Sublime Text 4141 loading sub-directories takes too long

[guss.2am]

I’m using Sublime Text 4141 running on Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS.

Whenever I open Sublime Text, the folder tree in the sidebar keeps loading for a very very long time. I can’t even access any files inside that sub-directories.
I tried to turn off the option “index_files” in settings but it still did not work.
My Ubuntu is installed in SSD and the project folder is stored in HDD. I guess the HDD can be the reason, but not sure. How do I know what is causing this problem?

You can see that the “firebase” and “manager” directories aren’t responding. This happens inconsistently each time I open ST.

Many thanks.

[bschaaf]

Does it still happen in build 4143? There are a number of side-bar related fixes since 4141.

[guss.2am]

Well, I upgraded to 4143 and sadly it still happens.

[bschaaf]

Do you see any errors in the console (View > Show Console)?

[guss.2am]

Sorry for the late reply.
Here is my log from console when I first opened Sublime Text after startup. I don’t think that there is anything wrong down here.

startup, version: 4143 linux x64 channel: stable
executable: /opt/sublime_text/sublime_text
application: /opt/sublime_text
working dir: /home/lewisp
packages path: /home/lewisp/.config/sublime-text/Packages
state path: /home/lewisp/.config/sublime-text/Local
zip path: /opt/sublime_text/Packages
zip path: /home/lewisp/.config/sublime-text/Installed Packages
ignored_packages: ["rspec-snippets", "Vintage"]
ignoring deprecated syntax definition: Packages/Ruby on Rails snippets/HTML (Rails).tmLanguage
pre session restore time: 0.458101
startup time: 0.609921
git: located Sublime Merge installed at /opt/sublime_merge
git: using configuration from system git install
git: tracking working dir /home/lewisp/Work/SUN/sedx/forked_S-EdX
first paint time: 0.677867
git: tracking working dir /home/lewisp/Work/SUN/CEV12/internal/nami-fe
reloading plugin Default.arithmetic
reloading plugin Default.auto_indent_tag
reloading plugin Default.block
reloading plugin Default.colors
reloading plugin Default.comment
reloading plugin Default.convert_color_scheme
reloading plugin Default.convert_syntax
reloading plugin Default.copy_path
reloading plugin Default.echo
reloading plugin Default.exec
reloading plugin Default.fold
reloading plugin Default.font
reloading plugin Default.goto_line
reloading plugin Default.history_list
reloading plugin Default.html_print
reloading plugin Default.indentation
reloading plugin Default.install_package_control
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.00-package_control
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.01-pygments
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-backrefs
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-markupsafe
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-pymdownx
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-python-markdown
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-pyyaml
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-requests
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.50-typing
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.51-python-jinja2
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.55-jsonschema
reloading python 3.3 plugin 0_package_control_loader.55-mdpopups
reloading python 3.3 plugin Auto Refresh.AutoRefresh
reloading python 3.3 plugin AutoFileName.autofilename
reloading python 3.3 plugin AutoFileName.getimageinfo
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_core
reloading plugin Default.keymap
reloading plugin Default.kill_ring
reloading plugin Default.mark
reloading plugin Default.new_templates
reloading plugin Default.open_context_url
reloading plugin Default.open_in_browser
reloading plugin Default.pane
reloading plugin Default.paragraph
reloading plugin Default.paste_from_history
reloading plugin Default.profile
reloading plugin Default.quick_panel
reloading plugin Default.rename
reloading plugin Default.run_syntax_tests
reloading plugin Default.save_on_focus_lost
reloading plugin Default.scroll
reloading plugin Default.set_unsaved_view_name
reloading plugin Default.settings
reloading plugin Default.show_scope_name
reloading plugin Default.side_bar
reloading plugin Default.sort
reloading plugin Default.switch_file
reloading plugin Default.symbol
reloading plugin Default.transform
reloading plugin Default.transpose
reloading plugin Default.ui
reloading plugin CSS.css_completions
reloading plugin Diff.diff
reloading plugin HTML.encode_html_entities
reloading plugin HTML.html_completions
reloading plugin ShellScript.ShellScript
reloading plugin A File Icon.plugin
reloading plugin Emmet.main
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_logging
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_plugin
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_popup
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_regions
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_remove
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_rules
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_search
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_swapping
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.bh_wrapping
reloading python 3.3 plugin BracketHighlighter.support
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_dev
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_mixin
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_native_picker
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_panel
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_picker
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_preview
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_tool_blend
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_tool_colormod
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_tool_contrast
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_tool_diff
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_tool_edit
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_tools
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.ch_util
reloading python 3.3 plugin ColorHelper.support
reloading python 3.3 plugin Colorsublime.colorsublime-plugin
reloading python 3.3 plugin DoxyDoxygen.Doxy
reloading python 3.3 plugin GitGutter.plugin
reloading python 3.3 plugin GitHubinator.githubinator
reloading python 3.3 plugin Origami.origami
reloading python 3.3 plugin Package Control.1_reloader
reloading python 3.3 plugin Package Control.2_bootstrap
reloading python 3.3 plugin Package Control.Package Control
reloading python 3.3 plugin PackageResourceViewer.package_resource_viewer
reloading python 3.3 plugin PackageResourceViewer.package_resources
reloading python 3.3 plugin RSpec.OpenRSpecFile
reloading python 3.3 plugin RSpec.RSpecCreateModule
reloading python 3.3 plugin RSpec.RSpecDetectFileType
reloading python 3.3 plugin RSpec.shared
reloading python 3.3 plugin ScopeHunter.scope_hunter
reloading python 3.3 plugin ScopeHunter.scope_hunter_notify
reloading python 3.3 plugin ScopeHunter.support
reloading python 3.3 plugin SCSS.scss_completions
reloading python 3.3 plugin SideBarEnhancements.SideBar
reloading python 3.3 plugin SideBarEnhancements.SideBarAPI
reloading python 3.3 plugin SideBarEnhancements.SideBarDefaultDisable
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeERB.erb_block
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter-annotations.linter
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.__init__
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter._init
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.active_linters_view
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.busy_indicator_view
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.goto_commands
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.highlight_view
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.log_handler
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.message_view
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.panel_view
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.quick_actions
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.status_bar_view
reloading python 3.3 plugin SublimeLinter.sublime_linter
reloading python 3.3 plugin Sync Settings.1_reloader
reloading python 3.3 plugin Sync Settings.SyncSettings
plugins loaded
Package Control: Skipping automatic upgrade, last run at 2023-04-25 20:27:57, next run at 2023-04-25 21:27:57 or after

