Open files in your editor

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This feature allows you to open files and specific lines directly from the LiveDebugger in your preferred editor.

How it works

The debugger determines which editor to use by checking environment variables in the following order:

  1. ELIXIR_EDITOR: Elixir-specific editor (takes priority).
  2. TERM_PROGRAM: Automatically set by integrated terminals (e.g., in VS Code or Zed).
  3. EDITOR: Default system editor (used if ELIXIR_EDITOR is not set and integrated terminal is not detected).

Integrated Terminal Support

If you are using an integrated terminal inside VS Code or Zed, the editor opens automatically via the TERM_PROGRAM variable.

GUI Editors

Add the following to your shell profile (.zshrc, .bashrc, etc.) to ensure files open in your preferred editor from any terminal session:

For Visual Studio Code

export ELIXIR_EDITOR="code --goto"

For Zed

export ELIXIR_EDITOR="zed"

For complex setups use the __FILE__ and __LINE__ placeholders.

export ELIXIR_EDITOR="my_editor +__LINE__ __FILE__"

Terminal Editors

Opening terminal editor directly is not supported because of the potential lock of the iex session. We recommend using Tmux to open the file in a new window or a split pane.

Example configuration

For Tmux and Helix

export ELIXIR_EDITOR="tmux neww 'hx __FILE__:__LINE__'"