Editing Workspace (section)

===Software development===
A workspace is (often) a [[Computer file|file]] or [[directory (file systems)|directory]] that allows a user to gather various [[source code]] files and [[resource (computer science)|resources]] and work with them as a cohesive unit.<ref>{{cite book |last1=M. Lloyd |first1=Catherine |title=Encyclopedia of Systems Biology: Workspace |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4419-9863-7 |page=2356 |edition=1 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4419-9863-7_1531 }}</ref> Often these files and resources represent the complete state of an [[Integrated development environment|integrated development environment (IDE)]] at a given time, a snapshot. Workspaces are very helpful in cases of complex [[project]]s when maintenance can be challenging. Good examples of [[software platform|environments]] that allow users to create and use workspaces are [[Microsoft Visual Studio]] and [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]].

In [[Software configuration management|configuration management]], "workspace" takes on a different but related meaning; it is a part of the file system where the files of interest (for a given task like debugging, development, etc.) are located. It stores the user's view of the files stored in the configuration management's repository.

In either case, workspace acts as an environment where a programmer can work, isolated from the outside world, for the task duration.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}