diff --git a/src/dlangide/ui/commands.d b/src/dlangide/ui/commands.d
index a2e1430..ad427d9 100644
--- a/src/dlangide/ui/commands.d
+++ b/src/dlangide/ui/commands.d
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ enum IDEActions : int {
     DebugPause,
     HelpAbout,
     WindowCloseAllDocuments,
+    CreateNewWorkspace,
+    AddToCurrentWorkspace,
 }
 
 const Action ACTION_FILE_NEW_SOURCE_FILE = new Action(IDEActions.FileNew, "MENU_FILE_NEW_SOURCE_FILE"c, "document-new", KeyCode.KEY_N, KeyFlag.Control);
@@ -62,3 +64,5 @@ const Action ACTION_EDIT_UNDO = new Action(EditorActions.Undo, "MENU_EDIT_UNDO"c
 const Action ACTION_EDIT_REDO = new Action(EditorActions.Redo, "MENU_EDIT_REDO"c, "edit-redo"c, KeyCode.KEY_Z, KeyFlag.Control|KeyFlag.Shift);
 const Action ACTION_HELP_ABOUT = new Action(IDEActions.HelpAbout, "MENU_HELP_ABOUT"c);
 const Action ACTION_WINDOW_CLOSE_ALL_DOCUMENTS = new Action(IDEActions.WindowCloseAllDocuments, "MENU_WINDOW_CLOSE_ALL_DOCUMENTS"c);
+const Action ACTION_CREATE_NEW_WORKSPACE = new Action(IDEActions.CreateNewWorkspace, "Create new workspace"d);
+const Action ACTION_ADD_TO_CURRENT_WORKSPACE = new Action(IDEActions.CreateNewWorkspace, "Add to current workspace"d);
diff --git a/src/dlangide/ui/frame.d b/src/dlangide/ui/frame.d
index ffb855e..9bf3e09 100644
--- a/src/dlangide/ui/frame.d
+++ b/src/dlangide/ui/frame.d
@@ -371,6 +371,8 @@ class IDEFrame : AppFrame {
                     dlg.onDialogResult = delegate(Dialog dlg, const Action result) {
 						if (result.id == ACTION_OPEN.id) {
                             string filename = result.stringParam;
+                            if (filename.length)
+                                openFileOrWorkspace(filename);
                         }
                     };
                     dlg.show();
@@ -382,13 +384,68 @@ class IDEFrame : AppFrame {
 		return false;
 	}
 
+    void openFileOrWorkspace(string filename) {
+        if (filename.isWorkspaceFile) {
+            Workspace ws = new Workspace();
+            if (ws.load(filename)) {
+                askForUnsavedEdits(delegate() {
+                    setWorkspace(ws);
+                });
+            } else {
+                window.showMessageBox(UIString("Cannot open workspace"d), UIString("Error occured while opening workspace"d));
+                return;
+            }
+        } else if (filename.isProjectFile) {
+            Project project = new Project();
+            if (!project.load(filename)) {
+                window.showMessageBox(UIString("Cannot open project"d), UIString("Error occured while opening project"d));
+                return;
+            }
+            string defWsFile = project.defWorkspaceFile;
+            if (currentWorkspace) {
+                Project existing = currentWorkspace.findProject(project.filename);
+                if (existing) {
+                    window.showMessageBox(UIString("Open project"d), UIString("Project is already in workspace"d));
+                    return;
+                }
+                window.showMessageBox(UIString("Open project"d), UIString("Do you want to create new workspace or use current one?"d),
+                                      [ACTION_ADD_TO_CURRENT_WORKSPACE, ACTION_CREATE_NEW_WORKSPACE, ACTION_CANCEL], 0, delegate(const Action result) {
+                                          if (result.id == IDEActions.CreateNewWorkspace) {
+                                              // new ws
+                                              Workspace ws = new Workspace();
+                                              ws.name = project.name;
+                                              ws.description = project.description;
+                                              ws.save(defWsFile);
+                                              setWorkspace(ws);
+                                          } else if (result.id == IDEActions.AddToCurrentWorkspace) {
+                                              // add to current
+                                              currentWorkspace.addProject(project);
+                                              currentWorkspace.save();
+                                              _wsPanel.reloadItems();
+                                          }
+                                          return true;
+                                      });
+            } else {
+                // new workspace file
+            }
+        } else {
+            window.showMessageBox(UIString("Invalid workspace file"d), UIString("This file is not a valid workspace or project file"d));
+        }
+    }
+
     bool loadWorkspace(string path) {
         // testing workspace loader
         Workspace ws = new Workspace();
         ws.load(path);
+        setWorkspace(ws);
+        ws.save(ws.filename ~ ".bak");
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    void setWorkspace(Workspace ws) {
+        closeAllDocuments();
         currentWorkspace = ws;
         _wsPanel.workspace = ws;
-        return true;
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/dlangide/ui/wspanel.d b/src/dlangide/ui/wspanel.d
index 53df648..9354405 100644
--- a/src/dlangide/ui/wspanel.d
+++ b/src/dlangide/ui/wspanel.d
@@ -94,14 +94,13 @@ class WorkspacePanel : DockWindow {
         }
     }
 
