How do I exclude a folder from the sidebar in Sublime Text permanently, specifying it relative to the open folder? - search

Question

I've already read this related question (How do I exclude a folder from search in sublime text 3 permanently?) but my question is different since I want to specify only the folder at the open folder's root, not a generic pattern to match at any level in the folder tree.
In Sublime Text 4 I have an open project folder via File --> "Open Folder...".
Let's say my folder layout is this:
mainapp
├── microapp
│ └── node_modules <== don't exclude this (keep it)
├── microapp2
│ └── node_modules <== don't exclude this (keep it)
├── index
├── node_modules <=== exclude this only
├── config
└── assets
I'd like to exclude mainapp/node_modules only, NOT mainapp/microapp/node_modules nor mainapp/microapp2/node_modules. How do I do that?
I'm guessing I need to specify a "folder_exclude_patterns" in the settings.
Side note: why do I need to do this?
Because that folder has so much build content in it (which is constantly-changing as builds occur) that it's actually causing Sublime Text to freeze and lock up and become unusable.

Answer 1

Tested on Linux Ubuntu 18.04.
Through sheer dumb luck and persistence with guessing, I figured it out. // refers to the "open folder root", apparently.
If you want to see this info about // added to the official Sublime Text documentation and default settings file, please upvote my open issue on it here.
Update
I found some official documentation on this: https://www.sublimetext.com/docs/file_patterns.html. The // feature was added as of Sublime Text 4:
If pattern begins with //, it will be compared as a relative path from the project root [added in version 4.0]
My testing, however, proves that the // actually means "path" root, as defined below, however. So, my examples below are still correct.
1. If you have a folder open via File --> "Open Folder...", do this:
Preferences --> Settings --> add this "folder_exclude_patterns" entry to your user settings JSON file:
{
// other user settings here
// exclude only the "mainapp/node_modules" dir
"folder_exclude_patterns": ["//node_modules"],
// other user settings here
}
Again, // means the "open folder's root".
NOTE: Changing your user settings above will apply globally to all of your Sublime Text instances, which may not be what you want. So, it may be better to use a "Project" instead, as described below:
2. If you have the folder open and saved as part of a project, do this:
Project --> Edit Project --> add this "folder_exclude_patterns" entry to your Project settings JSON file:
{
"folders":
[
{
// path to an open folder in a project
"path": "/path/to/mainapp",
// exclude only the "mainapp/node_modules" dir
"folder_exclude_patterns": ["//node_modules"],
}
],
}
You can see in the official project settings file example here (https://www.sublimetext.com/docs/projects.html) that the "folder_exclude_patterns" entry must be at the same level in the JSON settings file as the "path" entry.
I also first learned this from #smhg's comment here. Thank you!
To open another folder in your project, go to Project --> "Add Folder to Project...". Once you have multiple folders open in your project, you'll have to add multiple entries of "folder_exclude_patterns", as desired, like this:
{
"folders":
[
{
// **absolute path** to open a folder in a project
"path": "/path/to/mainapp",
// exclude only the "mainapp/node_modules" dir
"folder_exclude_patterns": ["//node_modules"],
},
{
// or **relative path** to open another folder in the project;
// the path is relative to the location of the
// "project_name.sublime-project" project file itself
"path": "some_dir",
// exclude only the "some_dir/path/to/excluded_folder" dir
"folder_exclude_patterns": ["//path/to/excluded_folder"],
},
],
}
Bonus: How to create a project in Sublime Text:
To create a Project from an open folder, the steps are like this:
Open a folder: File --> "Open Folder..."
Save it as part of a project: Project --> "Save Project As..."
Now you can choose where to save your project_name.sublime-project file. This is the file you are editing when you go to Project --> "Edit Project" above. To open a project go to Project --> "Open Project...".
See also:
Issue I opened: https://github.com/sublimehq/sublime_text/issues/5234
Comment I wrote on the Sublime Text forum: https://forum.sublimetext.com/t/a-way-to-specify-root-in-project-settings/7756/4?u=ercaguy
Official Project settings documentation: https://www.sublimetext.com/docs/projects.html. This includes:
Each object must have a "path" key, which may be relative to the project directory, or a fully qualified path.
How do I exclude a folder from search in sublime text 3 permanently? - answer which explains how to exclude a file or folder from the side bar in Sublime Text, versus excluding a file or folder from search, such as Goto Anything or Find in Files.