File Master™ Plus’ Modern User Interfaces in a Nutshell

Published in

Modern Mainframe

5 min readApr 11, 2023

Data display and manipulation is an essential activity that is done by virtually all mainframe QA engineers and developers. Up till relatively recently, this essential effort has been done exclusively via an ISPF editor interface. However, the traditional mainframe interfaces often feel very unfamiliar for young engineers that have just started their mainframe careers. In order to bring the mainframe platform closer to this younger quorum, modern interfaces offer an alternative and are provided as extensions to popular IDEs.

Modern user interfaces available in File Master Plus

Over the past couple of years, File Master Plus has been enhanced to provide two modern user interfaces. They include the Visual Studio Code Data Editor for Mainframe Extension and the Eclipse plugin. File Master Plus provides the Eclipse plugins for all of its three variants (MVS, IMS and DB2).

In the scope of this blog post, we will be focusing solely on the File Master Plus for MVS user interfaces.

Visual Studio Code Extension

VS Code is a powerful and flexible code editor developed by Microsoft that is designed to make coding easier and more efficient.

If you work with mainframe systems and use the Open Mainframe Project Zowe Explorer VS Code Extension, you may have encountered limitations with its ability to open VSAM data sets. Fortunately, the Data Editor for Mainframe VS Code extension is here to help. Powered by File Master Plus backend, this plugin integrates with the Zowe Explorer VS Code Extension to allow you to process VSAM files, also other data sets like Sequential, PDS and PDSE members, and access their data within the editor.

Prerequisites

FileMaster Plus MVS installed and configured on mainframe
FileMaster Plus Server up and running
VS Code, along with the Zowe Explorer VS Code Extension

Setup

Install Data Editor for Mainframe VS Code extension from VS Code marketplace in your VS Code.

After successful installation go to the extension setting to provide FileMaster Plus Server host and port.

Usage

Once you have completed all the necessary prerequisites and setup, you will notice three new options when accessing the data sets in Zowe Explorer VS Code Extension.

The extension provides the capability to browse and edit data sets, including VSAM. Additionally, it enables the formatting of records according to COBOL or PL/I copybook layout, which enhances record comprehension. Record filtration is also supported through selection criteria, enabling the listing of desired records. Furthermore, browsing and editing can be performed in hexadecimal format, providing greater flexibility when working with data.

The screenshot below captures the browsing of a VSAM KSDS data set, which includes a hexadecimal representation of the records.

It is possible to format these records further by utilizing the layout option.

By integrating the Data Editor for Mainframe VS Code extension with the Zowe Explorer VS Code Extension, you will be able to work more efficiently and effectively with the mainframe data set within your modern development environment.

To learn more about the Data Editor for Mainframe VS Code extension check out Aman Prashant’s blog post titled “Want to read/edit a VSAM file from VS Code?”.

In the future, additional capabilities might be added to the Data Editor for Mainframe VS Code extension based on users’ preferences and interests. These may include features like the ability to rename, delete, search, and compare VSAM data sets, among others.

Eclipse plugin

Eclipse is a popular IDE used for software development that supports multiple programming languages, providing a comprehensive platform for coding, testing, and debugging.
File Master Plus provides an Eclipse IDE plugin, to access mainframe data sets.

Prerequisites

FileMaster Plus MVS installed and configured on mainframe
FileMaster Plus Server up and running
Eclipse-based IDE

Setup

Install the File Master Plus plug-in into Eclipse-based IDE, details are described here.

After successful installation go to the Eclipse perspective list and select File Master Plus, and add a new server, like shown below:

Usage

Once you have completed all the necessary prerequisites and setup, you can add and open a data set.

Format these records further by specifying the layout.

Apart from browsing and editing data sets, the plugin can also do the following:

Allocate sequential, PDS and VSAM data sets
Copy sequential, PDS (including members) and VSAM data sets
Compare the contents of two data sets or two or more members in a PDS. It is also possible to compare the contents of two programs or two program libraries.
Print contents of a data set.

Closing remarks

The two File Master Plus’ modern interfaces represent an interesting alternative to the traditional “green screen” interface that will be most appreciated by users with less mainframe experience. The usage of these interfaces will enable them to flatten the learning curve by providing a familiar way to interact with mainframe data sets.