JupyterLab 4.2 and Notebook 7.2 are available!
JupyterLab 4.2.0 has been released! This new minor release of JupyterLab includes 3 new features, 20 enhancements, 33 bug fixes and 29 maintenance tasks. There were 39 contributors to this release including 10 new contributors to JupyterLab.
Jupyter Notebook 7.2.0 has also been released, including many of the fixes and enhancements in this JupyterLab 4.2.0 release. While the releases on Github provide additional detail on the updates made to both JupyterLab 4.2 and Notebook 7.2, this article highlights some particularly notable changes.
Extension authors can refer to the Extension Migration Guide for information on API updates and details regarding changes to core packages.
Easier Workspaces Management with GUI
It is now possible to manage workspaces from within JupyterLab with the workspaces graphical user interface. This long awaited feature offers users an additional way to interact with workspaces beyond the existing URL and CLI-based options, providing a more user-friendly and accessible alternative for some.
Recently opened/closed files
Jupyterlab-recents, an extension for tracking recent files and directories has now been integrated into core JupyterLab. This extension adds a main menu entry for recently opened/closed files. JupyterLab users now have this native functionality that provides a quick reference to files they have recently worked with. Further development work in JupyterLab core now also allows users to search for and access recently closed files and folders through a modal via the shortcut Ctrl + Alt + A.
Full notebook windowing mode by default
The previously available full notebook windowing mode has now been made the default mode. This mode renders only the cells visible in the window, leading to improved performance. With this mode using the JupyterLab search function is recommended due to false negatives with the web browser’s native search functionality.
Improved Shortcuts Editor
Users can enjoy an improved experience when customizing shortcuts. Various improvements have been made to the shortcuts editor, namely: default shortcuts can be deleted, and shortcuts are sorted appropriately when using a language pack. Entries for shortcuts with varying arguments are also now accurately presented as separate items.
Dark High Contrast Theme
The JupyterLab Dark High Contrast Theme is now available for users who might benefit from higher contrast as outlined by the WCAG AAA accessibility standards for color contrast.
Keyboard Shortcuts
The shortcuts extension received some improvements based on user feedback. The Ctrl + D shortcut has been restored to allow users to use to delete a line. In the interest of code editor compatibility the Ctrl + Shift + K shortcut can still be used for deleting lines and multi-cursor selection is now available via the default shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + D. Users are now able to toggle line comments with the shortcut Ctrl + / and toggle block comments with Alt + A, both of which are customizable via the Settings Editor. This release also addresses issues related to using various keys on international keyboards in macOS.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to all the new contributors, we hope to see you back!
- JupyterLab: @linlol, @erkin98, @mdietz94, @UntitledError-09, @Susilkessav, @Tanmay-Deshmukh, @AnastasiaSliusar, @milinm, @Rob-P-Smith, @NexVeridian.
- Notebook: @afeld
And thank you to returning contributors for their continued work!
- JupyterLab: @davidbrochart, @fcollonval, @FoSuCloud, @JasonWeill, @jtpio, @krassowski, @Alanhou1222, @divyansshhh, @itsmevichu, @kolibril13, @sawickid, @andrii-i, @bollwyvl, @brichet, @Mehak261124, @e218736, @echarles, @gabalafou, @m158261, @afshin, @minrk, @RRosio, @trungleduc, @blink1073, @diyoyo, @AllanChain, @ericsnekbytes, @HaudinFlorence
- Notebook: @jtpio, @krassowski
Thank you to all the people who tested and provided feedback for the pre-releases! Lastly, thank you to the weekly triage group for triaging JupyterLab, Notebook and JupyterLab Desktop issues: @JasonWeill, @krassowski, @RRosio among others who attend.
Contributors to this blog post: @krassowski, @jtpio, @JasonWeill, @RRosio.
