Studio to VS Code migration -- addressing the export/import pain-point

In the discussions at https://community.intersystems.com/post/intersystems-studio-deprecated-starting-20232 one notable topic has been that some Studio users make regular use of its facilities for exporting multiple code artifacts (e.g. classes and routines) into a single XML file on the workstation, then exporting that file into a different server namespace.

Unless / until equivalent features are added to the VS Code ObjectScript extension, can these people fill the gap by using the System Explorer section of Management Portal?

Migrants from Studio will typically be using VS Code ObjectScript's server-side editing mode, and generally in conjunction with the Server Manager extension that I created. This already offers server-level shortcuts to launch Portal's home page. Launching in an external browser always "just works", but for a more integrated feel you can launch it in a VS Code tab called "Simple Browser" as long as you are prepared to make a few server-side changes.

Now as an experiment I have added namespace-level shortcuts direct to the Classes view of Portal's System Explorer section.

An unmodified click uses Simple Browser in a tab, and there are still several issues which make this an unsatisfactory experience. Details are in the PR at https://github.com/intersystems-community/intersystems-servermanager/pu…. But by holding down the Alt key when clicking the button the launch happens into your default web browser and everything behaves correctly.

If you would like to try this out, download this zip file, extract the VSIX from it and install this into your VS Code (dragging it onto the Extensions view is a convenient way, but at least on Windows can't be done directly from inside the zip).

Feedback welcome here, or on the PR while it is still open.