[TheSecEng]

Does it happen in Safe Mode ?

[OdatNurd]

What Theme are you using? Also, is anything added to the logs when you open that particular folder?

The only icons that appear on folders are (IIRC) just the “Link” icons that indicate that the folder content is not being loaded because it’s a link to a folder that has already been seen, which in this theme could be represented as a dot instead.

If that’s the case, then right clicking on the folder should show you a Reveal Link context menu item. Also, as the folder list is loading, there will be lines in the console to tell you what it thinks is a folder and what name it thought it was the first time it saw it,

[bschaaf]

Looks more like the loading icon, not the symlink one.

@guss.2am How large is the folder? You can check by running du -h . directly inside the folder.

[guss.2am]

@OdatNurd I’m using the Adaptive theme which is one of the defaults.
I have recorded a gif for you to see what was going on more clearly. It’s a loading animation and all the files inside those directories are not accessible.

Here is my settings file:

{
  "theme": "Adaptive.sublime-theme",
  "color_scheme": "Mariana.sublime-color-scheme",
  "font_size": 9,
  "highlight_line": true,
  "rulers": [100],
  "tab_size": 2,
  "word_wrap": true,
  "show_encoding": true,
  "show_line_endings": true,
  "ensure_newline_at_eof_on_save": true,
  "translate_tabs_to_spaces": true,
  "trim_trailing_white_space_on_save": true,
  "update_check": false,
  "remember_layout": true,
  "preview_on_click": "only_left",
  "index_files": true,
  // "always_prompt_for_file_reload": true,

  "ignored_packages": [
    "rspec-snippets",
    "Vintage",
  ],
  "binary_file_patterns": [
    ".bundle/**",
    "bin/**",
    "log/**",
    "test/**",
    "tmp/**"
  ],
}

[guss.2am]

@bschaaf The folder is not large at all. It’s not happening only on the project which I’m currently working on. Sometimes this happens on a very small project (just 1 folder and 1 file inside).

# du -h app/controllers/api/v1/manager
180K	app/controllers/api/v1/manager

# du -h app/controllers/api/v1/firebase 
8.0K	app/controllers/api/v1/firebase

[guss.2am]

@TheSecEng I’m sorry but I don’t know how to verify this in Safe Mode because I only have a few terminal options which I don’t even know what they are when I’m in Ubuntu Safe Mode (or Ubuntu Recovery Mode from what google said).

[bschaaf]

I’m asking about the side of the root folder you have opened in ST, not the ones stuck loading. Would also be good to get the number of files/folders: du . | wc -l.

[TheSecEng]

https://www.sublimetext.com/docs/safe_mode.html

[guss.2am]

@bschaaf the result I’ve got is:

# du . | wc -l
155058

# du -sh .
24G

But like I mentioned sometimes this happens on a very small project (just 1 folder and 1 file inside) and most of the time it will happen right just after startup.

[bschaaf]

Unfortunately there’s no additional debugging I can do without being able to reproduce this. If you’re willing I can make custom builds with the instrumentation needed to debug this; my email is bschaaf@sublimetext.com if you’re willing to spend the time.

[guss.2am]

@TheSecEng Hi, sorry for the late reply.
̶I̶’̶v̶e̶ ̶t̶r̶i̶e̶d̶ ̶r̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶S̶T̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶s̶a̶f̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶d̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶v̶o̶i̶l̶a̶ ̶i̶t̶’̶s̶ ̶g̶o̶n̶e̶.̶ ̶H̶o̶w̶ ̶d̶o̶ ̶I̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ ̶c̶a̶u̶s̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶r̶o̶b̶l̶e̶m̶?̶

EDIT:
After a few tries the problem happened again. I also tried to downgrade the version to ST3 but sadly nothing works.
I guess I have to contact @bschaaf for some additional debugging.

[CLL]

For what it’s worth, I’m also seeing this for moderately nested folders in a project on a local smb mounted volume. The directories take minutes to load, and I usually end up opening the directory directly instead to access the contents.

I first saw this happening in 4169 build and updated as suggested here to the latest (4192). I still saw the same issue upon loading the project in the latest build.