Project Mode¶

Project Mode turns MCA Editor into a lightweight IDE. Open a folder, browse your file tree, and work across multiple files with project-wide search.

Opening a Project¶

File > Open Project or Ctrl+Shift+O
Select any folder on disk
MCA Editor scans the folder and displays its contents in the sidebar

You can also create a new project from File > New Project, which generates a .mca-project configuration file.

When a project is open, the left sidebar shows your file tree:

Click a file to open it in the editor
Double-click to pin it (single-click opens in preview mode)
Folders expand and collapse
Files are filtered — common non-code files and folders are hidden by default

Quick Open¶

Press Ctrl+P to open the Quick Open dialog. Start typing a filename to fuzzy-search across your project. Press Enter to open the selected file.

This is the fastest way to navigate large projects.

Find in Files¶

Press Ctrl+Shift+F to search across all files in your project.

Supports regex patterns
Results grouped by file
Click a result to jump directly to that line

Project Configuration¶

Projects can have a .mca-project file in their root directory that configures:

Python paths — Additional directories to add to the Python path when executing code
Excluded folders — Directories to hide from the sidebar and search (e.g., .git, __pycache__, node_modules)

Multi-Tab Editing¶

In Project Mode, each open file gets its own tab. You can:

Split the editor — Drag a tab to the side to create a split view
Multiple editor groups — Work on two files side by side
Modified indicator — Tabs show a dot when they have unsaved changes

When to Use Project Mode¶

Project Mode is ideal for:

Maya tool development
Pipeline scripts with multiple files
Any work that spans more than a couple of files
When you need project-wide search