Xcode – How to make the tabs work normally on Xcode 4

xcodexcode4

Xcode finally added tabs but the problem is that they behave very strange. For example they will keep a tab open only if it was opened to a new tab.

If you open a file just by clicking in the project tree, Xcode will close your tab as soon as you are clicking on another file in the tree.

Is is possible to make them behave like real tabs and prevent Xcode from reusing them? How?

Best Answer

I use a method similar to franks:

  • In Preferences > Navigation (or Preferences > General in versions of Xcode prior to 5) you can set Optional Navigation to Uses Separate Tab
  • Now opt-clicking a file in the file navigator will open it in a new tab
  • Better yet, opt-clicking links in the code opens the destination file in a new tab

The big feature missing is swapping to an already open tab containing the file if there is one (or staying in the current one).

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