Improved file navigation and editing in the web UI #172354
Replies: 7 comments 6 replies
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Thank you for the improvement 😄👋 |
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maybe we could change an image on this discussion. The one below |
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Love seeing this! The ability to edit files on permalinks is also welcome. We had it at some point but it was confusing since it wasn't clear where the edit was going to happen, so I dropped it. Adding it to the dropdown makes it possible |
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<default_branch_name> branch” in the “Edit file…” group. Click it to edit the file on the default branch |
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Great improvement! The new “Edit on default branch” solves a frequent confusion for new contributors. Quick question: if a repo’s default branch isn’t main (e.g. develop), does it still resolve correctly? Also, could the “View on default branch” button be offered as a keyboard shortcut for faster navigation? |
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💡 This is a fantastic improvement! Both updates address long-standing UX friction points that new contributors often face.
Overall, these changes make GitHub feel more beginner-friendly while keeping advanced workflows smooth. Great work to the team 👏 |
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👋 We’re excited to release two improvements designed to streamline file navigation and editing in the web UI.
1. Seamless Editing from Search Results
When searching for a file on GitHub, results link to a specific commit. If you try to edit the file, you’ll see a disabled pencil icon with a tooltip that says “You must be on a branch to make or propose changes to this file.” This can be confusing for new users unfamiliar with branches, and it’s not clear how to switch to a branch to enable editing, which is an extremely common pain point for new open source contributors.
To address this, if the user is on the latest commit of the file on the default branch (aka HEAD commit), we’re adding an option in the dropdown next to the pencil icon that allows users to quickly edit a file on the default branch. This improvement reduces friction and makes the experience of editing files smoother, especially for new users.
How to test:
2. Easy Navigation to Default Branch
Previously, there was not a smooth UX for navigating back to the default branch from code or file view, an issue which came directly from the Refined GitHub repo. Now, we’ve added a “View on default branch” button to the left of the branch picker in the file tree to improve this workflow.
How to test:
We'd love to get your feedback! Let us know your thoughts, questions, or any issues you run into in the comments ⬇️ .
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