GitHub has released a new test version of Atom, its popular text editor for developers, integrating the ability to review feedback alongside a project’s code.

Developers issue pull requests to notify team members when, for instance, they’ve completed a new feature, and those receiving the requests can submit comments on issues that need to be addressed, something GitHub described as a particularly anxious moment for developers.

The new version of Atom, beta 1.37, integrates pull request review comments into a sidebar next to the code, allowing developers to easily move back and forth between the two.

“This dock provides seamless navigation between comments and code or text, so you can easily make changes in response to feedback,” GitHub said in a blog post.  “To ease anxiety about whether or not you’ve addressed all comments, check the progress bar to see how many unresolved comments remain.”

Feedback

The new version includes features for resolving comments, expanding and collapsing them, and navigating changes.

GitHub said it decided to add a dock rather than displaying inline comments in order to maintain an “editing-centric” experience.

The Microsoft-owned company, which has become the internet’s dominant code repository, said it carried out user research that helped it refine the comment resolution process.

For instance, GitHub found it was important to developers to be able to easily respond to comments with emojis.

Tests also highlighted the importance of the comment response process.

“As code authors, our users wanted the ability to ask if they addressed a reviewer’s concern, rather than make assumptions,” GitHub said.

Recent updates have added features such as the ability to preview changes before committing them and support for commit message templates.

Last year GitHub introduced automation features that it called the biggest shift in its history, describing them as a way of creating flexible shortcuts that can speed up common developer actions.