feat(save): Opening a non-existent file should not trigger "save file"

[tlimoncelli26]

Fixes #327076

Add a setting workbench.editor.untitled.dirtyWhenEmpty that prevents a newly created, empty and untouched file from being treated as "dirty," so that closing it does not trigger a "Do you want to save?" prompt.

In Microsoft VSCode, if you open a new file ("code doesnotexist.txt` from the Terminal), make no changes, then try to exit, it asks if you want to save the file. Other editors, such as Vim and Emacs, do not ask to save the file. This feature gives users the option to emulate that behavior.

The default setting for workbench.editor.untitled.dirtyWhenEmpty retains the current behavior. The setting must be disabled to get the new behavior.

[Copilot]

🟢 Approval recommended

The implementation is localized, preserves the default behavior, and includes adequate coverage for relevant edge cases.

Pull request overview

Adds an opt-in setting to avoid marking empty, path-associated untitled files as dirty.

Changes:

• Registers workbench.editor.untitled.dirtyWhenEmpty, defaulting to current behavior.
• Updates dirty-state handling while preserving initial-content and backup behavior.
• Adds focused tests for enabled, disabled, initial-content, and backup scenarios.

File summaries

File	Description
src/vs/workbench/browser/workbench.contribution.ts	Registers and documents the setting.
src/vs/workbench/services/untitled/common/untitledTextEditorModel.ts	Applies the setting to dirty-state tracking.
src/vs/workbench/services/untitled/test/browser/untitledTextEditor.test.ts	Covers the new behavior and safeguards.

Review details

• Files reviewed: 3/3 changed files
• Comments generated: 0
• Review effort level: Balanced (auto)

Note

Copilot is running an experiment and ran this review at Balanced.

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