"Project explorer" view minimum width error

[Embedbits]

Let's make sure issue is not already fixed in latest builds first.

• I verified I can reproduce this issue against latest Integration Build of Eclipse SDK

Steps to reproduce

From a fresh installation and clean workspace:

Use and ultra-wide monitor (i am using 5120*1440).
Try to make "project explorer" view as narrow as possible.
You will not be successful. The minimum width is set as proportion to the monitor width. So wider the monitor, wider the "project explorer" view will be.
Maybe this limitation shall be removed.

I tried

Find responsible setting in XML's but without success.

I expected: the width can be set from few dozen pixels to whatever i want to not waste space on screen.

But got: A lot of empty space because the view is so wide.

Here is some relevant log output

without log.

Tested under this environment:

• OS & version: Win11 PRO
• Eclipse IDE/Platform version (as shown in Help > About): Version: 2025-12 (4.38.0) Build id: 20251204-0850
  I have used also STM32CubeIde 2.0.0

Community

• I understand reporting an issue to this OSS project does not mandate anyone to fix it. Other contributors may consider the issue, or not, at their own convenience. The most efficient way to get it fixed is that I fix it myself and contribute it back as a good quality patch to the project.

[HeikoKlare]

You will not be successful. The minimum width is set as proportion to the monitor width. So wider the monitor, wider the "project explorer" view will be.
Maybe this limitation shall be removed.

I just quickly tested so I might be wrong: to me the minimum size does not seem to be related to the monitor width but to the width of the window itself (which is almost the same when maximizing the window). The wider I make the window, the larger is the minimum width of a view stack (such as the one containing the project explorer). So it seems that such a stack is set to be at least X% of the window width.

If that is correct, an idea could be to use as minimum width not only that fraction of the window width but the minimum of that value and a fixed width, so that on ultra-wide monitors (or on ultra-wide windows) only the latter applies.

[laeubi]

I just quickly tested so I might be wrong: to me the minimum size does not seem to be related to the monitor width but to the width of the window itself

This is correct

The wider I make the window, the larger is the minimum width of a view stack (such as the one containing the project explorer)

Actually it is a PartSash that contains a PartStack

So it seems that such a stack is set to be at least X% of the window width

A sash has a total width and an (inital) width of each of its parts (either horizontal or vertically) that is an integer.

If I use the ModelSpy and look for example on the Plugin Perspective you see this

So currently the container data for the left part is 2659 (that is where the project explorer lives) and the right part has 7341 (not shown here) so a total of 7341+2659 = 10.000 what should be enough to change the value even in this case in pixel scale.

If you edit the values manually you can have any size you want, so technically this works, but if you move it by the sash then it is limited to be at least 10% (=1000 in this case).

This is because of the minSashPercent in the SashLayout and as far as I can see this is not configurable neither by the model nor the application.

This was field was introduced with commit 83cfde5 by Bug 350596 but it was a constant value before. Funny enough back then a user complained a view can not be made small enough there as well...

So what we can do it to e.g. change it to 5% the best approach would be to make it configurable through the E4 Model.

[HeikoKlare]

So what we can do it to e.g. change it to 5% the best approach would be to make it configurable through the E4 Model.

That could be a simple solution for the concrete issue. But we should keep in mind that this also affects other common setups. While changing the value to 5% sounds reasonable to support ultra-wide setups, it can lead to strangely small stacks in common setups. Here is how it looks with 5%:

And that minimum value does not only prevent resizing the affected stacks directly but also resizing the complete shell. If you use a wide workbench window (e.g., maximized on a wider monitor) with a comparably small stack in it and then make it less wide / unmaximize it, that stack can become unexpectedly small as well.

So from a conceptual point of view I would say it would probably be best to use a minimum of absolute and relative width (such as at least 10% or 100px, whatever is lower).

The implemenation could look something like this (though not that clean to access the host bounds):

int minSashPercent = 10;
int minSashAbsolute = 150;
int minSashValue = Math.max(totalWeight * minSashAbsolute / host.getBounds().width,
					(int) (((totalWeight / 100.0) * minSashPercent) + 0.5));

instead of the existing:

int minSashPercent = 10;
int minSashValue = (int) (((totalWeight / 100.0) * minSashPercent) + 0.5);

[Embedbits]

Hi guys, is there a way i can make a local hotfix for it?

[laeubi]

Hi guys, is there a way i can make a local hotfix for it?

As mentioned above, you can open the model spy and enter whatever value you want, just don't try to move it with the mouse then.

Or you can write an own eclipse plugin that modifies the model or changes the field via reflection... so many things are possible.

A permanent one would be to https://github.com/eclipse-platform/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md#creating-an-eclipse-development-environment and start coding, creating a PR for any changes so it can go into the next milestone release or you are using an integration build, a quite easy change would be to make it configurable through a system property.

[HeikoKlare]

Another (maybe not so nice) workaround is to detach the explorer, so that it has its own window which can be sized in any way you want.