour? It feels like we'd need a new extension point or service that can take contributions. This seems like a relevant location:

positron/src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronConsole/browser/positronConsole.contribution.ts

Lines 91 to 96 in c763d3e

    
           handler: async accessor => { 
        
           	const clipboardService = accessor.get(IClipboardService); 
        
           	const consoleService = accessor.get(IPositronConsoleService); 
        
           	const text = await clipboardService.readText(); 
        
           	return consoleService.activePositronConsoleInstance?.pasteText(text); 
        
           }

Release Notes

New Features

N/A

Bug Fixes

N/A

QA Notes

github-actions · 2025-10-10T06:32:11Z

E2E Tests 🚀
This PR will run tests tagged with: @:critical

^readme ^{valid tags}

jennybc · 2025-10-10T06:33:05Z

extensions/positron-r/src/languageFeatures/claude-notes-filepath-conversion.md

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+# (Mostly Windows) File Path Auto-Conversion Feature


I will presumably remove this file when this feature is done, which may or may not happen in this PR. I.e. might decide to take the win in R documents and handle the console separately.

Typically we don't commit work-in-progress notes files to the repo -- if you want to preserve these, maybe file an issue and link to it from the relevant code?

jennybc · 2025-10-10T06:33:49Z

extensions/positron-r/src/languageFeatures/rFilePasteProvider.ts

+		token: vscode.CancellationToken
+	): Promise<vscode.DocumentPasteEdit[] | undefined> {
+
+		const setting = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration('positron.r').get<boolean>('autoConvertFilePaths');


Do we even need a setting to allow people to opt out? 🤔

Need? No. But I think it's fine to leave in until we're confident that this won't get in anyone's way!

jennybc · 2025-10-10T06:36:17Z

src/positron-dts/positron.d.ts

+	/**
+	 * File path utilities for data analysis code.
+	 */
+	namespace paths {


I added this to the positron API to centralize the initial futzing with the clipboard and file URIs, which would be needed to produce usable file paths for any language (e.g. R or Python).

jennybc · 2025-10-10T17:23:32Z

~~Looks like unit test failures are basically typos on my part. I couldn’t figure out how to run just this specific test file locally 🙈. Can’t correct them rn but should be easy.~~ I've fixed the casing error. But the UNC pat (not) skipping problem looks real. Will get into the debugger and fix.

jennybc · 2025-10-14T20:07:46Z

The unit test failures re: UNC paths are due to the fact that CI is running on ubuntu and the isUNC() function returns false unconditionally on non-Windows 🤔 I "fixed" the tests by skipping when the OS is not Windows.

positron/src/vs/base/common/extpath.ts

Lines 122 to 125 in 13c48a0

    
           if (!isWindows) { 
        
           	// UNC is a windows concept 
        
           	return false; 
        
           }

jmcphers

LGTM modulo a few nits. this worked well in my testing!

Is there a good reason we shouldn't also do this for Python? (seems like it'd be almost identical other than the array syntax)

jmcphers · 2025-10-20T21:17:57Z

extensions/positron-r/src/languageFeatures/rFilePasteProvider.ts

+		token: vscode.CancellationToken
+	): Promise<vscode.DocumentPasteEdit[] | undefined> {
+
+		const setting = vscode.workspace.getConfiguration('positron.r').get<boolean>('autoConvertFilePaths');


Need? No. But I think it's fine to leave in until we're confident that this won't get in anyone's way!

jmcphers · 2025-10-20T21:18:28Z

extensions/positron-r/src/languageFeatures/rFilePasteProvider.ts

+		// to get that back.
+		return [{
+			insertText,
+			title: 'Insert file path(s)',


Should this text be localized?

At the moment, I don't think this text is ever surfaced 🫠 At some point, when this PR "did more" but also had a weaker design, this text was surfaced (in a "Paste As" sort of experience). I will rationalize this bit one way or another before I merge.

jmcphers · 2025-10-20T21:21:58Z

src/positron-dts/positron.d.ts

+		}
+
+		/**
+		 * Extract file paths from clipboard for use in data analysis code.


IMO there's no need to specify "for use in data analysis code?" This API is very generic

jmcphers · 2025-10-20T21:24:06Z

src/vs/workbench/contrib/positronPathUtils/common/filePathConverter.ts

+	}
+
+	// Err on the side of caution and skip conversion entirely if ANY paths are
+	// UNC paths


If UNC paths are used it looks like they don't get escaped at all, but are still pasted. Would be nice if this worked but seems like it could be hard!

jmcphers · 2025-10-20T21:26:50Z

extensions/positron-r/src/languageFeatures/claude-notes-filepath-conversion.md

@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+# (Mostly Windows) File Path Auto-Conversion Feature


Typically we don't commit work-in-progress notes files to the repo -- if you want to preserve these, maybe file an issue and link to it from the relevant code?

On windows, Claude Code basically constantly shows: PostToolUse:Edit [$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR/.claude/hooks/format-hook.sh] failed with non-blocking status code 1: '$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

…xtension

jennybc commented Oct 10, 2025

View reviewed changes

jennybc requested a review from jmcphers October 10, 2025 06:37

jonvanausdeln mentioned this pull request Oct 14, 2025

Run Unit tests on windows (and possible Mac) #9957

Open

jennybc force-pushed the feature/windows-filepath-paste branch 2 times, most recently from 0e76a47 to aaf9362 Compare October 16, 2025 17:57

jmcphers previously approved these changes Oct 20, 2025

View reviewed changes

jennybc added 21 commits October 20, 2025 16:03

Record the plan

07bb70b

Try to troubleshoot this hook

d57e8cf

I am very paranoid about UNC paths

888e185

First working solution

6db3a39

Make this actually work in the R console; also work on UNC paths

cc67fa7

Update notes

0c11981

Refactor this to be more consistent with the surroundings

55ef306

Big refactoring and simplification

c56805d

More tightening up

cdd0cba

Update notes

5823490

Tweaks

331def5

Some unit test grooming

94f4577

Note a TODO

07bf1b0

Update and move the notes

b46af44

Tweaks

f5f3665

Work on tests, notes, comments

d00ca47

Fix casing of expected value

632b7fb

Skip UNC-related tests on not-Windows

70251af

Try to make paths relative to workspace + other changes

3173d41

Make paths relative to workspace in the core, as documented, not in e…

1923903

…xtension

Also make paths relative to home directory, if possible

3204f08

jennybc dismissed jmcphers’s stale review via 3204f08 October 20, 2025 23:03

jennybc force-pushed the feature/windows-filepath-paste branch from 638a342 to 3204f08 Compare October 20, 2025 23:03

	handler: async accessor => {
	const clipboardService = accessor.get(IClipboardService);
	const consoleService = accessor.get(IPositronConsoleService);
	const text = await clipboardService.readText();
	return consoleService.activePositronConsoleInstance?.pasteText(text);
	}

		@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
		# (Mostly Windows) File Path Auto-Conversion Feature

Convert pasted files to file paths that work in R #9886

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Convert pasted files to file paths that work in R #9886

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