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Work remotely in the browser

Do not change LFS files in the browser

Editing LFS files in the browser is not supported and can corrupt their content. Large files are marked as LFS in the repository and must always be handled locally.

GitLab provides a simple way to edit regular files directly in the browser, without making a local copy of the repository. For this, GitLab provides the Web IDE, a browser-based editor similar to Visual Studio Code.

Limitations of the Web IDE

The Web IDE does not provide all features of the desktop version of Visual Studio Code. For example, extensions are currently disabled. Read more about the Web IDE in GitLab Docs.

Open Web IDE

We recommend one of the following methods.

From a merge request

  1. In the ANC GitLab, in the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Navigate to your merge request. In the left sidebar, select Code > Merge requests and then select your merge request.
  3. In the upper-right corner, select Code > Open in Web IDE.

The Web IDE opens new and modified files in separate tabs, and displays changes side by side. To reduce load time, only 10 files with the most lines changed open automatically.

From dataset project

  1. In the ANC GitLab, in the top bar, select Search or go to and find your project.
  2. Use the . keyboard shortcut, or select Code > Web IDE.

Ensure the right branch

Always make sure you are working on the branch associated with your merge request.

If no branch was selected beforehand, the Web IDE opens on the main branch. The current branch is displayed in the bottom-left corner of the Web IDE. To change branches, select the branch name and choose the branch associated with your merge request.

Work on files

The Web IDE functions similarly to the desktop version of Visual Studio Code. For limitations, see the note at the top of this page.

In the Web IDE you can:

  • Edit or rename text-based, non-LFS files, for example .md, .tsv, and .json files.
  • Add new non-LFS files.
  • Delete non-LFS files, if needed.

Commit changes

After you modify files, a notification with the number of changed files appears in the Source Control () pane on the left side of the Web IDE.

More on commits

Commit is a saved set of changes with a short message describing what was changed. In the Web IDE, committing changes also pushes them to the ANC GitLab repository, so they become visible in the merge request.

Unlike in the desktop version of Visual Studio Code, commits made in the Web IDE are immediately synchronized with the remote ANC GitLab repository.

It is recommended to make small commits that contain a single unit of change, but not necessarily only one file. This practice makes changes easier to review and provides a clear overview of all modifications.

Read more in the VS Code Documentation.

To review and commit your changes:

  1. Select Source Control () on the left side of the Web IDE.
  2. In the Changes section, review the listed files. Modified files are marked with M, new untracked files with U, and deleted files with D.
  3. Select each modified file and review the displayed changes.
  4. Hover over the files you want to include in the commit and select + to stage them.
  5. Add a commit Message briefly describing the change.
  6. Select Commit. Your changes will be recorded and pushed to the ANC GitLab repository.
  7. Continue working or close the Web IDE.