# The editor

> How the workspace is laid out, what each pane is for, and the settings and shortcuts worth knowing on day one.

Source: https://www.revquix.com/docs/projects/the-editor
Last verified: 2026-09-03

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The workspace is three columns: the file tree, the editor, and the output side.

## The panes

- **Files**, on the left. The tree, and where you create, rename and delete.
- **Editor**, in the middle. Tabs across the top, one per open file.
- **Output**, on the right. Where a run's result appears, along with tests, problems and the
  assistant.

You can drag the dividers to resize, and the layout is remembered per project - a project where you
are mostly reading gets a wide editor, one where you are debugging gets a wide output.

## Tabs

One tab per open file. Opening a file from the tree adds a tab; closing one does not close the file
or lose anything.

⚠ **Which file is in front matters.** Run executes the file you are looking at, not a fixed entry -
see [running your code](https://www.revquix.com/docs/projects/running-your-code). Format works on
the file in front of you too.

## Settings

The settings dialog covers the things people want changed immediately: font size, tab width, whether
tabs insert spaces, and line wrapping. They apply to the editor everywhere, not to one project.

## Search

Search looks across every file in the project, not just the open one. It is the fastest way to find
where something is defined when the tree has grown past what you can scan.

## Format

Format rewrites the current file to a consistent style. It works on the languages that have a
formatter and does nothing on the ones that do not, rather than mangling them.

## Problems

The Problems panel lists what the compiler or runtime objected to, with a jump to the line. On a
failed run it is usually a faster read than scrolling the raw output.

> **Note** - Two ways to be told the same thing
>
> The output pane shows the raw compiler text; Problems shows it parsed into rows you can click. When
> a message looks truncated in one, check the other - the raw text is never abbreviated.

## If the editor says a file changed elsewhere

That means the stored copy moved while you had it open - another tab, another device. Nothing is lost
and you are asked which version to keep. See [when something goes wrong](https://www.revquix.com/docs/projects/when-something-goes-wrong).

- [Files and folders](https://www.revquix.com/docs/projects/files-and-folders) - The tree, naming rules and file types.

- [AI assist](https://www.revquix.com/docs/projects/ai-assist) - The assistant in the output pane.