Npp with WSL UNC Path

Siddharth Kaul

So i use Notepad++ on windows host and my development environment is usually a wsl system where all the source code is checked out.
I load the workspace in the notepad++ using the UNC path that looks like below:

\\wsl.localhost\<os_name>\home\<username>\<repo_name>

This works well most of the time. Except for when a new folder addition or a new file addition is performed in the original location.

It looks like somehow it caches the files and does not show the new folder or file unless and until the workspace is reloaded or the notepad++ is rebooted. For example here is current snapshot of my workspace that shows a missing folder named vDVT.

If one goes in the location as shown below one can see the vdvt folder being there.

The rebooting of the workspace is quite annoying and wondering is there a way to “referesh” the workspace instead of removing the folder and adding it back?

xomx

@Siddharth-Kaul said in Npp with WSL UNC Path:

Except for when a new folder addition or a new file addition is performed in the original location.

I have found the same problem with WSL as you, while fixing a N++ FAW-treeview initial network storage sorting bug.

Looks like the N++ FAW-changes watchdog is currently working only for the local Windows drives (I saw also other users reports on the N++ GitHub about that). Meanwhile for the network ones (WSL, WebDAV, Samba, etc…) a manual FAW reset (Remove/Add FAW-root) workaround is needed.

It will probably be necessary to update the way/WINAPIs the N++ uses for detection of these changes so that the WinOS also reports changes for these network storage.

PeterJones

@xomx said in Npp with WSL UNC Path:

a manual FAW reset (Remove/Add FAW-root) workaround is needed.

Would it be technically feasible to have a “Refresh” button in the FaW interface, which does a sequence similar to that, so you could do a manual refresh without having to remove/add manually?

Even without the massive rework to improve auto-detection on non-local drives, that would at least be a more-reasonable workaround than the manual remove/add.

xomx

@PeterJones said in Npp with WSL UNC Path:

Would it be technically feasible to have a “Refresh” button in the FaW interface

It should be, at least I can’t think of any such problems now.
But it is not a “one line change” as it touches the GUI…

Also - users would like to add sorting commands there.

PeterJones

I looked up the various FaW refresh requests, including #9209 and #11004.

In February, Don said that he’d look into #9209, and self-assigned it, but it doesn’t appear he’s worked on it. I pinged both open requests; maybe he’ll be able to look into either the GUI refresh button or the better UNC-directory change detection.

Siddharth Kaul

Thanks @PeterJones @xomx for responding i have subscribed to both the #9209 and #1104. Thanks for pointing me out to those existing issues.