Developers can't inspect file metadata in tree-based explorers
Developers using file explorers need to check file size and modification dates, but a tree view may not expose those details—especially to screen-reader users. Some also want configurable, sortable metadata columns rather than opening files or checking them elsewhere. An archive.org question reflects an adjacent need to find a collection's total size without downloading files or adding up individual sizes.
For developers browsing project files, including screen-reader users. Mentioned from Oct 2022 to Apr 2024 on GitHub and Stack Exchange.
4 different people described this problem in 2 separate discussions.
- Indie fit
- 4.0/10
- Pain
- 4.5/10
- Frequency
- 5.8/10
- Willingness to pay
- 0.0/10
- Momentum
- 5.0/10
- Who pays
- Professionals
- Competition
- Medium
- Build difficulty
- Medium
What people said
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VSCode's file explorer currently doesn't show any attributes of files (at least not to a screen reader). I'm not able to confirm if it shows them visually, but I doubt it. Attributes such as file size and last modified date can be quite helpful when working on a code project
You could realize it like FileZilla - it is possible to choose which columns you need (file size, date modified and file type). Sorting would be usefull too
Build brief
See what to build and who will buy it
- 1 product idea with the smallest useful version and pricing
- 4 places to find your first customers
- 2 more quotes from people who have this problem
- Current workarounds, existing solutions and risks