Question
Answer and Explanation
Unfortunately, VSCode does not offer a built-in feature to directly open the debug console in a separate, independent window. The debug console is designed to be an integrated part of the VSCode environment.
However, there are alternative approaches and workarounds that can help you achieve a similar outcome, allowing you to have a more detached view of the debug output:
1. Using the 'Move Panel' feature:
- While you can't detach it into a new window, VSCode allows you to move the entire panel (including the debug console) to different locations within VSCode. You can move it to the side, bottom, or any other area you find suitable.
- To do this, right-click the 'Debug Console' tab header and select 'Move Panel Left,' 'Move Panel Right,' 'Move Panel Down', or 'Move Panel to Editor Area'. This gives you better control over its position.
2. Copying and Pasting Output:
- If you only need a temporary detached view of the output, you can copy the text from the debug console and paste it into a separate text editor or document. This is not a live view, but it allows you to review the console history separately.
3. Using External Logging:
- Instead of relying solely on the VSCode debug console, you could configure your project to log debug information to an external file or service. For example, using a library like debug (for Node.js) and writing the debug messages to a log file that can be viewed with other tools.
- This approach allows you to review and analyse the debugging output separately from VSCode, which also offers more flexibility for log analysis, and it is not tied to the IDE window. For instance in Python, you can use the logging module to output messages to a file, which can be viewed independently using a separate window.
4. Using a Separate Monitor:
- If you have multiple monitors, you can use one screen for your VSCode editing and debugging environment, and the other for viewing related tools or external logs, giving a more "separated" view.
5. Exploring VSCode Extensions:
- While there's no direct extension to open the debug console in a new window, it's worth searching for extensions that might offer enhanced debug output capabilities or tools that may have an external view. Note that these are not built-in capabilities and their behaviour may vary.
While these methods don't provide a true detached debug console window, they offer ways to view debug output separately and have a similar effect to what one might look for.