-    @property void workspace(Workspace w) {
-        _workspace = w;
+    void reloadItems() {
         _tree.requestLayout();
         _tree.items.clear();
-        if (w) {
-            TreeItem root = _tree.items.newChild(w.filename, w.name, "project-development");
+        if (_workspace) {
+            TreeItem root = _tree.items.newChild(_workspace.filename, _workspace.name, "project-development");
             root.intParam = ProjectItemType.Workspace;
-            foreach(project; w.projects) {
+            foreach(project; _workspace.projects) {
                 TreeItem p = root.newChild(project.filename, project.name, "project-open");
                 p.intParam = ProjectItemType.Project;
                 addProjectItems(p, project.items);
@@ -109,6 +108,11 @@ class WorkspacePanel : DockWindow {
         } else {
             _tree.items.newChild("none", "New workspace"d, "project-development");
         }
+    }
+
+    @property void workspace(Workspace w) {
+        _workspace = w;
+        reloadItems();
         _tree.onTreeContentChange(null);
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/dlangide/workspace/project.d b/src/dlangide/workspace/project.d
index c170d59..c5c3ab8 100644
--- a/src/dlangide/workspace/project.d
+++ b/src/dlangide/workspace/project.d
@@ -9,6 +9,22 @@ import std.json;
 import std.utf;
 import std.algorithm;
 
+/// return true if filename matches rules for workspace file names
+bool isProjectFile(string filename) {
+    return filename.baseName.equal("dub.json") || filename.baseName.equal("package.json");
+}
+
+string toForwardSlashSeparator(string filename) {
+    char[] res;
+    foreach(ch; filename) {
+        if (ch == '\\')
+            res ~= '/';
+        else
+            res ~= ch;
+    }
+    return cast(string)res;
+}
+
 /// project item
 class ProjectItem {
     protected Project _project;
@@ -178,7 +194,7 @@ class WorkspaceItem {
         return false;
     }
 
-    bool save() {
+    bool save(string fname = null) {
         return false;
     }
 }
@@ -211,6 +227,10 @@ class Project : WorkspaceItem {
         _workspace = p;
     }
 
+    @property string defWorkspaceFile() {
+        return buildNormalizedPath(_filename.dirName, toUTF8(name) ~ WORKSPACE_EXTENSION);
+    }
+
     ProjectFolder findItems() {
         ProjectFolder folder = new ProjectFolder(_filename);
         folder.project = this;
diff --git a/src/dlangide/workspace/workspace.d b/src/dlangide/workspace/workspace.d
index 003ad7e..7067a94 100644
--- a/src/dlangide/workspace/workspace.d
+++ b/src/dlangide/workspace/workspace.d
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import std.path;
 import std.file;
 import std.json;
 import std.utf;
+import std.algorithm;
 
 /**
     Exception thrown on Workspace errors
@@ -18,6 +19,12 @@ class WorkspaceException : Exception
     }
 }
 
+immutable string WORKSPACE_EXTENSION = ".dlangidews";
+
+/// return true if filename matches rules for workspace file names
+bool isWorkspaceFile(string filename) {
+    return filename.endsWith(WORKSPACE_EXTENSION);
+}
 
 /// DlangIDE workspace
 class Workspace : WorkspaceItem {
@@ -41,6 +48,53 @@ class Workspace : WorkspaceItem {
         return null;
     }
 
+    /// find project in workspace by filename
+    Project findProject(string filename) {
+        foreach (Project p; _projects) {
+            if (p.filename.equal(filename))
+                return p;
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    void addProject(Project p) {
+        _projects ~= p;
+        p.workspace = this;
+    }
+
+    string absoluteToRelativePath(string path) {
+        return toForwardSlashSeparator(relativePath(path, _dir));
+    }
+
+
+    override bool save(string fname = null) {
+        if (fname.length > 0)
+            filename = fname;
+        try {
+            JSONValue content;
+            JSONValue[string] json;
+            json["name"] = JSONValue(toUTF8(_name));
+            json["description"] = JSONValue(toUTF8(_description));
+            JSONValue[string] projects;
+            foreach (Project p; _projects) {
+                string pname = toUTF8(p.name);
+                string ppath = absoluteToRelativePath(p.filename);
+                projects[pname] = JSONValue(ppath);
+            }
+            json["projects"] = projects;
+            content = json;
+            string js = content.toPrettyString;
+            write(_filename, js);
+        } catch (JSONException e) {
+            Log.e("Cannot parse json", e);
+            return false;
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            Log.e("Cannot read workspace file", e);
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
     override bool load(string fname = null) {
         if (fname.length > 0)
             filename = fname;
@@ -61,12 +115,14 @@ class Workspace : WorkspaceItem {
                 string path = value.str;
                 Log.d("project: ", key, " path:", path);
                 if (!isAbsolute(path))
-                    path = buildNormalizedPath(_dir, path, "dub.json");
+                    path = buildNormalizedPath(_dir, path); //, "dub.json"
                 Project project = new Project(path);
                 _projects ~= project;
                 project.load();
 
             }
+            string js = json.toPrettyString;
+            write(_filename, js);
         } catch (JSONException e) {
             Log.e("Cannot parse json", e);
             return false;
diff --git a/workspaces/sample1/sample1.dlangidews b/workspaces/sample1/sample1.dlangidews
index a3f0926..97320f9 100644
--- a/workspaces/sample1/sample1.dlangidews
+++ b/workspaces/sample1/sample1.dlangidews
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 {
-	"name": "sample1",
-	"description": "Sample workspace 1 for testing of DLANG IDE",
-	"projects": {
-		"sampleproject1": "./sampleproject1",
-		"sampleproject2": "./sampleproject2"
-	}
-}
+    "description": "Sample workspace 1 for testing of DLANG IDE",
+    "projects": {
+        "sampleproject1": "sampleproject1\/dub.json",
+        "sampleproject2": "sampleproject2\/dub.json"
+    },
+    "name": "sample1"
+}
\ No newline at end of file