Java Projects view displays redundant empty folders when "Show Non-Java Resources" is enabled

[interstellar-pixel]

When the Hide Non-Java Resources option is enabled, all non-Java resources are hidden from the Java Projects view (including files such as application.yml and .xml files.). However, when switching to Show Non-Java Resources, the view also shows an empty src/main folder and a duplicate empty target folder, which appear to be unnecessary.

Would it be possible to refine the Java Projects view rendering logic to avoid displaying these redundant directories and provide a cleaner project structure view?

[github-actions]

Hi Satan (@interstellar-pixel), I'm an AI Support assistant here to help with your issue. While the team reviews your request, I wanted to provide some possible tips and documentation that might help you in the meantime.

Current Status

There is no built-in setting yet to suppress the empty src/main or duplicate target folders when Show Non-Java Resources is enabled in the Java Projects view.

Tracked Feature Request

• Idea: Ability to configure which Java resources are displayed in the Java projects tab
  • Repository: vscode-java-dependency
  • Issue: Idea: Ability to configure which Java resources are displayed in the Java projects tab #781
  • Description: Provides configuration for which non-Java files/folders show up in the Java Projects view.

Other references with low confidence

• java.getPackageData is broken for some Maven modules
  • Repo: vscode-java-dependency
  • Issue: java.getPackageData is broken for some Maven modules #788
  • Discussion around filtering out empty folders from the package data API

The team will respond to your issue shortly. I hope these suggestions are helpful in the meantime. If this comment helped you, please give it a 👍. If the suggestion was not helpful or incorrect, please give it a 👎. Your feedback helps us improve!

[wenytang-ms]

Thanks for the feedback. We confirmed that the empty src/main hierarchy is a bug and created #1062 to track the fix. You are welcome to add any additional reproduction details or expectations there.

Regarding target, the two entries represent different things: target/generated-sources/... is a Java source root registered on the Maven classpath, while target is the physical build-output folder shown by Show Non-Java Resources.

Could you clarify whether you expect us to:

1. Hide the physical target folder entirely while keeping generated source roots;
2. Hide it only when it has no visible content; or
3. Make build-output visibility configurable?

We would prefer not to remove it unconditionally because some users may rely on Show Non-Java Resources to access generated files.

[interstellar-pixel]

Hi wenyt (@wenytang-ms) Thank you for your attention to this issue. What I would like is for the logical 'target' directory and the physical output directory 'target' currently shown in the Java Projects view to be consolidated into one logical directory display, so that it aligns with the actual physical directory display and eliminates any redundant 'target' directories in the view.

[wenytang-ms]

Hi Satan (@interstellar-pixel), thanks for clarifying your suggestion.

The fixes for the earlier issues, including the redundant empty src/main hierarchy, are now available in the Project Manager for Java pre-release version 0.27.2026091500. Please switch to the pre-release version in VS Code and let us know whether those issues are resolved.

Regarding consolidating the generated-source entries and the physical target folder, we agree that a cleaner layout would be useful. However, these entries represent different things: Java source roots are defined by the project model, while physical build directories can be created or removed during builds and cleans. Combining them requires consistent behavior across those changes, as well as Show/Hide Non-Java Resources and exclusion settings, so that generated sources remain accessible and navigation stays predictable.

This is a broader change to the view's design than fixing redundant empty folders. For now, we will keep the existing separation rather than introduce that behavior change. The consolidation enhancement is therefore not included in this pre-release. We appreciate the suggestion and the discussion—it helped clarify the desired experience and the trade-offs involved.